Alexander and Egypt

[Paralus]

I think Alexander did respect the Egyptians. Otherwise he would not have bothered making the risky journey into the desert to visit Siwa and enquire of a foreign oracle - after all, he'd already enquired of his Greek oracles back home (Delphi). Those are the actions of a man who puts great weight on the 'other' and seeks to be accepted by it, just as he would were he a native.

No they are not. They are the actions of a man seeking some confirmation from the oracle of Amon - an oracle which was not "foreign" to Greeks. Nothing to do with acceptance as a "native". The tradition is that the acceptance was of Alexander as a son of Amon. He was pharaoh and will have been - Siwa or not.

[rocktupac]

Let me amend my previous statement. I believe Alexander respected the Egyptians as well, and possibly even admired their culture, but I don't think he was too concerned with Egypt as a whole, i.e. the land, monuments, or past. Though he probably heard stories of its history and the pharoahs, and he maybe even marvelled at the pyramids or the Sphinx; but outside of taking over control from the Persians and gaining access to its grain and obvious advantageous location in the Mediterranean, I don't think Alexander cared any more for Egypt than he did the next location in his empire.

As for the visit to Siwah, it was a well-known location to the Greeks and most probably, to Alexander. A trip to visit a major religious site, especially when it lay so close, is not that strange. Nor does it prove his devotion to a foreign nation or way of life. He obviously had questions on his mind, questions for the gods that is, and this oracle could answer them (much like the oracle at Delphi did, if you believe the stories). This, in my mind, is completely within Alexander's character when on his campaign he showed, time and time again, strict and almost slavish devotion to the gods and famous religious sites.

I think it's extremely shocking that there isn't one single mention of the pyramids or the Sphinx in any of the extant sources. Not one reference, even as a personal touch by the writers! (Except for the tomb of Philip that Alexander intended to build that would rival the pyramids) Certainly someone like Arrian, writing well after the Roman annexation of Egypt, would have peronsally mentioned this; after all the Romans were almost obsessed with Egypt. Something as unique as the pyramids would most certainly, or you would think, show up on Alexander's radar. If he had, why is there no mention of them?

[Semiramis]

There is a lot of Greek writing highly admiring of Egyptian history, culture and learning. As an educated man he would have been aware of them. But there's nothing in the record to indicate he was particularly awed by Egypt, although its a strong possibility. I don't think the Siwa visit shows any particular open-mindedness on Alexander's part, because, as rocktupac says, both the god and the Oracle were already well-known and respected in Greek cities and Macedonia. I think it was one of the four great ones? Someone with more knowledge needs to help out here! Rocktupac?

I agree with Alita that Alexander was a very religious man. There is little record of Greek pagan religion mocking or rejecting "new" gods when they came across it. They generally tended to equate them with an already known god and make sure not to anger them. I think Alexander was following the trend rather than setting it. Despite Xerxes' reported excesses, Achaemenid practice in general was respectful of the gods of the conquered people too. Achemenid Great Kings also took on the "Pharaoh Son of Ra" title for Egypt and "beloved of Bel-Marduk" title in Babylon, for example.

[amyntoros]

There is a lot of Greek writing highly admiring of Egyptian history, culture and learning. As an educated man he would have been aware of them. But there's nothing in the record to indicate he was particularly awed by Egypt, although its a strong possibility. I don't think the Siwa visit shows any particular open-mindedness on Alexander's part, because, as rocktupac says, both the god and the Oracle were already well-known and respected in Greek cities and Macedonia. I think it was one of the four great ones? Someone with more knowledge needs to help out here! Rocktupac?

I'm sure that someone else can offer more information. At present I don't have a complete file on Ammon (one of these days I must put one together) but in the meantime here are a few quotes from Pausanias showing that the the Greeks worshipped Ammon from early times. ( I used the two-volume Penguin Classics edition (1979) and the notes are by the translator, Peter Levi.)

Pausanias, Volume 1: Central Greece 9.16.1 (Boiotia: Thebes)
The Shrine of Ammon* is quite close: its statue by Kalamis was dedicated by Pindar. Pindar sent a hymn to Ammon to the Ammonians in Libya, which in my time still survived on a triangular stone tablet beside the altar that Ptolemy son of Lagos dedicated to Ammon.

*Note: We are still in the Theban acropolis. Pindar's hymn was probably written for Kyrene. All we have of it is the fragment 'Ammon king of Olympus' (quoted in the ancient commentary on Pyth., 9, 89). Pindar is the earliest known writer to mention Zeus Ammon, and the early coinage of Kyrene which carries his head is the earliest representation of him we have. Ammun was an oracular ram-god who lived in an oasis in the Lybian desert; he was adopted as Zeus Ammon in the first great Doric temple on the height above Kyrene; he has a bearded Greek face with ram's horns. (cf. J. Boardman, The Greeks Overseas, 1964, plate 12d). On the oracle in general cf. Parke, Oracles of Zeus (1966), but he seems to have missed the study by Oric Bates (The Eastern Libyans, 1914 reprinted 1970, pp. 189-200).

Pausanias, Volume 2: Southern Greece 3.18.3 (Lakonia)
Farther on you come to a Sanctuary of Ammon; the Lakonians seem to have used the Libyan oracle more than anyone else in Greece from the beginning. Also they say, when Lysander was besieging Aphytis in Pallene, Ammon appeared to him in the night to warn him it would be better for himself and better for Lakonia to give up their war with Aphytis; so Lysander broke up the siege and made the Lakonians offer more worship to this god; Ammon is not more honored by the Lybian Ammonians than he is at Aphytis.

Note: Lysander seems to have had an inherited family friendship with the king of the Ammonites. Aphytis was near Potidaia on the east side of the Pallene peninsula in Macedonia.

Pausanias, Volume 2: Southern Greece 5.15.11 (Eleai)
[11] It would not be proper to clutter up this treatise with the form of words that tradition dictates they (Eleans) should follow at the wine-pouring in the Council-house, or with the hymns they sing, but they pour wine not only to Greek gods, but the Libyan god and Ammonian Hera and Ammon's friend, which is a title of Hermes. They appear to have used the Libyan oracle from a very early period, and there are altars in Ammon’s sanctuary which are Elean dedications, inscribed with the names of the men from Elis who visited Ammon. That is in Ammon's sanctuary.

Jona Lendering on his page about Ammon thinks that the young Alexander must surely have seen the statue of Ammon at Aphythis.

Best regards,