pothos.org

Hello Asandar, this is one of the main recurring themes of the forum and no doubt we will be discussing this in a question of months again, it may indeed be an idea for someone to write an article, (there may already be one?) detailing the pros and cons regarding the equality theme for the website. ...

Hi Marcus, very interesting quote, although I can't say that I have ever read it in any of the sources I have and I don't have Plutarch Moralial, although I understand that there are some editions of it available on the web. I am surprised that a site such as the one you mentioned, should put up quo...

Hi Agesilaos,
thanks a lot for clearing it up- when I came across it, I couldn't remember having seen the term "groom" used before and wasn't sure if it was used as another translation for page but there you go.

Cheers!

Hi just a quick question Reading Arrian Chapter 3, part 11 or 12, where in the thick of fighting at Gaugamela, some of the Persian forces got through Macedonian lines but were taken care of by the Royal guard or the grooms, I was just wondering if the grooms that Arrian mentions would equate to the ...

Hi, thanks a lot for the quote. To be honest, I hadn´t even heard of such a text. Something that was mentioned in another thread which I found interesting regarding Bagoas was language. I mean, a Syrian soothsayer, would have had to have spoken Greek, I suppose, to be able to have communicated to Al...

Hi, Thanks for the replies. A number of interesting points were made, especially about the Syrian woman being able to visit Alexander whenever she chose, it does seem a bit unusual. The analogy that I have would be that of a superstar. It isn't possible for the famous to speak to each and every fan ...

Hi, I was quite intrigued by the short story mentioned quite uncharacteristically by Arrian regarding the plot of the pages. A Syrian woman who supposedly had the gift of “second sight” was apparently taken initially as a bit of fun, but as her predictions turned out to be true, Alexander allowed he...

Hi, I think that really we aren't ever going to know for sure whether or not Bagoas ever wielded arms and maybe my opinion is strongly being swayed by Mary Renault's portrait in the Persian boy. Either way, as Marcus says, he was a really minor player in the whole story and possibly people pay more ...

Hello, with regards to prostration and kissing and what have you, curiously the episode that springs to mind is found in Arrian, book four shortly after Cleitus' murder when a "golden loving cup" is past around and those in aggreement with prostration drank and got up and prostrated themse...

Hello, to be honest I didn't realise that Bagoas had appeared in the sources that much other than when he demands a kiss after a performance and a few other scarce appearances which is why I was surprised that Renault would have used Bagoas to such an extent in the Persian boy. Undoubtedly following...

Hello, Well, I will certainly be getting hold of the two books about Theseus, by Renault. The idea I have of the books about Theseus seems to be similar to"song of troy" by Colleen McCullough where the tale of the Trojan war is written in entirely human terms. The book is first rate and de...

Hi Marcus, Just skimming throught the text one of the parts that I found quite interesting was 1.6.5. detailing Alexander allegedly being Ptolemy's brother. I had often heard this comment but was never sure as to where it was to be found. I was curious as to where Renault had come across that idea, ...

Hello, thanks for the replies. I have just about finished reading it now. The battle of Chareonae is really well done, you can almost hear the screams of the soldiers coming off the pages!! My only copy of Plutarch is of "parallel lives"- and don't have the other one you mention. Also, I h...

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading Renault's fire from heaven again, and the last couple of pages I have read have been quite interesting. Half way through the book, Alexander and Philip are heading past the Thermopylae, and need Thebes to let the army pass through their territory. Spe...

Hello, I initially got interested in Alexander through the Valerio Manfredi series. Although the series hasn't won the Nobel prize for historical literature, I nevertheless thought that I couldn't have struck upon a better beginners work to start with. Guess fire from Heaven and the persian boy were...