Alexandra III Macedonian in European historiography is often called Alexander the Great. And the definition of “Great” is completely justified here. Even in ancient times, Alexander was glorified as one of the most skillful commanders in world history. Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC. e. For my short life(only less than 33 years old) he managed to turn the small state of Macedonia into a huge empire measuring 5.2 million square kilometers. There is a lot connected with the personality of Alexander, his life and death. interesting facts. Below are 10 such facts - they definitely deserve the attention of anyone who is interested in history.
According to the historian Plutarch, Alexander, while still a ten-year-old child, was able to curb Bucephalus (translated from Greek, this name can be translated as “bull’s head”). Moreover, even the father of the future great commander considered this horse unfit for anything because of his excessive obstinacy. Subsequently, Bucephalus became Alexander's favorite horse; the commander took him on all his campaigns. And when the horse died (most likely, this happened during the battle with the Indian king Porus in 326 BC), Alexander founded a settlement right at the site of his death and named it in honor of his favorite animal.
Alexander's father invited Aristotle to teach his son science (the boy was only 13 years old at that time). And communication with Aristotle, of course, greatly influenced the way of thinking and value system of the future commander. It is clear that it was Aristotle who instilled in Alexander the Great respect for philosophy in general.
Alexander, both in his youth and after ascending the throne, enjoyed communicating with various philosophers. For example, it is known that Macedonian once met with Diogenes, who at that time was resting in the city square. The Emperor asked if he could do something for Diogenes. “Don’t block the sun for me,” said the founder philosophical school Cynics to Alexander. This answer completely amazed Macedonsky.
The Meeting of Alexander and Diogenes - painting by Gaetano Gandolfi, painted in 1792
And later, during a campaign in India, Alexander suspended military operations in order to discuss with the gymnosophists (they were also called “naked philosophers”). These philosophers were original followers and interpreters of Hinduism. They didn’t wear clothes on principle, because they were sure that it was because of them that people became vain.
In 336 BC. e., having come to power, Alexander the Great executed possible participants in the conspiracy against his murdered father and all rivals who could also lay claim to the throne (in particular, the princes from the Lyncestide dynasty - Arrabai and Heromen). He left alive only his half-brother named Arrhidaeus, who actually suffered from dementia. The brother calmly survived Alexander and in 323, after he died great commander, began to rule in Macedonia. Although, of course, Arrhidaeus's power was only formal, in practice he was a toy in the hands of his entourage. And a few years later, Arrhidaeus nevertheless became a victim of intrigue and was killed.
The military and leadership talents of this historical figure are beyond doubt. The military tactics and strategy of Alexander the Great are even studied today in the military. educational institutions. Somehow he was always faster or more cunning than the enemy. It is interesting that victory was achieved even when the number of enemy troops outnumbered Alexander’s army by several times. A striking example here is the decisive battle in the war with the Persians, which took place in October 331. After this battle, Alexander was missing about 1000 of his soldiers. And about 30,000 thousand Persians died. Of course, the Persians eventually surrendered.
By the way, it is believed that Alexander remembered the name of every soldier in his army, and this despite the fact that its number was several tens of thousands of people.
“Cutting the Gordian knot” means resolving a confusing situation in a simple and straightforward way. During the time of Alexander, Phrygia (a small country in modern-day Turkey) was ruled by a king named Gordius. He had a cart that he valued very much - it once helped him come to power. He placed the “lucky” cart in a prominent place in the temple, and entangled its yoke with an incredibly complex knot of dogwood bast. And it was believed that whoever unraveled it would take possession of all the lands of Asia. When Alexander conquered Phrygia, he entered the temple and simply cut the knot with one swing of his own sword.
The historian Plutarch writes that Alexander founded at least seventy cities during his military campaigns and modestly gave them his name. And from the locations of these cities you can even trace the commander’s routes. In the territories of modern Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, Macedonian left his mark in the form settlements with the same name - Alexandria. Perhaps the most famous Alexandria is located in Egypt near the Nile Delta. This is still very Big City- the second most populous city in Egypt.
He met his first wife in 327 during the war with the ancient states of Sogdiana and Bactria (they were located on the territory of modern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). After capturing the mountain fortress of Rock, he began to inspect the people he had taken prisoner. His particular attention was attracted by a very young girl named Roxana - the daughter of a nobleman from Bactria... Soon a wedding was already celebrated between Alexander and Roxana. Later, Roxana gave birth to a boy from the great commander - Alexander IV.
