Person
Alexander the Great
Macedonian king who lived from 356 to 323 BCE and became a hero of stories in different languages and traditions after his death.
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- Edition
- 4
Text
Alexander the Great was a Macedonian king who lived from 356 to 323 BCE. His campaigns extended eastwards through the Persian Empire’s lands, and after his death he became a hero of stories in different languages and religious traditions. Reading these accounts involves distinguishing the king’s life from the character shaped by each later text. [7][16]
The photograph shows his head with a ram’s horn on a silver coin struck between 297 and 281 BCE, after his death. It witnesses his image in Hellenistic art. Identifying him with Dhul Qarnayn or portraying him as a Christian in later literature concerns the history of interpreting stories, rather than establishing the historical king’s religion. [7][15]
References and notes
- Brock entry: distinct works and dating model. Van Bladel’s thesis reported through it; full study unread. Sebastian P. Brock, Alexander Cycle, Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (2011), electronic entry Return to the text ↑
- Lysimachos coin portraying Alexander; identity and rights checked,not proof of Dhul Qarnayn. Metropolitan Museum, 05.44.430, Silver tetradrachm of Lysimachos, 297–281 BCE Return to the text ↑
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Pergamon, Exhibition Galleries (2016) Opening and Alexander the Great and His World section:356–323BCE and campaigns. Return to the text ↑
Research history
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IL Archive, «Alexander the Great», Edition 4, https://ilarchive.com/en/people/alexander-the-great