Alexander IV Aegos

[Taphoi]

Hopefully someone will be able to post exactly why Alexander IV is sometimes called Aegos (or Aegus or Aegeus...). Presumably, this means Alexander of Aegae rather than Alexander the Goat? The most obvious reason would be a Greek initiative to publicise the discovery of his probable cremated remains in Tomb III at Vergina. It is not used by most scholars, but it is used in a few scholarly articles. Does anyone know any ancient refs to Alexander Aegos? Does anyone know of any uses of it that antedate 1978? (I'm a bit surprised at the difficulty of finding information on this point.)Best wishes,Andrew

[ruthaki]

He's a major character in my novel but in all my research I don't recall seeing him called by that name (perhaps vaguely, but not that I recall for sure.) Perhaps it refers to him just being a joint-king along with Arridaios?

[amyntoros]

Hi Andrew,Couldn't find any reference in my source files although I'm always quick to admit that I might have missed something - several were compiled via an online keyword search of a source, or sometimes by using only the index of a book where multiple volumes are involved (like Pliny).However, I *did* find a reference that antedates 1978 - considerably, I might add. It can be found on Tim Spalding's Ancient Library site in the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities edited by William Smith (1870). Page 111 (Volume 1) of the scanned text has a listing as follows: Alexander Aegus. (Alexander IV,. King of Macedonia)http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0120.htmlBTW, are you 100 per cent convinced it *isn't* a reference to "Alexander the goat?" I know that this seems the least likely translation but there are quite a few websites that use this title to support the prophecies in Daniel. It isn't in Josephus, but I'm wondering if it can perhaps be found in the works of some early or later Christian writer. Best regards,Amyntoros

[Taphoi]

Thanks Linda. This is progress. Clearly we should be looking for some slightly obscure ancient reference. It could be an inscription, or perhaps a hostile Athenian orator, if it is really Alexander the Goat. Surely someone out there must know?Best wishes,Andrew