And a year before his death, after the conquest of the Persians, Alexander the Great married two more women at once - Starir and Parysatis, daughters of the Persian kings. Alexander thought it was like new Persian king may well have several wives. But the new wives did not leave him children. Alexander's second son, who was named Hercules, was illegitimate - he was born by his mistress Barsina.
In general, the emperor, unlike many men of his time, treated women with great respect. And even Aristotle did not entirely support him on this issue.
It is also worth adding that, unfortunately, none of Alexander’s children could live to reach adulthood - they were killed as potential contenders for power.
Alexander died in 323 BC. e., he was only thirty-two years old. He returned from his Indian campaign and stopped in Babylon, and it was in this city that death overtook him. It is known that before he died, Makedonsky was ill for two weeks. Some researchers on this topic come to the conclusion that Alexander died from some kind of infectious disease (malaria, typhoid fever, liver failure, etc.). However, the fact that no one else with whom he had eaten in recent days became ill makes the version of an infectious disease less plausible.
There are other versions. For example, the version about the poisoning of the emperor by his closest ally Antipater. There is also a suitable motive: Alexander wanted to deprive Antipater of the position of governor of Macedonia.
The authoritative English archaeologist Wallis Budge suggested that the remains Alexandraat first were immersed in honey to stop further decay. And only later the corpse was embalmed in accordance with the then traditions.
But the “adventures” of Alexander’s remains did not end there. At some point they were sent from Babylon to Macedonia. On the way they were intercepted by Ptolemy I, Alexander's former general. He decided to transport such valuable cargo to Egypt. Ptolemy believed that since he had Alexander’s body, he was the legitimate ruler of the empire...
Sculpture of Ptomelius I - a man who significantly influenced the fate of the remains of Alexander
Later, Alexander’s tomb, located in Alexandria, Egypt, was visited by the Roman rulers Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Octavian (historians write that Octavian, awkwardly touching Alexander’s mummy, broke off his nose) and Caracalla. Later the grave was looted, and information about it exact location were lost.
In midsummer 330 BC. e. Alexander quickly moved to the eastern provinces through the Caspian Gate, where he learned that the Bactrian satrap Bessus had removed Darius from the throne. After a skirmish near the place where modern Shahrud is located, the usurper stabbed Darius to death. Alexander sent Darius' body for burial with full honors in Persepolis. Although the Macedonian general had previously declared that he was waging a personal war against Darius, he now acted as his heir.
Alexander's further advance to the east, although it led to an increase in his power, was accompanied by more and more difficulties. The local population offered fierce resistance, and tactics had to be constantly changed. Managing a huge territory was associated with great difficulties; not all governors coped with their responsibilities equally well. The extension of communications caused supply interruptions and a weakening of the army, which was forced to leave garrisons in the fortresses.
Changed ethnic composition Alexander’s army, many Greek-Macedonian veterans no longer sought to continue the war, conquered peoples were included in the army. The desire for sole rule and imitation of eastern despots caused discontent among those closest to him, which was only aggravated by Alexander’s obvious desire to unite East and West, to mix the victorious people and the vanquished. As part of this mixture, the Persians were appointed commanders, and a large wedding of Greeks and Persian women was organized.
Dissatisfied Macedonians organized conspiracies, which Alexander suppressed with great cruelty. So, he executed Philots and his father Parmenion, his father’s closest ally and his largest official, the commander of the elite cavalry “hetairs”. All of Parmenion’s associates were also liquidated, the Hetaira cavalry was reorganized - Alexander deprived the old nobility of influence.
Then the “conspiracy of the pages” was discovered - the noble youth who guarded the king. Alexander personally killed his close friend Cleitus at a feast. The historian Callisthenes was executed for refusing to kiss Alexander's feet. The great conqueror became a despot. He increasingly took part in violent drinking bouts, became irritated, and attacked his subjects.
After Central Asia, where the Macedonians dealt with the inhabitants of Bactria, conquered Sogdiana and drove out the Scythians, it was the turn of fabulous India. Here Alexander dealt with the kingdoms of Punjab, but the army categorically refused to go further east. For the first time, the great military leader could not do anything about the tired warriors. We had to return, and on the way back a significant part of the army died from hunger, thirst and disease. Alexander, still recovering from a serious wound received in India, led his troops through the desert regions of Gedrosia (Baluchistan), while his general Nearchus commanded a fleet that was returning along the coast of South Asia.
