pothos.org

Might I add that the first and last time (as far as we know) that Alexander sacrificed to Phobos [Fear] was - according to Plutarch (31.9) - on the eve of the Battle of Gaugamela.

It is difficult to envision a group of people more repugnant in their visage than the mutilated Greeks allegedly* encountered by Alexander as he approached Persepolis (see Curtius 5.5.5-24; Diodorus 17.69.2-4; Justin 11.14.11-12;) but we are told that Alexander responded to their appearance with emp...

Smells fishy. When Liani Souvaltzi claimed to have discovered Alexander's tomb Time magazine was going to put the story on their cover but at the 11th hour I got a phone call from their staff - as did Peter Green - and both of us advised them to cancel their plans. Fortunately, for them, they listen...

"Obviously, Heracles, who is on his [Alexander's] coins, was more important to him [than Achilles]." In fact there is a much less speculative and more persuasive explanation for such representation. Alexander's paternal grandfather Amyntas III and his uncle Perdiccas III issued the same ty...

No less an authority than Arrian (7.14.4) says, in the context of Hephaestion's demise, "I regard it as not unlikely that Alexander cut off his hair over the corpse, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HIS EMULATION OF ACHILLES, WITH WHOM HE HAD A RIVALRY FROM BOYHOOD." [caps mine, P.A. Brunt's Loeb tr...

Dear Poliksena, Welcome to the forum. I am a fellow traveler who is dropping in momentarily while in the midst of research on an unrelated topic. I must say that I found what you had to say about Alexander and Dionysus intriguing and curiously reminiscent of something I've read somewhere. Speaking o...

Dear fellow aficionados of the great one,
I've just been reminded of some pressing work with a deadline attached to it. Must disappear sooner than anticipated. I'll be reading the postings when I get a chance, but not writing any for a while. Best to all.
John O'Brien

(cont.) Aristotle was in all likelihood delighted by the news of Persepolis. He was contemptuous of "the barbarian" and bitter over the crucifixion of his father-in-law Hermias of Atarneus by the Persians -apparently for treasonous correspondence with Philip. Aristotle learned of Hermias' ...

Dear Nick, Good to hear from you. You've hit on the great black hole - the paucity of Persian sources for Alexander's invasion. It devolves to speculation. I think that we can be fairly certain that in general most Persians were less than euphoric in their response to an invasion that intermittently...

of things." (Metaph. 993b)Dean, I must say how grateful I am to be able for a limited time to pay my dues on the forum in response to questions anyone might have. I have had truly enjoyed looking in on the forum over the past few years and have learned quite a bit from some of its postings. Bes...

Persepolis, Death of Alexander, etc.). Then my students read what Tarn, Wilcken, Burn, Milns, Renault, Green, Lane Fox,Hamilton, Hammond, Bosworth, O'Brien, etc.) have done with the episode in their works. We discuss a topic or two per week and patterns begin to unfold. Some authors (e.g.Renault, Ha...

Dear Dean, A pleasure to hear from you. I'm scarcely a celebrity. The closest I ever came to it was when I wrote my original articles on Alexander and wine back in 1980. The New York Times interviewed me and wrote a two page piece on them and all Hades broke loose. That night I was live on the BBC v...

Dear Aengus, Magnificent name you brandish there. Granted,in my life of Alexander I am utilizing the precepts of Aristotle intended for a different genre and Alexander's mentor, with his penchant for delineation and classification, may well be rolling over in his grave. Whenever applicable is the op...

(cont.) visualize Alexander shaking his head)paraphrase - "She (mother) charges awfully high rent for the few months she provided lodging for me during her pregnancy." I find more students identifying with this statement than any of Alexander's others.
Best,
John O'Brien

Dear Jan, Alexander returning home: While Alexander refers to going home on several occasions these words are usually uttered when he is urging his men to cross yet another river, vanquish one more foe and - then - go home. Pothos (my license plate in Connecticut) certainly enters into the equation ...