Pindar's house.

[dean]

Pindar's was the only house in Thebes(?) that wasn't sacked- because of Alexander's respect for the written word, art and the memory of a special poet- Alexander like Octavius Caesar were patrons of the arts. Alexander read Homer throughout his life and knew the work of Euripides- and Xenophon. Did he find out about certain habits of the Persian soldiers from Anabasis? Well anyway, were there any other books or plays that Alexander would have know well and read?

[ruthaki]

Well of course all the well-known dramas of the time would have been performed at the theatres in Pella, and also Dodoni where his mother lived.
And he was known to have invited actors along on his campaigns to entertain. One of his best friends was Thetallos who became sort of the "Lawrence Olivier" of his time. So he would no doubt be very familiar with all the Greek playwrights. And having studied with Aristotle and possessing such an inquiring mind and keen intelligence, we can be sure he was exposed to any literary works available at the time. Even his grandfather was known to have invited artisans, poets, actors etc to the court of Pella.

[marcus]

Absolutely right, Ruth. We can be sure that Alexander knew all the major playwrights - but I suspect particularly Euripides, who spent his last years in Macedonia and wrote at least a couple of his last plays there - if I recall correctly, The Bacchae was first performed posthumously.All the bestMarcus

[maciek]

Yes Marcus You are right: Euripides wrote The Bacchae in Macedonian's court and he even might spend his last years in there.That's why some historians claim that Alex had a special stamina for this writter. Of course the most importand was always HOMER. It's nothing new but after Ruth's and Your posts it is not much to add.Maciek

[marcus]

Indeed. Everyone in Greece was familiar with Homer - probably with all the writers mentioned - and we of course know that Alexander specifically was a big fan.All the bestMarcus

[wmp]

Marcus, Ruth - today I was shuffling through the
papers on my desk & came upon the
programme for Euripides' Bacchai (National
Theatre, earlier this year) & remembered why I
kept it... There's an article by Colin Teevan
(who translated the play) including the following
statement:"Even Alexander the Great, who was not known
for his interest in the theatre, could recite whole
passages of the lost play 'Andromeda'."Gaahhh.....
Colin T had given a lecture at King's a few
weeks previously - had I known then I'd have
challenged him ....Andromeda, we know, is meant to be Euripides'
most beautiful play. I was involved in a
re-construction of the play back in 1996, and
sadly what sticks in my mind is sawing the
scenery in half to get it in a taxi. Gordian knot
solutions...Sorry, Dean, I realise this is a digression from
your question, but it does throw a little light on
how some people view Alexander...yours,
wmp

[marcus]

I cannot understand what would have made him say that Alexander "was not known to have an interest in the theatre". That appears to be the most bizarre statement.Not only was he friends with actors, but he also sponsored theatrical competitions. These were as much religious events as anything else, and we know that Alexander was extremely diligent in his religious observances.How strange!All the bestMarcus

[dean]

Hello, Yes I am amazed how he could have made such a comment. I think that Plutarch mentions that Alexander, in his spare time, would read a lot and that he even slept with the Iliad under his pillow. As for the comment about theatre being very important, I totally agree. I think that the Greeks used theatre as a "catharsis" especially with the great tragedies of Euripides. After looking up the word catharsis in the dictionary I found that this word comes from Greek and means "to purify".
Alexander loved going to the theatre and did take Tetallos with him. Renault, in Fire From Heaven tells an anecdote which I presume will be historically true- (knowing Renault). It regards some favour that Tetallos did during the "botched" marriage proposal to the daughter of Pixodoro of Caria. But I can't for the life of me remember the details. Anyway take care, Dean.

[davej]

In answer to the question about whether or Alexander had read the Anabasis, I was fairly certain that he or Philip or his intelligence agents would have read every scrape of paper on Persia available. The battle of Cunaxa was major engagement invovling Greek Hoplites, he would be foolish not to familarise himself with Xenophon and the exploits of Agesilaus ( his failure was due to Persian manipulation of Greek domestic policy). Perhaps that is why Alexander was so ruthless in Thebes. Enought waffle. The reference in Arrian to say he had (or may have read or somebody read Xenophon is) Book IV 12. page 222 in the Penguin. Green, Tarn and Fuller are also insistent on the fact that he had read Xenophon. Green 283, Tarn 72,74,83,122 to name a fex, Fuller 53. I hope this helps.

[marcus]

Yes, apparently Thettalos was used as Alexander's messenger to Pixodarus. As a result Philip put a bounty on the actor's head which meant that he had to lie low out of Macedonia for a while.There is some argument as to whether the whole episode actually happened the way it was reported, but whether it is true or not does not take away the fact that Thettalos played a part and turns up variously during Alexander's reign, in a position of privilege.All the bestMarcus

[dean]

Hi, I also seem to recall Xenophon in Anabasis mentioning that the Macedonian knew of the Persian soldiers' custom of always leaving their horses tied up, without any type of bridle etc. In the case of attack, Xenophon said that the Persian army were ill-prepared, and that Alexander took advantage of this knowledge in the battle of Granicus. Best regards, Dean.

[ruthaki]

I was just sorting through my piles of research notes and ran across an interesting excerpt from an article on Pella by Ch. J. Makaronas who was director of excavations at Pella for mnay years." Pella had a well-known theater. It is almost certain that the dramas of Euripides were performed there -- particularly "Archelaos" which was named for the playwright's royal patron. So, presumably, were the plays of another of Archelaos' proteges, the tragic poet Agathon. At the height of Pella's history the theatre was remodled so that it could seat 10,000 spectators."