argeian star

[Gemmini]

hello, I've read some books about alexander the great, and there it is mentioned that the symbol of his army was a argeian star. How does it look like and are there any pictures on the internet ?best regards, Jakob

[jona]

I guess it's the "logo" of the Argead dynasty, also known as the "star" or "sun" of Vergina. See http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/sun.jpg . It is not entirely clear if it's a sixteen-pointed star or a sun, but I personally think that it's a sun, which MAY have played a role in Alexander's personal ideology (as opposed to his public presentation):Plutarch records that Alexander likened himself to the sun (Moralia 180b); Diodorus says that Alexander sacrificed to the sun after his easternmost victory; Philostratus mentions a dedication to the Indian sun god (VA 2.43); Arrian and Appian say that Alexander was frightened when he heard of an omen involving the sun (Arr. Anab. 7.16.6; App. BC 2.153); Herodotus tells that the sun once protected the Macedonian royal house (8.137); the closest iconological parallel to the sixteen-pointed disk found in Vergina is a coin from Cassander's brother, who called himself "Sun"; and finally, there's Diogenes' famous jibe.Jona

[claudiall]

It's a star with 16 points.

[dean]

Hello,
Yes, the only thing I really know about it, is it has 16 points.Curious as to why Philip was buried in Vergina as opposed to say Pella or the other previous capital of Macedonia.Best regards,
Dean.

[jona]

"Curious as to why Philip was buried in Vergina as opposed to say Pella or the other previous capital of Macedonia."Vergina is probably Aegae, the oldest capital of Macedonia.Jona

[xxx]

Aegae, now known as Vergina, was the burial ground of the Argead Kings.

[susan]

In one explanation, the reason for the name Aegae is that it means 'goats', and several early Macedonian coins bear a portrait of goats, because Perdiccas I was led by a she-goat to the spot where he was to found his city, Aegae. This is the explanation favoured by Euripides in his play Archelaus. But, there are other explanations.Susan

[dean]

Hello,I didn't realise that Aegae was probably the old name of Vergina.Thanks folks,
Dean.