Travels with Alexander the Great

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Alexander – the Postmodern Prince?

“In post-modernism, identity is not unitary or essential, it is fluid or shifting, fed by multiple sources and taking multiple forms.”
 - K. Kumar, ‘The Post-Modern Condition’

“We are becoming fluid and many-sided. Without quite realizing it, we have been evolving a sense of self appropriate to the restlessness and flux of our time.”- Robert Jay Lifton, The Protean Self

“If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.”

According to Hugh Liebert “Alexander is none of the roles he fills, and their jostling always leaves us wondering what is underneath all the robes, what Alexander looks like when he changes costumes between acts."

The indeterminacy of Alexander’s cultural identity is mimicked in the indeterminacy of every identity he adopts. Alexander calls some of his friends “lovers of Alexander” (philalexandros) and others “lovers of the king” (philobasilea), suggesting that “king” is a role Alexander plays – one he identifies with unreflectively at an early age (as an ideological monarchist), discovers anew in the course of the Persian campaign and inflates out of all proportion in India.

 But “king” is not Alexander’s only role. Quite often “Alexander” seems a role as well, something he can stand apart from and can step in and out of at will. After his encounter with Diogenes, for instance, he says, “If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes,” and when Parmenio declares he would accept Darius’s terms for peace were he Alexander, he quickly replies that he would too, were he Parmenio.

Perhaps as a result of Alexander’s distance from his own most intimate personae, he shows a playwright’s sense of staging and dramatic timing,often casting himself as the lead and applying the techniques of the stage in his interactions with others. Plutarch himself notes that when Alexander drains his doctor’s potion while handing him a letter warning of poisoning, it was a sight worthy of the theatre Alexander exits the stage to great effect after his men refuse to continue any further into India; and he shows a prima donna’s predilection for gaudy armour, demanding costumes that compliment his courage even while placing him at greater risk. Basking in the limelight comes easily, as Alexander is the best of his generation practically from infancy.

Full article: http://ptw.uchicago.edu/Liebert09.pdf

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Demetrius, King of Bactria, and his people were Hellenes, who carried Hellenism to the limits of their world. They are a largely forgotten people who lived out their lives geographically isolated from their parent culture, separated by thousands of miles from the lands whence their ancestors had come. These people were the successors of Alexander the Great and his followers, who settled at the furthermost tip of his Empire, in the north of modern Afghanistan, then called Bactria, and the vast lands surrounding it.

His lifetime saw great conflicts which changed the course of history, the clashes not only of armies, but of great religions and philosophies which still influence our modern thought, including those of Aristotle, the Buddha, Zoroaster, the Yahweh of the Hebrews, the Jains and the Hindus.

In this novel Demetrius’ life and times are seen through the eyes of a family who were to be among his closest associates. They lived through dramatic times in which the Hellenes not only struggled to survive, but against all the odds extended their culture to faraway places. Their story is told against a backdrop of political and ideological battles dominated by murderous Hellenistic dynastic intrigue. Their lives are overshadowed throughout by Demetrius, surnamed both Soter or Saviour, and Aniketos, the Invincible, who undertook an incredible Anabasis, an advance to the ends of the earth, backed only by the resources of what had been an insignificant outer province of Empire, a military expedition that beggars the imagination

http://www.anabasis.org.uk/

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Artist Alexia Sinclair combines lushly detailed sets and costumes with subtle photographic
manipulation to create portraits of historic figures that straddle reality and fiction, just as their subjects do.

http://www.wicked-halo.com/2011/03/the-royal-dozen.html

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Sarcasm, murder and international intrigue relentlessly cling to SOMA from its beginnings in a Roman cafe until its end under the streets of modern Alexandria. On the way, Dr. John Monsieur finds himself the partner of a notorious snitch, the Earwig. He also becomes attached to a pestering newswoman who insists on helping him. He dodges a bloated, ruthless collector, and uncovers two dead Greeks, a strange cult, and a Persian who agrees to spare his life if he takes him in as a partner. Before it's all over 5 people are dead, nobody is what they appear to be, and in such a group of distrust the most surprising discovery is made in an ancient marble tomb.

SOMA is more than a Greek word meaning body.  It is a concept. The word evokes one thing: the lost body and tomb of Alexander the Great. In the 3rd century BC he was enshrined in a great public tomb in Alexandria, Egypt, crowned on the head with a golden diadem and eventually placed in a crystal coffin. So magnificent was the sight, so famous the icon who lay there, that an entire complex and district arose around it called The Soma.

For hundreds of years great and small came from every corner of the then-known world to see his body and donate gifts. Alexandria grew to become a city of 500,000 people. At its heart was the towering edifice holding the body of the greatest conqueror in history.  Then came devastation: The Soma disappeared under the rubble of earthquakes that racked Alexandria in 365 AD. After over 600 years of splendor the tomb was lost and never relocated.

For hundreds of years the tomb of Alexander the Great has been sought by adventurers, historians, antiquarians and treasure hunters. These real life expeditions have unearthed a ton of information which tantalizingly points to the possibility that Alexander's body and tomb are still intact under the city of Alexandria. Theories abound as to why the great conqueror's tomb and body have never been officially located. In SOMA Quasar intermeshes this backdrop to create an international thriller teaming with duplicity and intrigue, one sluiced with sarcasm, laced with exquisite villains, and set in exotic locales like Rome and Alexandria.