Alexander was again in Persia in early 324 BC. e. By this time, the power of the Macedonian king, unprecedented in size, covered the Balkan Peninsula, the islands Aegean Sea, Asia Minor, Egypt, all of Western Asia, the southern regions of Central Asia and part Central Asia to the lower reaches of the Indus. During the process of conquest, routes of communication and trade between individual regions were explored and developed. The population of Greece, Phenicia and Mesopotamia were given wide opportunities for colonization and exploitation of the conquered territories. The civilizations of the West and the East met, which radically changed the cultural appearance of the ecumene.
Alexander energetically worked on the further administrative and military structure. The Macedonian veterans were generously rewarded and sent home, led by Craterus (at the same time, however, it was necessary to extinguish the rebellion in these troops); Antipater led recruits from Greece to replace them. Alexander made plans to develop maritime connections with India, conquer Arabia, improve the Euphrates irrigation system and populate the coast of the Persian Gulf. The king toured Pereda, Susiana and Media with inspection. In the autumn of 324 BC. e. In Ecbatana (the capital of Media), Alexander’s closest friend Hephaestion, a man whom he trusted infinitely, died. The king ordered to honor the deceased as a hero and at the same time provide divine honors to him, Alexander, about which he sent instructions to Hellas. Biographers claim that Alexander was beside himself with grief over the death of Hephaestion, so he drank a lot. The king's delusions of grandeur progressed; he constantly demanded divine honors. The cities, willy-nilly, yielded to his demand, but, for example, the Spartan decree said: “If Alexander wants to be a god, let him be a god.”
In the summer of 323 BC. e. after another long feast, he fell ill with an unknown illness. They talk about delirium tremens and malaria. It is possible that the king was poisoned. In principle, this could be done by any person from the retinue, who feared that the unpredictable wrath of the king would fall on him. Antipater, one of the few elderly high-ranking officials who clearly remembered Parmenion's fate, is often cited as the organizer of the poisoning. Probably, the king’s illness was complicated by many rather severe wounds (the last of which he received in India).
Doctors could not save the life of the ruler of Asia - the lower part of the body was paralyzed, speech was impaired, and did not subside heat. June 13 (or 10), 323 BC. e. Alexander the Great passed away. His body was placed in a golden coffin and sent to Greece, but it was intercepted by Ptolemy, who transported it to Alexandria in Egypt.
The heir to the throne was not named, and the commanders spoke in favor of the feeble-minded illegitimate son of Philip II, Arrideus, and Alexander’s son from Roxana, Alexander IV, who was born after his father’s death; The comrades-in-arms of the late king themselves, after long disputes, divided the satrapies among themselves. The empire was not destined to survive. Both kings were killed: Arrhidaeus in 317 BC. e., Alexander IV in 310 or 309 BC. e. The provinces became independent states, and the military leaders, following the example of Antigonus, proclaimed themselves kings. A new - Hellenistic - era began. The activities of the great Macedonian led to the transfer of the centers of European civilization to the East. She contributed to the spread of Hellenism throughout the Middle East and the creation - at least in an economic and cultural sense - of a single world stretching from Gibraltar to the Punjab.
Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC), also known as Alexander the Great, died in Babylon at the age of 32, just over a month short of his 33rd birthday and leaving no instructions on his heirs.
Regarding the death of this commander and ruler of the state, there are the following points of view:
1. Version about the natural death of the Macedonian king.
2. Assassination of Alexander the Great.
Among supporters of the first point of view, the version most often put forward is about the death of Alexander the Great from malaria. Others suggest that the Macedonian king could have died from West Nile fever. There is also an assumption that Alexander could have died from cancer. Some experts believe that the great commander died of leishmaniasis. Some experts are inclined to think that the cause of the death of the Macedonian king is smallpox.
American historian, specialist in Ancient Macedonia, Eugene Borza (1935), took part in the work of the medical investigative commission of the University of Maryland, which concluded that the cause of Alexander’s death was typhoid fever.
Some experts believe that Alexander died not from one disease, but from two, possibly more, diseases. For example, some historians, orientalists and other categories of specialists claim that Alexander the Great died of malaria and pneumonia. It is possible that the second disease could be leukemia.
Among supporters of the first point of view, there is an assertion that Alexander’s frequent drinking sessions with generals, friends and other categories of people could undermine his health.
