Download Religion Divinity and Propaganda

ALEXANDER
THE
GREAT
Themes: Religion, Divinity and Propaganda
Alexander’s Ancestors
Heroes to be
honoured
Achievers to
match…
…and to
surpass?
The Conquest of Asia Minor
Troy
Granicus River (334BC)
Gordium
Miletus
Halicarnassus
Tarsus
Issus
(333BC)
map: www.wargamer.com
The Visit to Troy
Why Troy?
Re-enactment
• A very famous place
• Tomb of the first Greek
soldier to set foot on
Trojan soil.
• Alex’s army was new Gk
army, reconquering the
East.
• Alex wanted to stress
his association with
Achilles
• Personal curiosity may
have played a part.
• Sacrificed to several
gods during crossing.
• Visited Troy, where
Alexander and
Hephaistion laid wreaths
on the tombs of Achilles
and Patroclus.
• Performed sacrifices at
Troy.
The Gordian Knot
Read Hamilton’s
account of Alexander at
Gordium (pg.64) and
note down the different
ways that the primary
sources say Alexander
solved the problem of
the Gordian Knot:
Callisthenes:
(Aristotle’s nephew and
Alex’s official historian)
Aristobulous:
(One of Alex’s generals)
Egypt Welcomes Alexander
Video click here.
Hamilton,
page 75
Three stops:
1. Memphis (Cairo)
2. Alexandria
3. Siwah
Hamilton,
page 74
Hamilton,
page 74
Callisthenes and Proskynesis
What does this issue have to
do with:
• Religion?
• Propaganda?
• Alexander’s nature?
The Rock of Aornus
Not strategically important, but…
The Town of Nysa
Also not strategically important, but…
'Sire, it is the request of the people of Nysa that you show
your reverence far Dionysus by leaving them free and
independent. For when Dionysus, after his conquest of the
Indians, was on his way homeward towards the Greek sea,
he founded this city as a memorial of his long journey and
his victory, leaving to inhabit it those of his men who were
no longer fit for service - who were also his Priests. He did
but as you have done; for you too founded Alexandria in the
Caucasus and Alexandria in Egypt and many other cities as
well, and will found yet more hereafter, in that you will have
surpassed the achievements of Dionysus.” - Arrian
The Mutiny at the River Beas
(Hyphasis)
Soon after the Jhelum battle, Alexander’s men refused to
go any further.
Alexander sulked in his tent, but his men refused to budge.
So Alexander ordered a sacrifice to the gods to see
whether the Macedonians should cross the Beas River.
The priests reported that they should turn back.
The Theoroi (Sacred Envoys)
“If Alexander wants to be the son of
Zeus, let him. Why not Poseidon too,
while he’s at it?”
– Demosthenes of Athens
Alexander’s Competitive Nature
and Need for Glory
Troy
Achilles /
Greeks
Gordium
Zeus’s
wagon
Nysa
Dionysus
Siwah
Son of Zeus?
Rock of
Aornus
Heracles
Gedrosian
Desert
Persian Kings
Babylon
A Living God?
The Request for Deification
Alexander’s megalomania reached its peak in
324BC, when he requested to be deified
(acknowledged as a god). This request was
unusual for a living person to make, but would
put him on a par with past heroes like Heracles.
“If Alexander wants to be the son of Zeus, let him.
Why not Poseidon too, while he’s at it?”
– Demosthenes of Athens
Soon after this, Alexander received sacred
envoys (theoroi) from the Greek States to grant
his wish by crowning him with gold. They may
also have come to question him about the Exiles
Decree.
The Death of Hephaestion
Hamilton pages 145-146
1. When, how and why did Hephaestion die?
2. List the ways that Alexander grieved for him.
A great site telling Hephaistion’s story:
http://myweb.unomaha.edu/~jreameszimmerman/Hephaistion/hephaistion.html
The Death of Alexander
Three Bad Omens…
Read Hamilton pgs
147-148 and explain
what these were.
Alexander caught malarial fever
after a night of heavy drinking
and died two weeks later on
June 10, 323BC.
Read Hamilton’s account pages
151-153.
Q: What is the possible
‘conspiracy theory’ surrounding
Alexander’s death?
After Alexander – ‘The Hellenistic Age’
300BC – The Kingdoms of the Successors
Lysimachus
Cassander
Ptolemy
Seleucus