Alexander's memory

[dean]

Hello,

I was just wondering- regarding Alexander's memory- it has been said that he could recite whole plays of Euripides- Homer and the like but not only that he had an incredible memory for names especially those of his soldiers- I thought this would be in Plutarch but can't seem to see it. Does anyone "remember"?

Best regards,.
Dean

[marcus]

I was just wondering- regarding Alexander's memory- it has been said that he could recite whole plays of Euripides- Homer and the like but not only that he had an incredible memory for names especially those of his soldiers- I thought this would be in Plutarch but can't seem to see it. Does anyone "remember"?

Hi Dean,

I'm not sure that it says anywhere that he could recite whole plays of Euripides, although he certainly knew his Euripides well, if his use of appropriate quotations at certain times (most notably in the exchange with Cleitus) is anything to go by - in the same way that many people (alas, fewer and fewer with the years) can quote Shakespeare.

Again, not sure we know that he could recite Homer in entirety ... although it is possible that he could; after all, he was dead keen, and ultimately "why not?" We do know that he had his annotated copy, of course. Also, although Greece was very much a literate culture, there were still large elements of oral culture which would have made the learning of large works of literature less of a "struggle" than they might seem today.

I've just been looking for the info on his knowing his soldiers' names, and I can't find it, either. I'm sure you're right, though, that it is mentioned somewhere.

ATB

[Aengus]

RE soldiers' names:

Quintus mentions that at Gaugemela "riding to the front line he named the soldiers and they responded from spot to spot where they were lined up." Apart from this, there are plenty of anecdotes that suggest great intimacy between Alexander and his men, in particular his Macedonians. That intimacy would be difficult with purely anonymous faces.

Personally, I don't find the suggestion of an impressive grasp of Euripides implausible. The unmitigated disaster that befell the Athenians at Syracusa 80 odd years before saw many of the Athenian survivors enslaved. Plutarch explicitly mentions that the Syracusans - ever hungry for the latest bit of Euripides - were wont to release those captives who could recite passages from his plays; presumably the more recent ones that hadn't yet found a stage in Sicily. I'd surmise from this that the habit of committing chunks of favourite literature to memory - although probably not widespread - wasn't altogether unusual.

Furthermore. Before he tutored Alexander, Aristotle wrote a considerable text on Memory wherein he alludes to mnemonic excercises "as a means of preserving ones memory by repeatedly reminding him of it." In other words, Alexander had probably been familiarised with methods for retaining bundles of information. Whether or not he retained any interest in such techniques is - of course - an altogether different matter. Besides, sheer enthusiasm for a subject can carry even the patchiest memory a long way. Nonetheless, I reckon it's worth mentioning.


Toodle pip.

[sikander]

Greetings,

I think we must also remember that recitative skills and memorizing of long texts were, until recently, fairly common (especially among the upper classes) and that memory can, in most cases, be improved and trained..

Orators, senators and others were expected to be able to recite long texts; and up until perhaps 50 years ago, school children in many nations were expected to be able to memorize long poems, histories, and spoken ballads (and some still are, as oral tradition is still strong in places).

Alexander, due to his position and taking advantage of his natural abilities, training in the oral tradition and his status, would have been taught to be able to memorize and recite lengthy texts, . but I don't know that his memory would have been *that* much more prodigious than his peers, considering the oral tradition still in place at that time.

As for knowing the names of his men, any king riding at the head of such an army would take heed to know the names of many of the men behind him (laughing).. .. and certainly every officer under his command.

Regards,
Sikander

[Taphoi]

Dio Chrysostom, 4th Discourse on Kingship, 39 says that Alexander knew the entire Iliad and much of the Odyssey by heart. I've now mentioned this (together with some other explanatory facts) in the second impression of Alexander's Lovers, which should reach online bookshops in the next week or so.

Btw I'm told that my St Mark hypothesis was mentioned on "Passepartout" on channel RAI3 of Italian TV on Sunday. The program is on the topic of art review and is presented by Philippe Daverio. Did anyone in Italy see it?

Best wishes,

Andrew

[jasonxx]

I think a lot of people like Alexander had brains like computers anyway to remember and know all the details related to his rule Empire battles etc. I read some where that Naploeon also had sucha gift for remembering detail. etc etc.