There is also a version that Alexander the Great overdosed on poisonous hellebore, which was used as a laxative.
It turns out that supporters of the first point of view still cannot establish and come to an agreement because of what disease Alexander the Great died.
An interesting fact is that none of his entourage, his loved ones, or his dining companions got sick. It is on this basis that some supporters of the second point of view believe that Alexander could not have died from infectious diseases. To a certain extent, there is some truth in their words. It is strange that only Alexander alone contracted an infection somewhere, while the people around him were spared the infection.
There is a hypothesis that Alexander died due to the death of his close friend Hephaestion, who died a few months earlier. This version is not very popular.
Most supporters of the second point of view argue that Alexander was deliberately poisoned.
A popular version among historians and other specialists is the poisoning of Alexander the Great by Antipater (397 - 319 BC), governor of Macedonia. The question arises - why did Antipater kill Alexander? Some believe that Antipater, having learned that Alexander the Great was going to remove him from his post as governor of Macedonia, began to take measures to prevent this from happening. These measures led to him poisoning Alexander. If this is so, then it turns out that Antipater kills a person for the sake of fasting. It is possible, according to supporters of this version, that Antipater wanted not only to poison the Macedonian and retain the post of governor of Macedonia, but also wanted to take Alexander’s place, transferring the post of governor to his heir. Whether this is true or not has not been proven.
There is also a version according to which Antipater and his eldest son Cassander together took part in the murder of Alexander the Great.
There is an assumption that the murderer of Alexander the Great is his teacher Aristotle. According to sources, Aristotle was very fond of money. If this is so, then it is possible that he was bribed by Carthage, since the government of this state was aware of the impending campaign of Alexander the Great against Carthage. By destroying Alexander, Carthage would protect itself from Macedonian conquest.
There is information that Aristotle had great connections. If this is so, then he could well find a person or people who, for a certain reward, would or would agree to kill the Macedonian king.
If the murder of Alexander is connected with Carthage, then it is possible that Carthage was searching for the future murderer. It is possible that the choice of the future murderer fell on Aristotle. But it is possible that Aristotle could have refused to kill his student. It is clear that in case of refusal, Carthage will look for another future killer. It is possible that another future killer was found by Carthage. In this case, the killer of the Macedonian king is not Aristotle, but someone else. There is a version that Aristotle refused to kill his student, but named Carthage for a certain reward one or more people who could kill Alexander.
It can also be assumed that the killer of Alexander the Great is not Carthage, but one of the rulers of the Arabian states.
British experts believe that Alexander was poisoned with a drug made from white hellebore. It is known that this poisonous plant was used by ancient Greek doctors for medicinal purposes.
If we assume that Alexander the Great was poisoned, then two options are possible: intentional poisoning and poisoning through negligence. If there was a deliberate poisoning, then the question arises - who poisoned Alexander? Who prepared the drink that contained poison? It is possible that Alexander’s killers were not one person, but several.
Poisoning through negligence occurs if the drink with poison was intended not for Alexander, but for another person, but it so happened that the Macedonian king was poisoned. Anything can happen in life, so the possibility of poisoning due to negligence also cannot be ruled out.
Among some historians and other experts, there is an assumption that the poisoner of the Macedonian king is one of Alexander’s generals, namely Ptolemy. It is possible that Ptolemy and Antipater acted together. It is possible that Aristotle and Ptolemy acted together.
Some experts believe that Alexander's killer is his wife Roxana, who was furious over the Macedonian king's two subsequent marriages to Persian princesses. According to some sources, Alexander blamed Roxana for the death of Hephaestion. We must not forget that Roxanne was pregnant. It is unlikely that Roxana, having killed Alexander, wanted to leave the child without a father. It is difficult to believe that Ptolemy or Roxana, two people considered loyal to Alexander and dependent on him, could want the death of the Macedonian king, but such a possibility is not excluded.
There is a version of a criminal conspiracy among Alexander’s Greek-Macedonian entourage to poison him. It is known that among the Greco-Macedonian nobility there were dissatisfied with the policies of Alexander the Great. According to sources, Alexander became alienated from some Greeks and Macedonians. The Greco-Macedonian environment was dissatisfied with Alexander's rapprochement with the Persian nobility.
There is also a version that the Greek-Macedonian encirclement or some part of it was tired of fighting and was against military campaigns against Arabia or Carthage. In this case the option criminal conspiracy not excluded.
