Alexander and Aristotel

[Ursula]

Does anybody know where were the letters from Aristotel to Alexander printed?

[NickWelman]

As far as I know none of them survived - if they were ever written at all (?) - at least nothing survived that can be regarded as genuine.
Many letters between Alexander and Aristotle were forged during the composition of the Alexander Romances in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. You might find them in modern reprints and translations of the Romance. They contain little of interest, however. In the Romance the alleged "letter" is used as a literary style - a way of telling the story - with the sole intention of adding to the credibilty of what is actually fiction.
Regards -
Nick

[Linda]

In a general Greek civilisation book I have (at home, sorry, don't know the name), there is a picture of a scroll of an Aristotelean dialogue found in Afghanistan. I wondered if this might have been dropped by Alexander (or Hephaestion - didn't he correspond with Aristotle as well? Or Callisthenes?). It is not said whether the fragment is by Aristotle, just "Aristotelean". Anybody know about this?

[marcus]

That's interesting at the very least. I would suspect that the fragment is post-Alexander. Aristotle didn't actually become famous until later in his life. When he tutored Alexander he was only "the man who didn't get the directorship of the Academy" and he had not, at that time, written any of his philosophical works. Therefore, for an Aristotelean (but not by Aristotle) fragment to turn up in Afghanistan, two conditions have to have been fulfilled: (1) that his philosophical works had been written and disseminated and (2) that his works were already sufficiently famous and influential that other people would write Aristotelean works. A little easier if it's by Aristotle - he just needs to have written the work and had it disseminated enough that someone in the backwaters of Asia would be interested in reading it.
If the fragment were an actual letter from Aristotle, I would expect the book to say so, by the way! <g>
All the best
Marcus

[Linda]

Well, it doesn't say it isn't by Aristotle...there just isn't that much information about it in the text of the book. But it obviously isn't definitely by him. Maybe it was something he later discarded I'll have a look at it later and find out where the fragment is kept and see if there is any more information from that source.

[marcus]

It would be extremely interesting, Linda. The only reason why I suggest that it wouldn't have been written by Aristotle is that, as we have nothing else that was actually written by him (in his handwriting, that is!). I would expect the book to make more of a song and dance about it (and for the British Museum or the Gettys to have filched it from the Afghans <g>).
I'll be keen to hear more of what your book actually says, if you can be bothered to look it up.
All the best
Marcus

[John]

I think there's a correspondence (maybe genuine) in the "Attic Nights" of Marcellinus Gellius, where Alexander gets on Aristotle's case. Paraphrasing, "Aristotle, you do wrong to publish these things. For if I do not excell the rest of the world in this higher learning, I am sunk." Aristotle responds, "Relax. For in a sense I didn't really publish them at all, since only those who attended my lectures could possibly understand what I have published."
Diogenes Laertius (it was because this man published the letters of Epicurus that we know about Epicurus) says there were two whole "books" of correspondence between Alexander and Aristotle. But they are "lost" now, along with the Diologues of Aristotle. Practically the only thing by Aristotle that survives are those lecture notes that he said the uninitiated could never understand.
John

[John]

Correction: Aulus Gellius wrote "The Attic Nights," not Ammianus Marcellinus.
John

[maciek]

Hi Ursula. I saw a information about letters from Aristotele to Alexander with U can find in historical magazines.
P.S. Where R U from Ursula?

[Linda]

Hi Marcus
The book is "The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World". The photo is of "Imprint of a Greek Papyrus found in the palace of Ai Khanoum, Afghanistan. The papyrus has perished, leaving only the traces of ink preserved in reverse on the fine earth formed by decomposed mud bricks, where they have fallen on the floor. Certain words which can be deciphered suggest that the text belong to a dailogue of philosophical, and more specifically Aristotelian, character."
The notes say "First third of the 3rd Century BC" (too late for A.) Columns approx 8 cm wide. Phot French Archeological Delegation in Afghanistan, courtesy of P. Bernard.
I understand that script can be dated by the style of writing, by comparing it to letters of known date, so this may be a fairly accurate dating. Shame, though. I'd like to think it was dropped by Alexander or one of his friends.

[marcus]

Thanks for looking it up, Linda. It sounds fascinating - I think I'll have to go find that particular book. As you say, the date makes it too late for Alexander himself, but if it's in the first half of the 3rd century then it definitely falls within the period when the Seleucids still had control over the eastern parts of the empire - which means that it might not have been too far removed from Alexander, and therefore more exciting <g>
All the best
Marcus

[ula]

What do you think?

[maciek]

Excuse me for mistakes I'm trying to tell that I've read about letters from Aristotele to alexander published in magasines like "Philosophical annuales" but in Poland I don't know where it was published in other countries. But I don't know if that letters was tru or false.
And second I've asked where are you from, if it's not to private question.

[Linda]

I just read in Lane Fox that (and everyone may have known this) that the site I mentioned in an earlier post, where the imprint was found, has strong claim to be the site of "Alexandria-the-Furthest".

[marcus]

Ah! It's a while since I read Lane Fox, so I don't remember that specifically. But if it's Khodjend (or Leninabad) in what is now Tajikistan, then that is accepted to be the site of Alexanderia Eschate. It is, of course, on my list of "places that I'd love to visit but have too great an interest in preserving my miserable skin to do so" <g>
All the best
Marcus