Torticollis?

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:24 pm

There've been times when I've read the posts on Pothos (I read for a long time before I ever posted) and sometimes it seemed as if posters just droned on and on and on about Alexander's sexuality and I always had somewhat ambivalent feelings about that (pardon the pun) because, even though he passed two thousand some odd years ago, and even though he was an extremely public figure, sexuality is such a private matter for most people. Even though he's been gone a long, long time, I'm tempted to insist that people leave the subject alone because it's an inhererenly private matter. So long as rape is not involved, it's just private, you know?

But, here I go, delving into another matter that he might have considered private. Has anyone read Faces of Power by Andrew Stewart? Am I hopelessly ignorant and is Mr. Stewart a poster on the board? Does anyone agree or disagree that ATG may have suffered from a congenital birth defect called Torticollis which, looking at the little ivory heads at Vergina, looks like it possibly came from Olympias, his mother? It may explain his looking skyward all the time because he may have been trying to minimize the appearance of his twisted neck. May even explain Phillip's taking a Macedonian wife later in life to sire another heir?

Efstathios · Post by **Efstathios** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:00 pm

Alexander didnt have a twisted neck. He just had a habbit of leaning his head towards the right from time to time.

Beatriki · Post by **Beatriki** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:18 pm

Efstathios wrote:Alexander didnt have a twisted neck. He just had a habbit of leaning his head towards the right from time to time.

And this habit is really common, I also do it for example, and many people. So I couldn't help laughing when I read that

And I'm sure Philip considered Alexander his successor, he had many wives, and he married Eurydice, I think, for sexual pleasure.

Kisses, Beatriki

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:31 pm

Stewart writes on page 73 of Faces of Power, "Alexander was neither tall nor tanned; his neck apparently drooped and was twisted slightly towards his left shoulder, and he held his head high, tending to look upwards; he was clean shaven; he had a loud, harsh voice; his eyes were limpid and melting; his brow was fierce; his hair formed a cowlick (anastole) above it; and there was something altogether scary in his countenance."

Best wishes,
Lisa

Beatriki · Post by **Beatriki** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:45 pm

Lisa wrote:Stewart writes on page 73 of Faces of Power, "Alexander was neither tall nor tanned; his neck apparently drooped and was twisted slightly towards his left shoulder, and he held his head high, tending to look upwards; he was clean shaven; he had a loud, harsh voice; his eyes were limpid and melting; his brow was fierce; his hair formed a cowlick (anastole) above it; and there was something altogether scary in his countenance."

Best wishes,
Lisa

The description is right (pretty good I may add), but as we have said, the twist of his neck was a habit. It is not that he couldn't move his head (as Roger Caratini also suggested and I find absurd), putting his head like that is sth. many people do.They say he did this to give more intensity to his gaze. But whatever the reason, the thing is that it is just a habbit, the same as some people bite their lips or nails...

Kisses, Beatriki

rocktupac · Post by **rocktupac** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:14 am

We may also add that some believe he was possibly wounded in the neck and from then on carried his head slightly tilted (although the source escapes me). But this again is just speculation. I tend to believe it merely a habit as others have stated.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:14 am

Well.....if you look at the little ivory figurine purported to be Olympias, her neck seems to sort of twist to the the left, too. The figurine purported to be Cassander also has sort of a strange, serpentine looking neck. I'm not saying that this sort of thing went on, mind you, but, in general, there are very good reasons one should refrain from dating, marrying, and making babies with one's cousins, or worse, sisters and brothers.

Efstathios · Post by **Efstathios** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:47 am

The figurine purported to be Cassander also has sort of a strange, serpentine looking neck.

Maybe because he was a serpent indeed?

dean · Post by **dean** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:22 am

Hello,

In nature of Alexander, Renault speculates about a possible parylsis.
However, as with the "glance that looked heavenwards" was probably just another special habit that charactirized him.
It was copied a lot by people of his time.
Best regards,
Dean

Beatriki · Post by **Beatriki** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:51 pm

Lisa wrote:Well.....if you look at the little ivory figurine purported to be Olympias, her neck seems to sort of twist to the the left, too. The figurine purported to be Cassander also has sort of a strange, serpentine looking neck.

It is known that kids can inherit their parent's habits. As for Cassander and the other generals, they twisted their necks to imitate Alexander.

I'm not saying that this sort of thing went on, mind you, but, in general, there are very good reasons one should refrain from dating, marrying, and making babies with one's cousins, or worse, sisters and brothers.

Who are you refering to?

Kisses, Beatriki

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:52 am

I'm just saying that, in general, ancient monarchies liked to keep their blood line "pure" because they thought it was derived from gods or better than the peasants lineage and so, in general, they'd marry nieces off to uncles and such and that practice had a tendency to increase the liklihood of negative genes being passed on and expressed. Ditto for positive genes, though, such as genius. If he did have the birth defect, I bet it caused him some discomfort, but then again, getting sliced up regularly by enemies swords would also cause discomfort. I'm sure they all had an extremely high tolerance for pain.