The possibility of a criminal conspiracy is not excluded in another case related to the military campaign against Carthage and Arabia. It is known that Alexander did not give his soldiers much time to rest, as he was eager to quickly conquer Carthage, Arabia and other lands. Supporters of this version believe that the Greek-Macedonian environment was not against military campaigns against Carthage and Arabia, but believed that the army should rest longer and gain more strength.
If we assume that Alexander the Great was killed, then the question arises - who is the killer or killers? Alexander could have been killed by envious people, secret enemies, Antipater, and the Persians. There are many options, but there is no answer yet. It is possible that Alexander died of natural causes. In this case, there is no point in looking for the killer, since he does not exist.
Alexander the Great ruled more than 2 thousand years ago, but his fame still does not fade. This brilliant commander managed to conquer half the world, and died quite young - at the age of less than 33 years. The death did not happen on the battlefield. The cause of death was an illness accompanied by abdominal pain, vomiting and weakness. This happened on June 10 or 11 in 323 BC.
The sudden illness and death at a young age of the legendary commander, who was recognized as a genius during his lifetime, a ruler whose fame did not fade throughout history, gave rise to many versions and assumptions, from simple to the most intricate.
The exact cause of death of Alexander the Great will probably never be established. His biography was overgrown with a huge number of myths and legends, since the popularity of the kings who accomplished so many conquests was fueled by propaganda no worse than modern ones. However, history and archeology find new facts, even if the object of study belongs to ancient times.
Alexander was less than 33 years old when he entered Babylon through the Western Royal Gate in May 323 BC. e. His state of health and nerves at this time was not ideal. The deterioration began several months ago. The ruler suffered from a neck injury, wounds, depression, and drank a lot. However, the subjects did not expect such a quick end to their master.
The date of death is called the 10th or 11th of June.
Symptoms of a high fever appeared in the commander a week before his death:
When describing Macedonsky's disease, they also mention severe abdominal pain, convulsions, vomiting, a rare pulse and clouding of consciousness. Three days before his death, Alexander lost the ability to speak.
Of course, suspicions of deliberate poisoning by someone from Alexander’s close circle could not ignore the death of such a great man. For the role of the poisoner various reasons Antipater and even Aristotle were nominated as the king's governor in Macedonia.
However, most historians are still inclined to believe that the cause of Alexander the Great’s death was natural. Most likely:
Most likely, one of these diseases was superimposed on the general weakening of the body due to wounds, infections, depression and alcohol consumption. Alexander was not an alcoholic modern sense words, he was never drunk the day before or during the battle. But during feasts, which could last for several days in a row, he always got drunk, which was quite consistent with the traditions of that time.
The ruler developed mental anguish because a year ago his close friend and lover Hephaestion suddenly died from an illness similar to his own.
There is a description of his last feast. At the very end, when Alexander was going to bed, one of those feasting proposed a final toast. Alexander was given a full jug of wine. Having drained it to the bottom, the king fell to the floor in terrible convulsions. The convulsions and vomiting continued for several days, the ruler was speechless and stopped recognizing those around him.
Such symptoms correspond to the description of alcoholic pancreatitis. This inflammatory disease that affects the pancreas is very difficult and often leads to the death of not only alcoholics, but also those who drink a large dose of alcohol, especially low-quality alcohol.
Typhus, which could also lead to death, was not uncommon in Babylon. This infection, accompanied by fever and clouding of consciousness, fully corresponds to the description of Alexander’s last torment.
It is possible that Alexander contracted malaria, the course of which could have weakened the body so much that the pneumonia that developed as a result of it killed the king. During the Indian campaign, Alexander damaged his lung. The arrow wounded him in the chest, and air came out of the wound along with the blood. The wound was severe, and it could lead to pneumonia later.
One of the most recent versions is that the king was poisoned by juice poisonous plant called white hellebore. Doctors could have given it to him medicinal purposes, as it was used by the Greeks as an emetic and also as a means of driving away evil spirits.
The body of Alexander the Great was embalmed by Egyptian embalmers who arrived in Babylon. According to another version, the body was kept in a barrel of honey for two years before the funeral in Egypt.
There is a version that the coffin with the body was transported to Memphis, and then to Alexandria in Egypt. He stayed there for many years. Other rulers of Antiquity, such as Julius Caesar, Caligula, Octavian Augustus, and Caracalla, made a pilgrimage to Alexander’s tomb. They said that Caligula removed the breastplate from Alexander's mummy and wore it himself.
