HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXANDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PhillAlexandros]

Which brings me to a question...

Did Greeks/Macedonians and such actually celebrate birthdays?

Either way,

Here's wishing Alexander exactly what he already has - eternal fame.


PhillAlexandros

[amyntoros]

Did Greeks/Macedonians and such actually celebrate birthdays?

Good question and IGÇÖve been trying to find the answer for quite some time now. The question did come up before GÇô probably on AlexanderGÇÖs birthday last year GÇô and with the invaluable help of a Pothosian, Azara, we established that Median, Persian, and Ptolemaic kings celebrated their birthdays, while Greek sources show only celebrations for the godsGÇÖ birthdays and for a child at the time of his/her birth. IGÇÖve found no evidence for recurring celebrations for the common man. However, I suspect that Alexander would have followed Persian custom and celebrated his birthday even if the Macedonian kings had not done so before him.

Now, IGÇÖm going to stir the pot a little bit about the actual date for AlexanderGÇÖs birthday. Even if PlutarchGÇÖs date of the 6th of the Attic month Hecatombaeon 356 B.C. is the correct date for AlexanderGÇÖs birth (see AlexanderGÇÖs Birthday on Pothos) weGÇÖre technically not correct in celebrating on the 20th of July. Okay, weGÇÖre correct according to the Julian calendar, but the Macedonians used a lunar calendar and not a solar one. So, according to Hellenic Month Established Per Athens, the 6th day of Hecatombaion fell on July 1st of this year! That means that if Alexander had lived for well over two thousand years he would have already celebrated his birthday!

Then thereGÇÖs also the problem of intercalculary days and months GÇô the lunar calendar has more than twelve months in a year so the ancients inserted additional days and duplicated months periodically to balance it out. I believe that the HMEPA calendar was calculated to the best of their knowledge, but IGÇÖm not sure if they can firmly establish it as technically correct. I know of someone online who started to calculate the Alexandrian calendar (about which there is more information) from ancient times, inserting the intercalculary months, etc., but he abandoned the project because he wouldnGÇÖt have had time to do anything else!

Anyway, the above is just levity and I join you in honoring AlexanderGÇÖs birthday!

Best regards,

[rjones2818]

My only question is as to if I should put out a brithday offering before my statue of the great king?



Rex

[PhillAlexandros]

WOW! I never knew about July 1st. But I guess we're not that far off :0) As for the birthdays, I do know that the Romans celebrated it. There must have been something for birthdays, even if it was just a toast.

And as for the offering, I did offer incense.


PhillAlexandros

[Madog]

A bit late really, but Happy Birthday Alexander.

[kennyxx]

Amyntros

I guess your totally correct with the Dates been exact and the diiferences with years etc. I read and at one time understood Alexanders death to be June the 10th but there have been permutations with that date also.

But for me I just stick with the 2 dates they are not set in stone but as close as we can prabably get. I mean out Queen has 2 birthbays whatever that means and the birth of Christ had Nothing to do with the 25th of December. But just personally I pay a liitle respect to Alexander on both the days I mentioned.

Cheers

Kenny