[44], In the following year, the Persian satrap (governor) of Caria, Pixodarus, offered his eldest daughter to Alexander's half-brother, Philip Arrhidaeus. Was it Veratrum album? [266][267], Suda wrote that Alexander built a big temple to Sarapis. [262], In 334 BC, Alexander the Great donated funds for the completion of the new temple of Athena Polias in Priene, in modern-day western Turkey. [275] Several Buddhist traditions may have been influenced by the ancient Greek religion: the concept of Boddhisatvas is reminiscent of Greek divine heroes,[278] and some Mahayana ceremonial practices (burning incense, gifts of flowers, and food placed on altars) are similar to those practised by the ancient Greeks; however, similar practices were also observed amongst the native Indic culture. [228][229], He appears to have believed himself a deity, or at least sought to deify himself. Left to fight alone, they were defeated. Alexander, the son of his fourth wife, Olympias, was a bold, headstrong boy of unusual intelligence. [57] The Macedonians marched into the country of the Triballi, and defeated their army near the Lyginus river[58] (a tributary of the Danube). [117] The silver coinage had a beardless head of Heracles wearing a lionskin headdress on the obverse and Zeus aetophoros ('eagle bearer') enthroned with a scepter in his left hand, on the reverse. [290], After Caracalla concluded his campaign against the Alamanni, it became evident that he was inordinately preoccupied with Alexander the Great. [216] While Alexander worried that his father would leave him "no great or brilliant achievement to be displayed to the world",[217] he also downplayed his father's achievements to his companions. During the ensuing Battle of Chaeronea, Philip commanded the right wing and Alexander the left, accompanied by a group of Philip's trusted generals. [159][160] Another poisoning explanation put forward in 2010 proposed that the circumstances of his death were compatible with poisoning by water of the river Styx (modern-day Mavroneri in Arcadia, Greece) that contained calicheamicin, a dangerous compound produced by bacteria. When the Thessalians awoke the next day, they found Alexander in their rear and promptly surrendered, adding their cavalry to Alexander's force. [169] Perhaps more likely, the successors may have seen possession of the body as a symbol of legitimacy, since burying the prior king was a royal prerogative. 14K Yellow Solid Gold. [303] One well-known fable among Greek seamen involves a solitary mermaid who would grasp a ship's prow during a storm and ask the captain "Is King Alexander alive?" 14K Gold Alexander The Great Greek Macedonian King Thin Pendant . [citation needed], Before his death, someone asked Alexander on who would be his designated successor should he die, he responded: "To the strongest one" and even added that there will be funeral games that would played after his death. 336-323 BC. [62] Antipater referred the Spartans' punishment to the League of Corinth, which then deferred to Alexander, who chose to pardon them. [192], In his first battle in Asia, at Granicus, Alexander used only a small part of his forces, perhaps 13,000 infantry with 5,000 cavalry, against a much larger Persian force of 40,000. With the Athenians lost, the Thebans were surrounded. Alexander was the first king to wear the royal diadem, a band of cloth tied around the hair that was to become the symbol of Hellenistic kingship. According to local customs, the setting sun was considered a symbol of ruin. [261], The city of Pella, in modern Jordan, was founded by veterans of Alexander's army, and named it after the city of Pella, in Greece, which was the birthplace of Alexander. [258] This process can be seen in such great Hellenistic cities as Alexandria, Antioch[269] and Seleucia (south of modern Baghdad). They refused to be sent away and criticized his adoption of Persian customs and dress and the introduction of Persian officers and soldiers into Macedonian units. The campaign took Alexander through Media, Parthia, Aria (West Afghanistan), Drangiana, Arachosia (South and Central Afghanistan), Bactria (North and Central Afghanistan), and Scythia. Alexander not only returned Ambhi his title and the gifts but he also presented him with a wardrobe of "Persian robes, gold and silver ornaments, 30 horses and 1,000 talents in gold". According to Diodorus, Alexander's last plans called for military expansion into the southern and western Mediterranean, monumental constructions, and the intermixing of Eastern and Western populations. When news of the revolts reached Alexander, he responded quickly. [138][139] As a gesture of thanks, he paid off the debts of his soldiers, and announced that he would send over-aged and disabled veterans back to Macedon, led by Craterus. The horns of Ammon were curling ram horns, used as a symbol of the Egyptian deity Ammon (also spelled Amun or Amon). ApieceOfGreece. Under Aristotle's tutelage, Alexander developed a passion for the works of Homer, and in particular the Iliad; Aristotle gave him an annotated copy, which Alexander later carried on his campaigns. As in Tyre, men of military age were put to the sword and the women and children were sold into slavery. [302], Alexander features prominently in modern Greek folklore, more so than any other ancient figure. Macedonian silver tetradrachm with Alexander the Great wearing Lion's Scalp On August 2, 338 BC, the Macedonians defeated the Greeks at Chaeronea in central Greece and conquered their country. [144][216][243] Hephaestion's death devastated Alexander. [166] Natural-cause theories also tend to emphasize that Alexander's health may have been in general decline after years of heavy drinking and severe wounds. In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered. The Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great was an imperial cult in ancient Egypt in the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC), promoted by the Ptolemaic dynasty.The core of the cult was the worship of