The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (late 2nd century AD) ordered the tomb to be walled up, and since then the coffin with the remains of the great commander disappeared without a trace.
There is a famous ancient Sidonian sarcophagus, which is sometimes called the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. But it did not belong to the commander, but, presumably, to King Abdalonim, who lived at the same time. On one side of the sarcophagus there is a bas-relief depicting a horseman wearing a lion helmet. Many believe that this is Macedonian.
There is a legend according to which the body of the famous ancient ruler still preserved in a glass coffin and golden armor, in a secret tomb in the ruins of ancient Alexandria. In fact, no one knows the burial place of Alexander the Great. One can only guess about it.
The date of birth of Alexander III the Great of the Argead dynasty has been controversial among historians. Plutarch indicated the conqueror's birthday as July 20, 356 BC. e., and Arrian attributed it to the beginning of October. Myths say that he was born on the very night when Herostratus burned the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
The father of the great ruler, King Philip II of Macedonia, prepared Alexander for the throne from childhood and raised him to be a future warrior. Olympias, his mother, was the daughter of the king of Epirus and, according to legend, descended from Achilles, the hero Trojan War. When Alexander ascended the throne, many of his contemporaries began to worship him as a deity.
Although Alexander was born in the capital of Macedonia, the city of Pella, the boy studied in Mieza with Leonidas and Lysimachus. The first instilled in the future ruler a disdain for comfort and the ability to be content with a Spartan environment, and the second instructed him in ethics and rhetoric.
When the young man turned thirteen, Aristotle himself became his teacher. The great thinker taught the future ruler, first of all, politics, philosophy and ethics. The sciences also included medicine and literature.
Philip II, according to not only modern historians, but also some ancient authors, was a better ruler for his people than his son, although he did not conquer as many territories during his reign.
At the Battle of Chaeronea, which brought Greece back under Macedonian rule, Alexander commanded the right flank and defeated the enemy. He was 18 years old, and his military success demonstrated the young heir's readiness to take the throne. Alexander said at the time that as long as his father was alive, he would not do anything great.
In 336 BC. e. Philip was killed, and perhaps not without the participation of his wife and son. Alexander was proclaimed the new king of Macedonia.
First of all, the young ruler suppresses the uprisings in Greece and establishes complete power over it. He then invades Persia, not intending to stop there. Just four years later, having captured this great empire, Alexander proclaims himself king of Asia.
Having conquered Bactria and Sogdiana, Alexander invaded India. But his army refuses to go further, and the commander is forced to turn home.
Arriving in Babylon and not in the best physical shape, Alexander hatches plans for an invasion of the Arabian Peninsula. These plans did not come true; Alexander died suddenly, without leaving a will or order about who would be the new ruler of the state.
History shows that the great conqueror was well versed in medicine. Perhaps this was his undoing.
Could replace the doctor
Alexander the Great received a good education, and medicine was not the last subject there. “The king was interested not only in the abstract side of this science, but... came to the aid of sick friends, appointing various ways treatment and therapeutic regimen,” Plutarch wrote about him in “Comparative Lives.”
Alexander enters Babylon. Lebrun, ok. 1664.
One can only guess how Alexander treated his comrades. However, he probably knew field surgery very well. Even an ordinary warrior of that time was an expert in stab and chopped wounds - let alone a commander. It can also be argued that the king was well versed in poisonous and healing herbs. During the Asian and Indian treks he compiled a herbarium and sent the results to his teacher, philosopher and physician Aristotle.
Bust of Alexander the Great as Helios. Capitoline Museums(Rome)
Lame conqueror?
It is not known who and for what reasons first began to attribute illnesses to Macedonsky that he never suffered from. But stories about them are still passed on from mouth to mouth and have already begun to seem true to some. So, many are sure that Alexander was one-eyed, lame, and at the same time suffered from epilepsy. This is wrong. It was not Alexander who was one-eyed, but his father Philip. His son Hercules suffered from epilepsy. The lame one was the treasurer (and embezzler) Harpalus, one of the conqueror’s friends and associates.
But this does not mean that Alexander himself was absolutely healthy. He could declare himself as much as he liked as the son of the god Zeus, immortal and not susceptible to disease. In reality it was different.