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A section from a 15th century Flemish tapestry, illustrating the romance of Alexander. It shows Alexander
as aeronaut in a cage with gryphons chained to it. He raises some meat on poles and the gryphon's attempts to reach it carries him aloft.

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I think Kirk and Alexander display similar qualities of inspired leadership: supreme self confidence, creativitiy, imagination, vision, emotional intelligence, ability to motivate, ruthlessness where necessary and courage.

Both men respect and are curious about foreign/alien cultures but it is in their attitude to war and power that there comes a parting of the ways.

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.
Alexander the Great

There's another way to survive.  Mutual trust -- and help
James Kirk.

There is nothing impossible to him who will try.
Alexander

You either believe in yourself or you don't.
James Kirk

It is a wonderful thing to live with courage and die leaving everlasting fame.
Alexander

There are no good ways [to die].
James Kirk

The end and perfection of our victories is to avoid the vices and infirmities of those whom we subdue.
Alexander

We have found all life forms in the galaxy are capable of superior development.
James Kirk

I send you a kaffis of mustard seed, that you may taste and acknowledge the bitterness of my victory.
Alexander

We fight only when there is no other choice.  We prefer the ways of peaceful contact.
James Kirk

Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.
Alexander

A balance of power -- the trickiest, most difficult, dirtiest game of them all.  But the only one that preserves both sides.
James Kirk

Is it not worthy of tears that, when the number of worlds is infinite, we have not yet become lords of a single one?
Alexander

Our missions are peaceful -- not for conquest.  When we do battle, it is only because we have no choice.
James Kirk

I posted this comparison between Alexander and Captain Kirk back in 2007 saying:

"I think Kirk and Alexander display similar qualities of inspired leadership: supreme self confidence, creativitiy, imagination, vision, emotional intelligence, ability to motivate, ruthlessness where necessary and courage. Both men respect and are curious about foreign/alien cultures but it is in their attitude to war and power that there comes a parting of the ways."

Now in a recent interview William Shatner states that while his early training didn't exactly prepare him for roles like Captain Kirk in the a Sci-Fi cult hit, he did take elements from his early theatre career to the character. Then he confirms what I had thought all along saying:

"I played Alexander the Great [on stage] the year before, and I saw a lot of Alexander the Great
in that character, so I followed that line."

PS As well as playing Alexander on stage, Shatner also starred in a TV pilot as ATG.

Interview here:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/04/11/3188176.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Great-Joseph-Cotten/dp/B000FNNHVQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1241041016&sr=1-3

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Louis XIV représenté en Alexandre le Grand by Charles Le Brun

Louis XIV ruled France  by divine right and let his people know it. He pushed his image as a Roman Emperor, Alexander the Great, Apollo with lyre and laurel, and the Sun itself. Louis XIV became Apollo or Alexander the Great in the works of Le Brun, as the embodiment of legendary glory.The court  painter Charles Le Brun’s first commission from Louis XIV dates from 1661, when he painted the first of a series of subjects from the life of Alexander the Great. ‘The Tent of Darius’ delighted Louis, who liked to think of himself as a latter-day Alexander. Le Brun was made first painter to the king, given an enormous salary, and until his death occupied a position of paramount importance in the artistic life of France not equalled until the advent of the painter Jacques-Louis David at the end of the 18th century.

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Artist - Stephen Gibson

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Achilles - Alexander's alter ego

Alexander as Achilles

Alexander wished to become like Achilles, who had a choice to die at an old age but without glory,
or to die young but with great glory.

The kings of the Epirus claimed to be descended from Achilles through his son, Neoptolemus. Alexander the Great, son of the Epirote princess Olympias, could therefore also claim this descent, and in many ways strove to be like his great ancestor. Lysimachus, Alexander's favourite tutor called Phillip Peleus (Achilles' father), Alexander himself he called Achilles, and himself Phoenix, the name of Achilles' tutor. Lysimachus taught Alexander to play the lyre, and taught him an appreciation for the fine arts of music, poetry, and drama.



Capriccio of Classical Ruins with Alexander the Great Opening the Tomb of Achilles
Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni (1695-1766)

Before his army traveled into Persia in the spring of 334 BC for Asia, Alexander made a pilgrimage to the ancient site of Troy and visited the tomb of the hero of the Trojan War, Achilles. He took Achilles’ shield from the gravesite, which, along with a copy of the Iliad, he kept with him during all his travels. According to Aelian "Alexander garlanded the tomb of Achilles and Hephaestion that of Patroclus, the latter riddling that he was a beloved of Alexander, in just the same way as Patroclus was of Achilles".

Plutarch wrote:
   
"Alexander went up to Troy, sacrificed to Athena and poured a libation to the heroes. At the tomb of Achilles, after anointing himself with oil and taking part in a race naked with his Companions, as is the custom, he deposited crowns and remarked how fortunate Achilles was to have had a faithful friend while he was alive and a great herald of his fame after his death. While he was going sightseeing about the town someone asked him whether he wanted to see the lyre of Alexander [i. e. Paris]; he replied that he was not interested in that one, but was looking for the lyre of Achilles, to which he used to sing the glorious deeds of brave heroes."

