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Discuss the culture of Alexander's world and his image in art

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dean
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Post by dean »

Hi Aengus,

good to hear from you again!!! Where ya been?

Best regards,
Dean
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marcus
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Re: Bahariya

Post by marcus »

Aengus wrote: The Alexander assertion is related to a faint cartouche on a truncated wall, which depicts him as a pharaoh. Being no expert in heiroglyphics, I can't fill you in on the whys and wherefores of how the experts decided it was him, but I'm sure they had their reasons.
Hi Aengus,

If there was a cartouche, then there can be no doubt who the Pharaoh is, surely, as we know what Alexander's cartouche was?

It sounds as if Bahiya is worth a visit, even briefly - I suppose the main thing is that it's a long journey from anywhere to get to it? (Which, in my mind, makes it even better - I love going on long, difficult journeys to visit small and seemingly insignificant things! - spirit of the Empire, and all that :wink: )

ATB
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amyntoros
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athenas owl wrote:While I am here, can someone recommend good books on the art and archaeology of the area we are talking about, Afghanistan,. India, and the "outer regions" for that era? I have a degree in history, but I'm really out of practice and I live in the sticks so I have to depend on good reviews from others in deciding my purchases.
Sorry to make you wait so long for an answer, but although I have an interest in this topic I hadnGÇÖt gotten around to purchasing any books on the subject. After your post, I ordered one from Amazon thatGÇÖs been on my wish-list for some time, Ghandara: The Memory of Afghanistan, by Berenice Geoffroy-Schneiter. This book is literally to be found for pennies GÇô current Amazon listings have used copies for as low as 7 cents and new ones for $1.94! ItGÇÖs not what I would call an impressive book; there are about 18 pages of text and 50 of illustrations, but itGÇÖs certainly good enough to start a collection and you will enjoy many of the photos. And the text alerted me to Ai Khanum, a partially excavated city thought to be Alexandria Oxiana.. A Google search found some nice photographs, but unfortunately thereGÇÖs nothing on the internet to indicate how much of this site has survived the pre-war politics and the war, although there is some evidence that looting has become a problem.

Also, if you input Gandhara in AmazonGÇÖs search engine (so many different spellings!), youGÇÖll find other books on the same subject, some as much as $164! Obviously, I wouldnGÇÖt expect anyone to spend that much on a book, but have you ever tried Interlibrary Loan? You take the information on the book GÇô glean it right from AmazonGÇÖs pages GÇô to your local library and request an Interlibrary Loan. It can take weeks and weeks for a book to arrive - I waited three months for one book only to find that the University library which owned it would only release it for two weeks GÇô but it was still worth it. Avoid requests for brand new publications though, because libraries have to purchase the book first so they are normally not available for a least a year.

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Amyntoros
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amyntoros
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Re: Bahariya

Post by amyntoros »

Aengus wrote:The Alexander assertion is related to a faint cartouche on a truncated wall, which depicts him as a pharaoh. Being no expert in heiroglyphics, I can't fill you in on the whys and wherefores of how the experts decided it was him, but I'm sure they had their reasons.
In an article by Zahi Hawass he talks about GÇ£multipleGÇ¥ evidence that the Temple is AlexanderGÇÖs.

"The Temple of Alexander the Great consists of two chambers built of sandstone. The inner sanctuary is decorated with scenes of Alexander, in some instances accompanied by the mayor of the Bahariya Oasis, making offerings to Amun. A wall surrounded the temple, separating it from the priestsGÇÖ homes, the home of the temple administrator and 45 mudbrick storerooms. Just before the stone gateway that led into the temple was a 4-foot-high granite altar inscribed with the name of Alexander the Great (this altar is now in the Cairo Museum). In Greco-Roman times, people probably chose Bahariya as a burial place because of its proximity to the holy Temple of Alexander the Great."

My first thought was GÇ£how do they know itGÇÖs the mayor?GÇ¥ but I suppose itGÇÖs the way he is dressed. :)

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Amyntoros
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Paralus
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Post by Paralus »

amyntoros wrote:youGÇÖll find other books on the same subject, some as much as $164! Obviously, I wouldnGÇÖt expect anyone to spend that much on a book...
G'day Amyntoros.

There's a little district in Sydney - just up from the Spanish Quarter - that a mate and I term the "cultural quarter". You know - record stores, second hand stores and - Abbeys Bookshop. Not a place that I should frequent.

Toddled in last week - on the way to meeting this mate for a beer and a feed at the Spanish Pub - and promptly spent Aud$130.00 on two books and paid a $100 deposit on "The Marshals of Alexander's Empire" ($255.00). Good thing I don't go into "town" too often.

Divorce beckons when my wife sees our accounts. What a man does for cutlure and history!

It's always worth the money......I think.
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Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;
Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

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amyntoros
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Post by amyntoros »

Paralus wrote:Toddled in last week - on the way to meeting this mate for a beer and a feed at the Spanish Pub - and promptly spent Aud$130.00 on two books and paid a $100 deposit on "The Marshals of Alexander's Empire" ($255.00). Good thing I don't go into "town" too often.
Hi Paralus,

HavenGÇÖt bought HeckelGÇÖs Marshals yet, although I know IGÇÖd love it if it were in my hands. The problem is, someone sent me the chapter on Hephaistion and it really ticked me off! IGÇÖm no soppy romanticist and I think Jeanne Reames-ZimmermanGÇÖs assessment of the Companions to be the most accurate (they were all sharks, and Alexander was the great white!), but nothing will sway me from the belief that Heckel had already formed an opinion of Hephaistion and (probably unconsciously) manipulated his source analysis to support his feelings. In fact, I took the chapter apart to prove this, line by line, and dumped it by email upon the poor unsuspecting person who had sent it to me in the first place!

I know this doesnGÇÖt negate the rest of Heckel's work and I acknowledge that he is one of our greatest scholars, but . . .ooh . . . this still irritates me.

Umm, IGÇÖve said this before on Pothos, havenGÇÖt I? Sorry . . . :oops:

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marcus
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Post by marcus »

amyntoros wrote: In fact, I took the chapter apart to prove this, line by line, and dumped it by email upon the poor unsuspecting person who had sent it to me in the first place!
... Who's still been too afraid to open up the file! :shock:

A$255 for "Marshalls"? Wow :shock: :shock: :shock: Boy, am I glad my sister bought me my copy (but it was never that expensive). I don't know what the exchange rate is between sterling and A$, but that seems like a phenomenal amount. I'm staggered.

Of course, the other fantastic book that deals with Gandharan art is Mortimer Wheeler's "Flames Over Persepolis". I found it in a second hand bookshop in Rochester at Christmas, for about -ú8 ... fantastic! The pictures depict some of the most amazing pieces of art I've ever seen - scenes from the Trojan War with Cassandra depicted as a nubile Indian-style woman (you know the sort, gets the blood cirulating more quickly, nudge nudge). It's wonderful.

Off for a cold shower ...

Cheers
Marcus
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