The Macedonian court sculptor Lysippos depicted his king this way: his chin is raised, his face is turned to the right, his head is tilted back and to the left. Try to reproduce this pose - and you will immediately be accused of contempt for the human race... In his work, Lysippos adhered to the instructions of Aristotle, who said: “One should not go against nature, but represent the greatest of all living naturally.” So is the image real? At the time, Alexander may have suffered from Brown syndrome. This is a rare form of strabismus. If a person with such a disease tries to hold his head straight, objects will appear double. But turning the head like a sculpture can compensate for vision. So the point is not at all about the king’s contempt for “mortals,” but about illness. It can be congenital or acquired. IN in this case rather, the second is that in his youth the conqueror received a serious head injury, accompanied by partial loss of vision.
Alexander: Ask me whatever you want! Diogenes: Don't block the sun for me! (Jean-Baptiste Regnault, 1818)
Different eyes
He had no luck with his eyes at all. Or luck, depending on how you look at it. One of his chroniclers, Arrian, mentioned: “One of his eyes was the color of the sky, the other the color of the night.” This is called heterochromia of the eye, that is, different colors. The thing is again rare, occurring in about 0.5% of people.
In the old days, the owner of such eyes was suspected of having connections with the other world. The priests of the peoples conquered by Alexander literally trembled at his gaze. Mystical fears were in vain. If anyone should have thought, it should have been Alexander himself. According to research by modern iridodiagnosticians (doctors who make diagnoses based on the iris), heterochromia indicates congenital weakness of the gastrointestinal tract. The doctors of antiquity also guessed something like this, since they advised the king to be as abstinent as possible in food.
Alexander cuts the Gordian knot. (Jean-Simon Berthelemy, late 18th-early 19th centuries)
Nine strokes
Alexander did not suffer from any other chronic diseases. Serious medical assistance, according to evidence, he only needed nine times. Eight of them fit into the “occupational risks” of the conqueror of half the world. Here is how Plutarch lists them: “At Granicus, his helmet was cut with a sword, penetrating to the hair and bone of the skull. At Issus, the king was wounded in the thigh with a sword. Near Gaza he was wounded by a dart in the shoulder, and near Maracanda by an arrow in the shin so that the split bone protruded from the wound. In Hyrcania - a stone to the back of the head... In the area of the Assakans - an Indian spear to the ankle. In the region of the malls, an arrow two cubits long, piercing the shell, wounded him in the chest and lodged deep in the bones near the nipple. There they struck him in the neck with a mace.”
Once again the king found himself to blame. After a rapid march to the city of Tarsus, heated, he decided to swim in a mountain river. Coming out of the water, he “fell as if struck by lightning, lost the power of speech and spent about a day unconscious, barely showing signs of life.” Apparently it was a stroke.
The trust of Alexander the Great in the doctor Philip (art. G. Semiradsky, 1870)
Death at the bottom of the glass
The king was raised to his feet by the doctor Philip. With the help of what drug is not clear. It is only known that Philip and the other doctors categorically forbade the king from drinking alcoholic libations. But Alexander continued to indulge in wine. After the final victory over Darius, he drank continuously for 22 days. Then, in India, he even organized drinking games - who would outdrink whom. The winner was a certain Greek named Promachus, who drank about 4 khoi (about 13 liters) of wine. True, he and 40 other people died three days later.
The day before his death, Alexander drank about 8 liters of wine. The next day, in the midst of the feast, he drained the cup of Hercules and writhed with pain in his stomach.
Alexander meets the Indian king Porus, captured in the Battle of the Hydaspes River
Usually the answer to his death is sought in that very cup. They say that drinking the vessel of an ancient hero is like death. Forgetting that the cup had a volume of 0.27 liters - a little more than our faceted glass.
Another version: poison was added to the wine. But the king lived for almost two more weeks, he felt better several times, he even played dice and made plans to capture the Arabian Peninsula.
At the same time, few people remember the king’s medical education. Alexander, since he was told to watch his stomach, regularly took medicine based on white hellebore, which he prepared himself. In microdoses it is still used as a laxative. But the slightest overdose can lead to death. The symptoms are very similar to those that the king had - chills, fever, fever, abdominal pain. In addition, hellebore does not combine well with alcohol, especially in the post-stroke period. It is not surprising that Alexander suffered another blow from this combination - in the last hours before his death, he could not speak, barely moved, and then fell into a coma, from which he never recovered.
Alexander the Great feasts with hetaerae in captured Persepolis. Drawing by G. Simoni
