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You know, I think everyone here knows my thoughts about this movie. :wink: All the same... Credit where credit is due. Vangelis' music hits the spot; and the sacrificial scene prior to Gaugamela (drums and all) is hair-raising. Edit: also well done, IMHO, were Cleitus' murder scene and the announcem...

Paralus, Thanks for the info and the tip--I purchased the very last copy from Amazon, for $10 extra than Barnes and Noble, but it was a new copy. It didn't occur to me until just now that checking through Brill would have been a smart idea. A side note... I never fail to be impressed by the depth of...

True enough. If for no other reason than the hope of speaking with the man, and learning what lay at his core. More than once, trudging on these hills and mountains, I had to wonder just what kind of battle tactics Alexander and his men used. The person after me can read the extant sources in one of...

"Eumenes of Cardia" caught my eye, and I decided to have it waiting for me as a "Wecome back from Afghanistan, Phoebus" gift in my mailbox. :) Paralus, I was going to ask you what you thought of it and then remembered that it's on its way to you, as well. Have you (or anyone else...

Yeah, that was completely unnecessary. :roll: I don't know if English is your primary language; and if it is, please don't take offense that I ask you that... But I honestly think you would be better served re-reading Amyntoros' posts for what they say. They seemed pretty straightforward and logical...

Marcus, Well... I think he would have gone as far as was necessary to exact the sort of victory over Dareius that would more or less ensure the security of what he had conquered. Unless we take the more extreme sizes of the Granicus army offered seriously, neither Alexander nor Phillip (had he lived...

Amyntoros,

Great point! I suppose it all comes down to whether the Macedonian royals' view of such epics paralleled that of the Athenian aristocracy.

If the "Dareius offer" came after Issus, assuming the battle was still fought near where Alexander was, I think the temptation would be too great to let control of the eastern Mediterranean go away. Aside from the money-making potential, Phillip would ensure that no future threat from the ...

Re the Macedonian mindset, surely anyone could see the difference between the murder of Cleitus and a long standing relationship with a coeval. One wouldn't have to have a Macedonian mindset. I don't see your point. You implied that the relationship wouldn't be mentioned as it would be viewed as a ...

I don't know; consolidation? I see Phillip as taking Dareius' offer of the western parts of the Persian empire. That is, Asia Minor, the Phoenician coast and Egypt. At this point, Phillip II is, I think, 48 years old and probably the most powerful--or second most powerful--man west of the Himalayas....

I don't think murdering someone in a drunken rage is the same sort of act as having a long-term longlasting relationship with another man. The Macedonians were known to drink hard and it could be forgiven that someone might get carried away. Alexander also bitterly regretted his actions and this wa...

I chose three. I think the fact that the relationship wasn't mentioned very much is because it was unusual in adult men of the same age and might be seen as detrimental to Alexander. As opposed to, say, murdering a man who once saved his life in a drunken rage? :wink: The sources we have may be a s...

I think the extant record indicates that Alexander was hardly unique in his treatment of battlefield opponents and conquered people. Does that make what he did it right by today's standards? Of course not. Had Alexander III done what he did in the late 20th century, his actions would have been indis...

I didn't claim, though, that he uttered those words. Whether he did or not wasn't my point. He lived his life as if they were his motto. I know. I was just stating my opinion concerning the story. :) I don't think this is the way admiration works. That is, within the context of the time period (and...

I chose the first.

I simply figure that such a prominent, lifelong romantic relationship, central to the king's life, would receive more mention.