Transcript Alexander’s death

Hephaistion’s
death
Video clip #37
324 BC
Draw symbols of these 10 things onto a chart
Hephaistion died in Ecbatana, 324 BC from excessive
drinking. Hephaistion supported all Alexander’s policies.
He was second in command.
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Alexander was in so much grief that he:
Hanged Hephaistion’s doctor
Lay for 3 days without food or water
Cut his hair – like Achilles did when patroclus died
Destroyed the temple of Asclepius (god of health and medicine)
Sacred fires were extinguished throughout the empire (Persian
custom for a King’s death)
Made a decree of general mourning throughout the east
Commissioned a memorial for Hephaistion at Babylon
Sent an embassy to Siwah to consult his father Ammon to ask how
Hephaistion should be honoured. The response was: as a hero.
Asked the Athenians to create a hero cult for Hephaistion
Ordered large, expensive shrines to be built in Alexandria (Egypt)
and the island of Pharos
Babylon
Ishtar Gate, Babylon
Achaemenid silver
Bull rhyton
Charles LeBrun,
The Entry of Alexander into Babylon, c. 1664
Request for
deification
While at Babylon, envoys came from a number of Greek States,
wearing crowns. They approached Alexander and crowned him with
golden crowns, honouring him as a god.
Plutarch says Alexander wrote to the Greeks asking
them to give him divine honours
Reaction from Greek states:
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Sparta
Athens
“Since Alexander wants to
be a god, let him be a god”
(Danis)
Debated the issue
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The Greek states all agreed to give him the honours in Spring
323
This meant they recognised Alexander as divine
For Greeks, it was impossible for a mortal to become a god, eg.
Herakles was only ever considered a demi-god
Why would he asked to be deified?
Alexander wanted to be god of his Empire, because he thought being
the Great King of Persia proved he was worthy
Alex was encouraged to believe in himself from a young age.
Olympias told him he was son of Zeus
He emphasised his heroic lineage – his decent from Achilles
(mother’s side) and Heracles (father’s side)
He believed he was son of Ammon Ra after visiting the oracle at
Siwah
Alexander’s
death
There were Warnings and superstitions before his death:
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when he reached Babylon, priests of Marduk begged him not to enter –
they had received an oracle from the gods that if he did, he would suffer
misfortune
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Alex disregarded their advice,
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When alex was sailing in the marshes, his hat & diadem (crown) was
blown off. They landed near the tombs of the dead Assyrain kings. A
sailor swam out to get it and to keep it dry, put it on his head. He was
given one talent for helping. But then was executed because prophets
said it was bad luck that the sailor had worn the diadem(crown).
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One day when Alex had left the royal throne at Babylon and man sat on
it. The prophets also demanded that he be executed
Alexander’s
death
June 10, in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, In Babylon, 323 BC
He was aged 32
His exact cause of death is unknown
 Maybe pneumonia, malaria, alcoholic poisoning, or food poisoning
 No one will ever know for sure
His troops all paid their last respects to him when they realised he
was deteriorating
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After Alexander died, his
generals jockeyed for
power and by 275 they
had divided up his
kingdom into three large
states
Greece
Egypt
Asia minor
The period of Alexander
and his successors is
called the Hellenistic
period to reflect the
broad influence of Greek
culture beyond Greece’s
borders
After Alexander
LEGACY
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Brilliant general and leader
 Seems at time to be a hero come to
life from one of Homer’s poems
Major contribution was the destruction
of the Persian Empire
 Opened the door for the penetration
of Greek culture into the Middle East
Big weakness was lack of concern for
administrative matters
 Liked to conquer, not consolidate
 Liked to fight, not govern
 Empire died with him as a result
 Virtually guaranteed by absence of
any sort of centralized
administrative structure
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C:\Documents and Settings\JRadich\My
Documents\my content off school
network\from ayesha\iron maiden - alexander
the great.mp3
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1.56minutes
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Alexander The Great[356 - 323 BC]
My son, ask for thyself another kingdom,
For that which I leave is too small for thee.
Near to the east, in a part of ancient Greece,
In an ancient land called Macedonia,
Was born a son to Philip of Macedon,
The legend his name was Alexander.
At the age of nineteen, he became the Macedon king,
And swore to free all of Asia Minor,
By the Aegian sea in 334 BC,
He utterly beat the armies of Persia.
Chorus:
Alexander the Great,
His name struck fear into hearts of men,
Alexander the Great,
Became a legend ‘mongst mortal men.
King Darius the third, defeated fled Persia,
The Scythians fell by the river Jaxartes,
Then Egypt fell to the Macedon king as well,
And he founded the city called Alexandria.
By the Tigris River, he met King Darius again,
And crushed him again in the battle of Arbela,
Entering Babylon and Susa, treasures he found,
Took Persepolis, the capital of Persia.
Chorus:
Alexander the Great,
His name struck fear into hearts of men,
Alexander the Great,
Became a God amongst mortal men.
A Phrygian king had bound a chariot yoke,
And Alexander cut the Gordian knot,
And legend said that who untied the knot;
He would become the master of Asia.
