Re: Hephaistion and Bessus

John. · Post by **John.** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 8:28 am

...Or maybe they were all three redeemed, since Arrian says Hephaistion's monument was built on the same spot where the "lighthouse now stands," the 7th Wonder of the Ancient World.John

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 11:45 am

Whoa, John, that's getting very Messianic! :-)Do we know that Hephaistion specifically involved in the torture of Bessus, though? (I mean, he quite possibly was, but I don't know whether his name is explicitly mentioned with regard to the deed).On Cleomenes as "evil man" - I think your Greek's better than mine, but I don't doubt that you're right. But I still maintain that there's a difference between the evil of embezzlement and the evil of murder.(Not that I approve of embezzlement, of course; but it isn't on quite the same level as regicide)All the bestMarcus

John. · Post by **John.** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:16 pm

The point is, Was Alexander trying out a new policy towards men who had done "evil," that is, instead of punishing them, giving them a chance to erase the evil they had done, so that he wouldn't have to punish them?I don't think it took Alexander's seer Aristander to point out to Alexander that Hephaistion had died in the same city in which Alexander had Bessus put to death. But why? The gods were against torture?As for the lighthouse, I don't know if Cleomenes had it originally built as Hephaistion's tomb (since Arrian says it was built on the same spot) or it was just built on the same spot "coincidentally."What would Aristander say to Alexander about the coincidence of the lighthouse and Hephaistion's tomb? Something "messianic," no doubt. Didn't Alexander like that kind of thing - the son of Zeus, and all?John

Nicator · Post by **Nicator** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:42 pm

Hello John,Every once in a while we get another way to look into the mind of Alexander, and I'm sure the Bessus incident wasn't far off in Alexander's mind when Hephaestion died...the connection seems almost too tantalizing to be true, but it must be...who wouldn't be thinking the same thing? Thanks for your splendid insight!later Nicator

Linda · Post by **Linda** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 6:44 am

I am afraid I can't really see the connection. Killing Bessus was to punish him for regicide, and to remove a potential rival/rallying point. He was also killed to satisfy Darius's family, who were now allied to Alexander (willingly or not).I suspect when Hephaestion died, all Alexander was thinking about was how to honour him, and remove his own pain. Cleomenes was bribed so that he would carry out the things Alexander asked, and not drag his heels. Arrian disapproved of this "pardoning" of Cleomenes because it wasn't really the right thing to do politically or as a King should act, but he understood that Alexander was acting as Alexander the grieving friend, who just happened to be a hugely powerful King.Did Alexander regret his treatment of Bessus? I know he regretted other things and tried to make up for those - Thebes and Persopolis, but killing Bessus?

John. · Post by **John.** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 12:30 am

The connection is that Alexander's best friend and worst enemy died in the SAME CITY, Ecbatana. That's a connection that a seer could work with.It's not right to mutilate someone, whether they're a regicide, or not. That's the message. Also, who's to decide who's the regicide? Bessus was calling himself Artaxerxes IV, considering Alexander a foreigner, not fit to be king of Persia. As for Darius, you think Alexander thought he was such a noble, legitimate king? Not according to Alexander himself, in his letter to Darius: "You assassinated Arses with the help of Bagoas, and seized the throne unjustly and in actual contravention of Persian law, doing wrong to Persians..." Apparently, Darius, too was a regicide. So, why would Alexander have been any nicer to Darius than he was to Bessus?John

Linda · Post by **Linda** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 5:46 am

I would agree that it is not right to mutilate anyone, but I am not sure if Alexander had a problem with it. Alexander was keen to be seen as taking over from Darius; before Darius was dead, he was, of course, keen to make him less legitimate, but once Alexander had the power it suited him to consolidate his own legitimacy with that of the preceding dynasties. Hence he married Stateira. And he did honour Darius. It was all political. However, I am sure he was haunted by some of the other things he had done, and did see Hepahestion's death in the context of his relationship with the gods (his comment about Aslepius lettingn him down). I just question whether Bessus and Ecbatana was on his mind at all.