Pothos offerings at Alexandria

[susan]

My son is off to Egypt tomorrow for a couple of months, war plans permitting. While he's there he's making a pilgrimage to Alexandria, and in particular to the mosque of Nebi Daniel, the traditional site of Alexander's tomb, and maybe Siwah.Can we, as a forum, think of a suitable offering from the forum that he can make to Alexander's shade while he's there - for instance a laurel wreath with some suitable words ?Best regardsSusan

[marcus]

Hi Susan,Well, short of sacrificing a bull and dividing the victim up amongst his Companions...I shall be going to Alexandria next April and I was thinking that at the very least I should pour a libation (from my water bottle). This is probably all that I will be able to manage, because my girlfriend will disown me completely if I start singing a paean or run naked around the site (in which case I might find myself incarcerated in an Egyptian jail, too).Perhaps you could give him the text of Alexander's speech before Gaugamela, or he could just say "To the strongest" to borrow Alexander's words when asked to whom he left his empire on his deathbed...All the bestMarcus

[thomaswp]

I have travelled pretty widely - 45ish coutries, and *nothing* disappointed me like Alexandria. The site of Alexanders tomb is just a busy crossroads with no memorial, no indication at all that the tomb might have been close. I think that the actual site is a bank opposite the famous mosque.Alexandria seemed to me to have forgotten its heritage. I was amazed because the rest of Egypt is so wonderful.I would go with Marcus' suggestion of pouring out some water. The pavement could do with a clean.A word of advice too - tell your son to avoid the last carriage in the trams - they are women only and it is about the most embarrassing thing in the World to realise that you are the only man in the carriage. I have done that twice - once in Alexandria and once in Istanbul(?).Thomas

[marcus]

Thomas,That really made me laugh! I never realised that stuff about the last carriage in the trams. I've been to Istanbul a couple of times but I never took public transport (apart from a few rickety dolmuses where you are more likely to be sharing your seat with a chicken or a sack of spuds). What an image that conjured up!All the bestMarcus

[thomaswp]

Yes, it is awful, because it implies lack of respect. I am normally so careful and aware of these things, but sometimes you get flustered in a new place and forget...Also, it is not the last carriage in Istanbul (I *think* it was there, can't be sure) - it was the second or something.

[rick]

Susan, first of all I am envious of your son. I've only been to the region twice, both times courtesy of Uncle Sam and both times it was to locations about 300 miles south of Alexander's stay in Babylon. Hmmm - maybe disquising the entire US military as students of Alexander wanting to visit Babylon is an idea. Might make Saddam think. Any how, best wishes for your son's travels.His going to Egypt made me think of something else, though. I read in Michael Wood's "In the Footsteps of..." (Page 76 in the softcover edition) that there was a room in Siwa where they believe for certain that Alexander stood. Supposedly, it is only one of 2-3 places in existence that can claim that fame. I think I emailed with Nick a while back, but he didn't know of any such room. Just was wondering if you or any of the others heard about that room in Siwa. I think it would be absolutely awesome to stand exactly where Alexander stood. Take care.

[marcus]

Hi Rick,I haven't yet been to Siwa, although Nick has. I believe that there is a building known as the "Temple of the Oracle" (at least, that's what they call it in the guidebook I was reading). As one of the sources (Curtius, I think, but perhaps Plutarch) gives a fairly detailed description of which rooms/sanctums Alexander went into when he consulted the oracle, I suppose it would be easy to pinpoint a room in this temple and say "that's where he stood".Of course, the problem with these things is that one can never be sure...However, as I keep saying excitedly, I am planning to go to both Alexandria and Siwa at Easter (so long as your compatriots are not in the middle of their sightseeing tour of Babylon at the time) and you can bet your proverbial bottom dollar that I shall be photographing every nook and cranny and pretending to be Alexander until she-who-must-be-obeyed disowns me completely :-)All the bestMarcus

[susan]

Yes, indeed. When I was returning from the airport after dropping James off, I wondered what Olympias felt as she saw Alexander off - she must have wondered , as all mothers probably do, whether it was to be for the last time - as indeed it was for her. In some ways I am surprised that she never travelled to see him again - while travel was difficult, especially for women, it wasn't impossible, and she showed how tough she was after his death. RegardsSusan