pothos.org

This is my day for thanking everyone on this forum - I really appreciate the Aelian reference. I have followed the previous discussions on Alexander's eye color, wounds, and illnesses, but I hadn't made the connection about the lung wound being doubted. (This is possibly the focus of the chapter in Christine Salazar's book that I am about to go and investigate.) It is the actual treatment of Alexander's various wounds and illnesses which interests me the most - the surgery, herbs and potions that were used, etc. - which is why I was asking about ancient medicines.Again, many thanks.Best regards,
Linda Ann

Ah, that's a different question from the one I thought it was.I thought it was whether Alexander was the first Greek (or Macedonian, to forestall more silly arguments) to wear an iron helmet. I happen to know that the Assyrians were wearing iron helmets in the 7th and 8th centuries BC.Sorry, I would have been able to give you a specific answer far more quickly had I been answering the right question! :-)Marcus

S'okay. I'm quite happy with the right answer to the wrong question! The book I was quoting from did specifically say that Alexander was the first "man" to wear an iron helmet, but if anyone does find any reference to a Greek wearing an iron helmet before Alexander, I'll offer thanks for that too. Best regards,
Linda Ann

Linda, I found some Greek sites with refferences to Greek bronze helmet but with iron supplements that had eroded away. But nothing on an exclusivelly iron helmet. Btw, it the film "Troy" we see all the Greeks wearing bronze helmets. That was true for Homer's time but not for the Trojan war era. A common helmet of the time was made of leather covered by wild boar's teeth, as we see in Mycenean palaces' representations.

Perhaps Alexander being the first "man" to wear an iron helmet is a hangover from the Isocratean belief that the Persians (and therefore those that came before them) were womanly... or to Kleitos' taunt that while Alex of Epirus fought men in Italy, Alexander fought only women...:-)Marcus

Unfortunately, we will also get to see Brad Pitt's Achilles done up like a black leather-clad Xena. I suppose it is better than the TV version of Helen of Troy that portrayed Achilles as a bald, muscular "wrestler" wearing what looked like a dhurrie with braces attached! :-)Linda Ann

It's possible, Marcus, though I rather suspect the statement is more a product of poor research! :-)I just found a website with an essay on the Macedonian phalanx and cavalry which says "The addition of a white linen cuirass, an open-faced iron helmet and, most importantly, a 20-foot sarissa resulted in a superbly effective force, possibly the most efective cavalry in the world." Hmmmm.... now where do you think he got that information from? The essay is at:http://scissorblades.tripod.com/essays/id2.htmlI'm certainly no authority on military aspects of Alexander's army - there are many here who would be much better judges of the accuracy of the rest of the website. Though there is no historical context that I have yet found to support the relevant detail above, I suppose it *is* possible that members of A's army took to wearing iron helmets after seizing them from the conquered Persians. If so, I bet they regretted it once they ended up in the Indian monsoons! :-)Linda Ann

True Linda, I guess it can't go any worse that a hero wearing diapers

I'm intrigued to know how a white linen cuirass helped to make them the most effective fighting force in the Ancient World.Perhaps the light reflecting from the whiter than white linen dazzled their enemies' eyes? Or perhaps their enemies just gaped with awe at the Macedonians' beautifully pressed clothes...All the bestMarcus

Does anybody know where ancient Macedon was in today's terms? Some references say Albania, others say Bulgaria...Also, where (what city/state in modern terms) is the Monument at Chaeronea, the marble lion honoring the Sacred Band?Thanks! Vicky