`Hellenism he spread far and wide,
The Macedonian learned mind,
Their culture was a western way of life,
He paved the way for Christianity.
Marching on, marching on.
The battle weary marching side by side,
Alexander’s army line by line,
They wouldn’t follow him to India,
Tired of the combat, pain and the glory.
Chorus:
Alexander the Great,
His name struck fear into hearts of men,
Alexander the Great,
He died of fever in Babylon.
Alexander Essays
Candidates who focused on the specific
requirements of questions (for example, by
highlighting or underlining key words) tended to
answer questions more directly and accurately.
Unsuccessful Candidates sometimes showed
evidence of learning, but were not able to apply
their knowledge carefully. It is particularly
important in 90513, the essay standard, that
material is shaped to fit the question(s) set.
Candidates who achieved this standard most
commonly demonstrated the following skills and /
or knowledge:
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ability to answer in essay format: they used the planning
page and provided a structured response, although
sometimes expression was stilted or weak
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had sufficient understanding of the topic chosen to
respond to most points adequately, particularly the bullet
points, although often an aspect of the question was
overlooked or omitted
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ability to recall sufficient topic knowledge to back up
general statements to some extent
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some familiarity with secondary texts and either a basic
knowledge of primary sources or at least an awareness
of source material.
Candidates who did not achieve this standard
lacked some or all of the skills and knowledge
required for Achievement. They also commonly:
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• answered less than half the question, providing little appropriate
detail
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• failed to structure their essay and had poor language skills
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• misunderstood or did not read the question carefully or wrote off
the topic to fill out their essay with irrelevant detail
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lacked sufficient knowledge of topic content to sustain an essay
response
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were unfamiliar with primary source material or unable to integrate
primary source evidence into their answer.
In addition to the skills and knowledge required for
Achievement, candidates who achieved
the standard with Merit or Excellence commonly:
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wrote a well organised essay and expressed
themselves fluently and clearly
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addressed all aspects of the question and showed a
comprehensive knowledge of the topic content
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integrated clear, pertinent references to primary and
often secondary source material into their argument
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explained events and processes, but also went on to
analyse the material they were addressing.
Let’s practice!
TOPIC ONE: ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Answer ONE of the following questions in essay
format.
You should:
• demonstrate knowledge of important historical
figures, ideas, and events
• provide evidence from primary source material*
to support your argument.
*Primary source material could include literary, art
historical, and archaeological evidence.
(a) The second, and decisive, battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III took
place in 331 BC, at Gaugamela, on an extensive plain in what is now modern Iraq.
Discuss:
• the challenges faced by Alexander at this battle
• the tactics that he used to achieve victory
• the reasons for his failure to kill or capture Darius.
What were the consequences of defeat at Gaugamela for Darius?
OR:
(b) “The Spartan Damis said, ‘As Alexander wants to be a god, let him be one.’ ”
(Plutarch)
Discuss the religious beliefs that Alexander may have held about his own superhuman
nature, with particular reference to:
• his legendary ancestors
• his consultation of the oracle at the oasis of Siwah
• the visit of the sacred envoys to Babylon in 323 BC.
What was the political and / or military significance of Alexander’s attitude towards his
own superhuman, or divine, status?
OR:
(c) Despite Aristotle’s teaching that the Greeks were vastly superior to barbarians,
Alexander chose to take up a number of Persian customs and ceremonies.
Discuss:
• the Persian practices adopted by Alexander, with particular reference to court ritual
and the act of proskynesis
• the reasons for Alexander’s use of Persian customs and ceremonies
• the impact that the adoption of these practices had on Alexander’s relationship with
the historian Callisthenes.
To what extent was Alexander’s ‘orientalism’ limited to ceremonial court practices?
Tips for Alexander essays
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Introductions should start with an
interesting, original thought or sentence or
question about Alexander with reference to
the question. You should then refer to all
parts of the question and hints at the
stance that you will take in the essay
Each paragraph should address a different
aspect of the question
The first paragraph should discuss the
setting – explain where Alexander is in his
journey, what year it is and what has
happened before this event
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The next paragraph should begin to answer the
first part of the question – as in English, you
need to have a discussion point or statement,
give an explanation about what this means and
why, then provide quotes from Primary (Arrian,
plutarch etc.)or Secondary (J.R Hamilton/ Paul
Artus) sources to back up what you are saying.
Each paragraph should follow the format above
until you have addressed all parts of the
question
The conclusion needs to summarise each point
that you have discussed and make connections
to the question to show that you have answered
it. A good way to finish is to leave the reader with
a final thought or a quote or a summary of
Alexander as a person and how he has made a
lasting impact.
Let’s create an essay plan
Despite Aristotle’s teaching that the Greeks were vastly
superior to barbarians, Alexander chose to take up a
number of Persian customs and ceremonies.
Discuss:
• the Persian practices adopted by Alexander, with
particular reference to court ritual and the act of
proskynesis
• the reasons for Alexander’s use of Persian customs and
ceremonies
• the impact that the adoption of these practices had on
Alexander’s relationship with the historian Callisthenes.
To what extent was Alexander’s ‘orientalism’ limited to
ceremonial court practices?