Search found 4736 matches

by marcus
Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:07 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: What were his goals?
Replies: 16
Views: 15360

Re: What were his goals?

These are certainly good points. The business of Alexander's refusal to attack at night is worthy of debate: was it from an idealistic notion of fair play etc., or was it because he couldn't afford to have anything that detracted from a clear victory (because, as you point out, he was young with a r...
by marcus
Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:04 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander and Aristotel
Replies: 16
Views: 12574

Re: Alexander and Aristotle

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 o...
by marcus
Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:02 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Gay or not ?
Replies: 37
Views: 31530

Re: Gay or not ?

Good argument, Linda, although I'm still not sure that I agree about the inferences that can be made. I'm not disputing that Alexander did have strong relationships with men - whether or not I agree that it was homoerotic in the sense that we view things today - but I am not convinced that there is ...
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 5:33 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Gay or not ?
Replies: 37
Views: 31530

Re: Gay or not ?

Good point, Sikander. And Barsine, who is the only attested mistress (and not in all sources) was a political expediency as much as Roxane, Stateira etc. by virtue of the fact that her father was Artabazus. Any other mistresses that are mentioned are generally considered to be ficticious - the Amazo...
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 1:31 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Gay or not ?
Replies: 37
Views: 31530

Re: Gay or not ?

I don't disagree with you - in fact, I did point out that all the relationships with women can be assigned a political motive. My point was, however, that there is similarly no concrete evidence that Alexander's relationship with any man, be it Hephaestion or Bagoas, was anything more than a strong ...
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 12:15 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Gay or not ?
Replies: 37
Views: 31530

Re: Gay or not ?

Although your message got cut off before the end, I am interested that you find that Alexander had "less interest in women". It is always difficult to determine exactly what Alexander's mindset would have been, but he had 3 wives and 1 mistress (notwithstanding that there were good politic...
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 12:09 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: divination, omens, and seers
Replies: 4
Views: 4207

Re: divination, omens, and seers

The best sources I could recommend would be the original Greek and Roman sources - particularly Arrian and Curtius. Other than that, there must be a book on ancient divination, but I don't know of one off the top of my head.
All the best
Marcus
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 12:07 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Alexander movies
Replies: 6
Views: 5237

Re: Alexander movies

Margo, The only Hollywood film made so far was an incredibly bad one in 1958 (I think) with Richard Burton as Alexander. You can see in the forum archive that there are a couple of projects being talked about at the moment, but no other has yet been made. There was a Bollywood film made as well, onc...
by marcus
Tue Feb 26, 2002 12:07 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Alexander movies
Replies: 8
Views: 6090

Re: Alexander movies

Margo, The only Hollywood film made so far was an incredibly bad one in 1958 (I think) with Richard Burton as Alexander. You can see in the forum archive that there are a couple of projects being talked about at the moment, but no other has yet been made. There was a Bollywood film made as well, onc...
by marcus
Mon Feb 25, 2002 8:52 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's childhood?
Replies: 8
Views: 6646

Re: Alexander's childhood?

Mieza has been identified as being some way south of Aegae, which was on the western side of the gulf (I can't remember what the gulf is called). Pella was on the north-east side of the gulf. I can't remember th distances involved, but Mieza would certainly have been a couple of days' journey from P...
by marcus
Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:11 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: What were his goals?
Replies: 16
Views: 15360

Re: What were his goals?

Sorry, to add to this one - I never said that Alexander didn't like the Greeks and Persians, I just said that he was motivated by practical rather than romantic requirements. If he didn't use Greeks and Persians (and any others from the conquered territories - Oxyartes and Porus, for example) then t...
by marcus
Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:08 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: What were his goals?
Replies: 16
Views: 15360

Re: What were his goals?

Ah, well, we'll have to agree to disagree <g>. But remember that not all the ancient writers ascribe to the Brotherhood of Man theory anyway and, as you say, one view has no sounder basis than the other.
All the best
Marcus
by marcus
Thu Feb 21, 2002 5:08 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander and Aristotel
Replies: 16
Views: 12574

Re: Alexander and Aristotle

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 Bri...
by marcus
Thu Feb 21, 2002 1:26 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander and Aristotel
Replies: 16
Views: 12574

Re: Alexander and Aristotle

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 a...
by marcus
Thu Feb 21, 2002 10:28 am
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Alexander film
Replies: 5
Views: 5059

Re: Alexander film

Interesting. Now I come to think of it, Heath Ledger might not be too bad as Alexander. He's a decent enough actor, I reckon (he was good in The Patriot and managed a diverse enough role in A Knight's Tale) and I would certainly rather see him than Di Caprio as Alexander.
All the best
Marcus