the deified conqueror-king Alexander the Great, which eventually formed the basis for the ruler cult of the Ptolemies themselves. [60], While Alexander campaigned north, the Thebans and Athenians rebelled once again. Stories about his interest in animals are well known too. Though outmanoeuvered by Darius's significantly larger army, he marched back to Cilicia, where he defeated Darius at Issus. [82] Control of Egypt passed to Ptolemy I (son of Lagos), the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty (305-30 BC) after the death of Alexander. [303], In pre-Islamic Middle Persian (Zoroastrian) literature, Alexander is referred to by the epithet gujastak, meaning "accursed", and is accused of destroying temples and burning the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. A few years earlier, in 332 BC, Alexander invaded Bactria and Gandhara when this territory was under ramanic influence (perhaps Buddhist and Jain). The satrapies handed out by Perdiccas at the Partition of Babylon became power bases each general used to bid for power. [214], Both of Alexander's parents encouraged his ambitions. [107], During the long rule of the Achaemenids, the elite positions in many segments of the empire including the central government, the army, and the many satrapies were specifically reserved for Iranians and to a major degree Persian noblemen. "[247] Some modern historians (e.g., Robin Lane Fox) believe not only that Alexander's youthful relationship with Hephaestion was sexual, but that their sexual contacts may have continued into adulthood, which went against the social norms of at least some Greek cities, such as Athens,[248][249] though some modern researchers have tentatively proposed that Macedonia (or at least the Macedonian court) may have been more tolerant of homosexuality between adults. A history steeped in myth [citation needed], On either 10 or 11 June 323BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon, at age 32. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mould of Achilles, featuring prominently in the historical and mythical traditions of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. [143] During his visit to Pasargadae, Alexander ordered his architect Aristobulus to decorate the interior of the sepulchral chamber of Cyrus's tomb. In the temple of Luxor, near Karnak, he built a chapel for the sacred barge. Tarsos mint. Macedonian Star of Alexander the Great Royal Symbol - Museumize [202], Both Curtius and Diodorus report a story that when Darius III's mother, Sisygambis, first met Alexander and Hephaestion, she assumed that the latter was Alexander because he was the taller and more handsome of the two.[203]. "[300], In the first centuries after Alexander's death, probably in Alexandria, a quantity of the legendary material coalesced into a text known as the Alexander Romance, later falsely ascribed to Callisthenes and therefore known as Pseudo-Callisthenes. Macedon was an Ancient Greek polity. Alexander the Great became King of Macedonia in 336BC at the age of 20. Apelles, however, in painting him as wielder of the thunder-bolt, did not reproduce his complexion, but made it too dark and swarthy. Alexander replied that since he was now king of Asia, it was he alone who decided territorial divisions. [51] Alexander spared Arrhidaeus, who was by all accounts mentally disabled, possibly as a result of poisoning by Olympias. After the assassination of Perdiccas in 321BC, Macedonian unity collapsed, and 40years of war between "The Successors" (Diadochi) ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into three stable power blocs: Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Syria and East, and Antigonid Macedonia. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated near Magnesia by the Achaemenids under the command of the mercenary Memnon of Rhodes. . [98] Alexander buried Darius's remains next to his Achaemenid predecessors in a regal funeral. The head priest of the cult was the chief priest in the Ptolemaic . Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture led to the overwhelming dominance of Hellenistic civilization and influence as far east as the Indian subcontinent. He was taken to his bedchamber where, after days of agony, he fell into a coma and died. The Decadent Emperors: Power and Depravity in Third-Century Rome. [50] He also had two Macedonian princes from the region of Lyncestis killed for having been involved in his father's assassination, but spared a third, Alexander Lyncestes. That same day, Philip received news that his general Parmenion had defeated the combined Illyrian and Paeonian armies and that his horses had won at the Olympic Games. Alexander personally defeated the Scythians at the Battle of Jaxartes and immediately launched a campaign against Spitamenes, defeating him in the Battle of Gabai. [149] Arrian also mentioned this as an alternative, but Plutarch specifically denied this claim. In return for teaching Alexander, Philip agreed to rebuild Aristotle's hometown of Stageira, which Philip had razed, and to repopulate it by buying and freeing the ex-citizens who were slaves, or pardoning those who were in exile. They went on to occupy the city of Elatea, only a few days' march from both Athens and Thebes. "[55] At Corinth, Alexander took the title of Hegemon ("leader") and, like Philip, was appointed commander for the coming war against Persia. [39] The marriage made Alexander's position as heir less secure, since any son of Cleopatra Eurydice would be a fully Macedonian heir, while Alexander was only half-Macedonian. The Great Macedonian King on the Buddhist Trail. Ernst Badian argued that they were exaggerated by Perdiccas in order to ensure that the Macedonian troops voted not to carry them out. Alexander the Great was born in the Greek month of Hekatombaion. [107], The foundation of the "new" Smyrna was also associated with Alexander. This is cited as a reason for sparing Jerusalem. Even as he watched the city burn, Alexander immediately began to regret his decision.