Achilles died at Troy and was buried there, ancient myth and poetry agree. After his corpse was burned on a pyre, a great tomb, or tumulus, was heaped up over his bones. But the tumulus of Achilles is not just a mythological motif; it has also been regarded as a real piece of topography in the landscape of the Troad. At times in antiquity rituals were performed at what was considered to be the tomb, in cult worship of the hero. And many famous visitors, such as Alexander the Great, visited the burial place of Achilles to pay their respects. Over the past few centuries, a number of modern visitors have also sought out the tomb of Achilles, as have, more recently, archaeologists—though they often disagreed about which burial mound was the tomb of Achilles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFlRm9HWJOQ

http://www.greekmyth.org/Achilles.htm

http://chs.harvard.edu/wa/pageR?tn=ArticleWrapper&bdc=12&mn=1820

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The story of a great fourth-century B.C. king is retold in the present tense. King Philippos engages in mortal struggles with enemies and family amid the epic Hellenic rivalries, seeking safety for his people in a time of constant unrest.

While Alexander the Great is widely known as a general and conqueror, his father, Philip, has remained a footnote. This novel takes that footnote and brings him to life. Philip is presented to us as an intelligent, thoughtful boy who grows to young manhood. But, more importantly, the entire spectrum of life in ancient Greece, the world of Macedonia and the tribulations and ambitions of those who ruled or wished to rule, are brought vividly to life.

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The Battle of the Persian Gates

The Persian Gates today

In the winter of 330 BC, at the Battle of the Persian Gate the Persian satrap Ariobarzanes led a last stand of the Persian forces. After the Battle of Gaugamela, Alexander had advanced to Babylon and Susa. A Royal Road connected Susa with the more eastern capitals of Persepolis and Pasargadae in Persis (the Persian Empire had several "capitals"), and was the natural venue for Alexander's continued campaign. After the conquest of Susa, Alexander split the Macedonian army into two parts. Alexander's general, Parmenion, took one half along the Royal Road, and Alexander himself took the route towards Persis. Passing into Persis required traversing the Persian Gates, a narrow mountain pass that lent itself easily to ambush.
 
The Persian General Ariobarzanes was charged with preventing the Macedonian advance into Persis, and to this effect he relied heavily on the terrain Alexander needed to pass through. There were only a few possible routes through the Zagros Mountains, all of which were made more hazardous by winter's onset. Believing that he would not encounter any more enemy forces during his march, Alexander neglected to send scouts ahead of his vanguard, and thus walked into Ariobarzanes' ambush.

The valley preceding the Persian Gate, called the Tang'e Meyran, is initially very wide, allowing the Macedonian army to enter the mountains at full march. Ariobarzanes occupied a position near the modern-day village of Cheshmeh Chenar. The road curves to the southeast (to face the rising sun) and narrows considerably at that point, making the terrain particularly treacherous. According to historian Arrian, Ariobarzanes had a force of 40000 infantry and 700 cavalry who faced a Macedonian force of over 10,000. Encyclopaedia Iranica suggests a number of defenders of just 700 (or 2000 elsewhere) men.

The Persian Gate was only a couple of meters wide at the point of ambush. Once the Macedonian army had advanced sufficiently into the narrow pass, the Persians rained down boulders on them from the northern slopes. From the southern slope, Persian archers launched their projectiles. Alexander's army initially suffered heavy casualties, losing entire platoons at a time The Macedonians attempted to withdraw, but the terrain and their still-advancing rear guard made an orderly retreat impossible. Alexander was forced to leave his dead behind to save the rest of his army—a great mark of disgrace to the Greeks and Macedonians who valued highly the recovery and proper burial of their fallen.

Ariobarzanes held the pass for a month, but Alexander succeeded in encircling the Persian army in a pincer attack with Philotas and broke through the Persian defenses. Alexander and his elite contingent then attacked the force of Ariobarzanes from above in a surprise attack until the Persians could no longer block the pass.



According to some accounts, Ariobarzanes, and his surviving companions were trapped, but rather than surrender, they charged straight into the Macedonian lines.  One account states that Ariobarzanes was killed in the last charge while another version by Arrian reports that Ariobarzanes escaped to the north where he finally surrendered to Alexander with his companions.  Historian J. Prevas maintains that Ariobarzanes and his forces retreated to Persepolis, where they found the city gates closed by Tiridates, a Persian noble and guardian of the royal treasury under Darius III, who had been in secret contact with Alexander the Great.Tiridates realized the futility of trying to resist Alexander's forces, and so allowed Alexander to massacre Ariobarzanes and his troops right outside the city walls of Persepolis rather than fight against Alexander.

A few historians regard the Battle of the Persian Gate as the most serious challenge to Alexander's conquest of Persia.

Follow Michael Wood in Alexander’s footsteps through the Persian Gates as he visits the scene of the battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw8drZ3QG_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR_ovBbJfx4