Quotes by Alexander the Great

Efstathios · Post by **Efstathios** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:11 am

I dont find any particular reason for Ptolemy to have altered or made up quotes of Alexander, since the quotes doesnt have anything to do with his interests in the succession wars.

Theseus · Post by **Theseus** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 4:33 pm

Can we agree that some of the quotes attributed to Alexander by more than one author may be accurate?

Taphoi · Post by **Taphoi** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:06 am

Theseus wrote:Can we agree that some of the quotes attributed to Alexander by more than one author may be accurate?

Hopefully, yes. With emphasis on the "some".

I actually agree with amyntoros that at least some parts of some of the speeches in Arrian are of dubious authenticity. But this is mainly because there seems to have been a traditional genre in the Roman imperial period of inventing speeches as an alternative means of relating the history. It was a kind of merging of the study of rhetoric with the study of history. The historical writer was expected to pursue rhetorical themes. Curtius, for example, attempts to demonstrate the corrupting influence of autocratic power and tends to twist his rhetoric in pursuit of this aim. Nevertheless, his facts are usually accurate. Similarly, Plutarch famously chose the rhetorical themes of whether Alexander's successes were due to good fortune or to personal excellence.

Nevertheless, the presumption that quotes of Alexander are all invented is quite wrong. Every case needs to be considered on its merits, but in my experience modern sceptics are more often wrong than the ancient sources.

Best wishes,

Andrew