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alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:44 pm
by spitamenes
Greetings all,
So I've had this idea floating around the comments forum for about a week now and I was given the suggestion to put it here in the main forum, the gist of the story is I'm wanting to put together an interactive Alexander map for Pothos. What separates this from all the other Alexander maps I've seen is this one would give the viewer the option to not only read about a location by clicking on wherever specified, but would also have the date the army came through, how large the army was at that time, who they were fighting, and basically any other relevant information for the specific location. It could also have a link to google earth so we could see what the areas and battlefields look like in present day. Just a fun and interesting way to learn about the campaign basically. I've already had a few generous Pothosians offer they're input and expertise and always appreciate any suggestions, no matter how big or small. I'm currently working on a good foundation for the map project and will hopefully have a prototype to share soon. So with all that said,.. if anyone has an idea they would like to share, or if someone has a particular battle or city that intrests them, please feel free to write something up and be part of the project! Thank you all for your time and I hope we can collaborate to get this thing off the ground.

All the best,
Spitamenes

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:52 pm
by bessusww
Spitamenese

I think your idea is fantastic...I think the wide knowledge and experise in this forum as a whole is great...And do think that most are more accurate with readings...Detail and names than I care to admit...I just feel we come to seperate opinions.

I think your idea with maps would be great and to be honest very helpful. Many times ive looked at the ancient maps...Then look at modern ones and get totally lost...Todays maps the places are spelt different...Even the countries are different.Im going to Turkey in June and will have a little look at some of the Alexander links. Even though they are connected I think the connection isthin...Im going to Pergamon advertised as linked with Alexander but looking at his route it doesnt look like he went there.

The only think I can be clear of bee holidaying on the Turkish coast I know Alexander and His army were active and to look over the Aegian can imagine naval ships etc out there.

Ephisus has links but the Ruins I would say are primarily Roman...I ve done Pella....Can anyone suggest anywhere else that is directly and has Alexanders foot print. I suppose the only place he spent any real time was at Babylon and or in Bactria.

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:42 am
by marcus
bessusww wrote:Ephisus has links but the Ruins I would say are primarily Roman...I ve done Pella....Can anyone suggest anywhere else that is directly and has Alexanders foot print. I suppose the only place he spent any real time was at Babylon and or in Bactria.
I'm intending to go to some of the sites on the Lycian coast this summer (as well as Ephesus, although as you say it is almost entirely Roman now). Hopefully my trip will include Aspendos, Phaselis, and Telmessus, all of which Alexander visited during the winter campaign of 334/333 BC.

Pergamum is only linked to Alexander because of the "Pergamum Bust", which is in the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul anyway.

But I will be going to Troy, as well - although I doubt I'll be running a naked race around Achilles' tomb ... :shock:

ATB

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:01 am
by spitamenes
marcus wrote:
But I will be going to Troy, as well - although I doubt I'll be running a naked race around Achilles' tomb ... :shock:
ATB
Why not? :D that would be the first thing I would do!

Ok not really.

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:43 pm
by bessusww
Good idea Marcus

If you actually fing a Tomb of Achilles ill add it to my collection of Rocking Horse Manure.

Not Troy as Im pretty sure it was a Strategic jump of point in those Ancient days and would wager the Greeks had an interest in the place,,,Not for a pretty girl I would add...But it was real, enough for Alexander...Even if Achilles played with a stacked deck been dipped in the River to Make him invinvible. We cant say therefor his fight with Hector was a fair fight.

Would it be fair for a guy like my self fighting Mike Tyson in a Cheiftan tank,,,And im armed with ping pong balls.

To fing the Crossing at Granicus would be good even though the River may not actually be in the same lines as it was.

Alas I think ill try organises a Michael Caine Type Italian job with a few Minis...Make off with St Marks Corpse and have it tested...Ill risk a hefty Custodial Sentense to findout

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:02 am
by Paralus
marcus wrote:Pergamum is only linked to Alexander because of the "Pergamum Bust"...
Pergamum: upstart kingdom ruled by the Attalids who'd dreams of glory above their station! That Attalus III would will his kingdom to Rome tells one all one really needs to know I say.

If only Antiochus III had received better advice he might well have slowly strangled the Pergameme kingdom whilst preserving amicitia with Rome.

Perhaps Polybios has been correct all these centuries: never trust an Aetolian.

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:45 am
by marcus
Paralus wrote:
marcus wrote:Pergamum is only linked to Alexander because of the "Pergamum Bust"...
Pergamum: upstart kingdom ruled by the Attalids who'd dreams of glory above their station! That Attalus III would will his kingdom to Rome tells one all one really needs to know I say.

If only Antiochus III had received better advice he might well have slowly strangled the Pergameme kingdom whilst preserving amicitia with Rome.

