Alexander died in Ecbatana

[ruthaki]

Thank you for that post, Tre. Well said! Bravo!

[Linda]

Well, I think it is important, in as much as anything is important. It explains tensions within the high command, for one thing. When and where they were lovers, we don't know - whether this was a long term relationship or a sporadic one, or even a late blossoming one, but there seems to have been constant affection throughout their lives, and in emotional terms, they were lovers until death (Alexander's reaction to Hephaestion's death shows this). I would agree with Tre that in the changing cultural environment of the Persian Empire, it would not have been as acceptable for Hephaestion to be Alexander's lover as in Macedonia. Bagoas may have been a deliberate "blind" - it was known that Alexander was interested in boys as well as girls, and so Bagoas was a perfect choice - Darius's eromenos. However, this may also have fitted with Alexander's desires. Bagoas was, as we have seen, a very public eromenos; Hephaestion is in the shadow of ambiguity.Linda

[marcus]

"Alexander never let climate interfere with his plans, so there is no good reason to assume he would stay in the summer palace because of the climate. Babylon was his capital and that's where one should have expected to find him."I agree, Tre - and, needless to say, of course, that if he had *not* been in Babylon, it might be that he wouldn't have died when he did! :-)ATBMarcus

[Linda]

Always listen to the locals...If the guide books says don't go out on the river without a hat in high summer, then don't do it...

[marcus]

LOL :-)Absolutely.M

[elentari]

It may be possible,if we think that he died in the summer,but there are some things that make us change our mind.After his death,Ptolemaios took his body(which was embalmed in the Egyptian way)we don't know where(some claim in Babylon,some in Alexandria).It is strange that in the city of Alexandria,Egypt(El-Iskandarya)is a tomb that is known to be Alexander's,namely The Soma(but empty,unfortunately).So we have no idea ,yet,where his body may be.Anyway,I wanna be the one who finds him!