Perhaps Polybios has been correct all these centuries: never trust an Aetolian.
Yes. Just to clarify, when I siad "only linked to Alexander ..." I meant during Alexander's lifetime. I wasn't considering the Successor kingdoms.

(I wouldn't want you to think that I was unaware of its status as an Attalid city. I doubt if there's a single Graeco-Roman city in Asia that wasn't linked to the Successors ...)

ATB

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:31 am
by Paralus
marcus wrote:(I wouldn't want you to think that I was unaware of its status as an Attalid city. )

ATB
Wouldn't dare suggest such my good fellow!

It is sometimes a sad thing to look back at events and see how people are propelled into situations they did not wish for. Hindsight, of course, renders this occasionally intevitable. The delicate diplomatic games (and the sometimes indelicate) that Antiochus and Rome engaged in (the latter via Flamininus) prior to their denouement at Thermopylae and, more catastrophically for the Seleucid, Magnesia, were always intended to avoid conflict. Antiochus had nearly recovered his "ancestral spear-won" territory by the time Rome had sorted Philip V. The result should have been the acknowledgement of the fait accompli.

Unfortunately for Antiochus Rhodes, the Achaean League, the recalcitrant Spartan imperialist Nabis, Aetolia and Pergamum conspired to lure him into decisions that were, at best, ill considered and worst, dangerously counter-productive. Aetolia, for once, lives up to Polybios' damning and prejudiced picture. The machinations of Thoas and, more insidiously, Damocritas (the Aetolian strategos) saw Antiochus forced into action against Rome in Greece with a "show" force of some 10,000 soldiers. All the while the upstart Pergammene Eumenes needled and cajoled his Roman protector into an decisive Asian campaign.

I need a time machine...

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:32 am
by Semiramis
spitamenes wrote:Greetings all,
So I've had this idea floating around the comments forum for about a week now and I was given the suggestion to put it here in the main forum, the gist of the story is I'm wanting to put together an interactive Alexander map for Pothos. What separates this from all the other Alexander maps I've seen is this one would give the viewer the option to not only read about a location by clicking on wherever specified, but would also have the date the army came through, how large the army was at that time, who they were fighting, and basically any other relevant information for the specific location. It could also have a link to google earth so we could see what the areas and battlefields look like in present day. Just a fun and interesting way to learn about the campaign basically. I've already had a few generous Pothosians offer they're input and expertise and always appreciate any suggestions, no matter how big or small. I'm currently working on a good foundation for the map project and will hopefully have a prototype to share soon. So with all that said,.. if anyone has an idea they would like to share, or if someone has a particular battle or city that intrests them, please feel free to write something up and be part of the project! Thank you all for your time and I hope we can collaborate to get this thing off the ground.

All the best,
Spitamenes
Hey this is a fantastic idea! May I suggest adding some sort of interactive feature to describe the histories and cultures of the people who inhabited each area at the time? Written records from different sources (not just Alexander historians or Greek and Roman ones), architecture, pottery, reliefs, valued resources (eg gem, wood, horses, elephants), governance, beliefs, trade, warfare etc etc?

Re: alexander map, suggestions and help.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:00 pm
by spitamenes
Semiramis wrote:
spitamenes wrote:Greetings all,
So I've had this idea floating around the comments forum for about a week now and I was given the suggestion to put it here in the main forum, the gist of the story is I'm wanting to put together an interactive Alexander map for Pothos. What separates this from all the other Alexander maps I've seen is this one would give the viewer the option to not only read about a location by clicking on wherever specified, but would also have the date the army came through, how large the army was at that time, who they were fighting, and basically any other relevant information for the specific location. It could also have a link to google earth so we could see what the areas and battlefields look like in present day. Just a fun and interesting way to learn about the campaign basically. I've already had a few generous Pothosians offer they're input and expertise and always appreciate any suggestions, no matter how big or small. I'm currently working on a good foundation for the map project and will hopefully have a prototype to share soon. So with all that said,.. if anyone has an idea they would like to share, or if someone has a particular battle or city that intrests them, please feel free to write something up and be part of the project! Thank you all for your time and I hope we can collaborate to get this thing off the ground.

All the best,
Spitamenes
Hey this is a fantastic idea! May I suggest adding some sort of interactive feature to describe the histories and cultures of the people who inhabited each area at the time? Written records from different sources (not just Alexander historians or Greek and Roman ones), architecture, pottery, reliefs, valued resources (eg gem, wood, horses, elephants), governance, beliefs, trade, warfare etc etc?
Thank you! These are exactly the kind of ideas we need to make the map as interesting and helpful as possible. A major goal of mine is to make it very user friendly. But also full of usefull information. I'm also going to list all of the different names the cities and areas were going by during Alexanders time. It gets a bit confusing when one source calls a city by one name and another source calls it something entirely different. Thank you for another good idea!

All the best,
Spitamenes