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Alexander the Great

Statue of Alexander the Great at Thessaloniki, Greece, Right: Facade of Philip II of Macedon tomb in Vergina, Greece.  Source: YK/Adobe Stock, Public Domain

Alexander the Great’s Family Identities Confirmed at Vergina Tumulus

Where is Alexander the Great buried? This mystery, that has baffled historians and devotees of the legendary conqueror, might be closer to an answer, as a group of archaeologists found the occupants...
Coin of Seleucos I, likely depicting a posthumous portrait of Alexander the Great. Source: I, PHGCOM/ CC BY-SA 3.0

After Alexander- The Rise and Fall of the Seleucids (Video)

The demise of the Seleucid Empire unfolds as a consequence of the intricate power struggles following Alexander the Great's death. After Alexander's demise in 323 BC, his vast empire, extending from...
The Siege of the Acropolis, by Georg Perlberg (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Ancient Origins Of Modern Greece

Nationhood is a figment of the collective imagination, actualized by a cluster of symbols and ideas – flags, anthems, sports teams, traditional dress (sometimes), a common religion (often), shared...
King Leonidas, standing in front of 300 Spartan soldiers. Source: Ferenc/ Adobe Stock

The Warlords: The Most Fearless Military Leaders (Video)

In the sweep of history, some figures shine as exemplars of martial prowess and strategic genius. From the ancient battlefields to the turbulent Middle Ages, fearless military leaders left an...
Archaeologists have discovered Alexander the Great’s Temple intertwining his legacy with Hercules and Sumerian god Ningirsu.

Alexander the Great Temple Proclaiming Him Divine Unearthed In Iraq

One of the last acts by Alexander the Great before dying at the tender age of 32 might have been dedicating a Greek temple to honor ancient gods and confirm his own divine status. This is according...
AI generated Alexander with full head of hair. ( Worldillustrator/ Adobe Stock)

Lysippos, Sculptor Hairdresser Of Alexander The Great

Lysippos was known as one of the three best Classical Greek sculptors of the fourth century BC. He, along with sculptors Scopas of Paros and Praxiteles of Athens, were instrumental in ushering in the...
Detail of statue of Chandragupta Maurya to the right. Background of India. Source: Public Domain and HistoryDiscussion

The Rise of Chandragupta Maurya, and the Golden Age of the Mauryan Empire

Having conquered the mighty Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great set his sights on the north western region of the Indian subcontinent. Thus, in 327 BC, the Macedonian king began his campaign by...
A facial reconstruction of Alexander the Great. Source: Royalty Now Studios / YouTube Screenshot.

Is This What Alexander the Great Really Looked Like? (Video)

Alexander the Great is undoubtedly one of the most legendary figures in history, known for his military prowess and his brief but impactful life. By the age of 18, Alexander fought alongside his...
With the death of Cleopatra, the Hellenistic period was officially over. (Public domain)

Alexander's Legacy: The Hellenistic Period and the Dawn of a New Era

The Hellenistic period was a time of great change and excitement in the ancient world. Spanning from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, this era saw...
Ancient Greek general Alexander the Great. Source: Andrew Zimmerman / Adobe Stock.

The Greatest Speech in History? Alexander the Great & The Opis Mutiny

Alexander the Great's achievements make him one of the most exceptional figures in history. He ascended to the throne of the small Greek kingdom of Macedonia at the age of just 20 in 336 BC. In the...
An ancient party. Source: AI generated

Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History

Sometimes people just need to let their hair down. Whether you’re a despotic ruler seeking to distract from a major controversy or a downtrodden peasant looking to get away from the daily grind,...
Mosaic of the Beauty of Durres (Enea shijaku / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Female Contenders For Alexander’s Crown: Cynane, Adea, Olympias

Behind every successful man stands an ambitious woman, the saying goes, more-so if she is a blood-relative of Alxander the Great, and a warrior. Claiming descent from Herakles, the son of Zeus,...
The sun sets on the ruins of Persepolis burnt by Alexander the Great in 330 BC (Pav-Pro Photography / Adobe Stock)

The Aftermath Of The Achaemenid Empire

Between 550 and 520 BC Cyrus the Great had unified the Medes and the Persians and founded an empire that stretched from the Indus River to North Africa and from the Aral Sea to the Persian Gulf...
Reliefs based on the Pinelli engraving (1928). It depicts a scene from the everyday life and the campaign of Alexander the Great. Reliefs by the sculptor Pr. Tzanoulinos (bronze). Hellenic War Museum (Athens, Greece). (CC by 2.0 / Tilemahos Efthimiadis)

Archaeological Track of Alexander The Great’s Footprint in Persia

Archaeology in modern Iran tracks Alexander the Great’s footprint in ancient Persia as his army crossed the Euphrates, crisscrossed the plateaus, marched along the Royal Road, across the Zagros...
Alexander Of Macedon And His Nemesis Persian Darius III

Alexander Of Macedon And His Nemesis Persian Darius III

Ironically, Xenophon’s Cyropaedia, written around 370 BC, a narrative describing the education of the ideal ruler centred on Cyrus the Great founder of the Achaemenid Dynasty, was a great inspiration...
Anatolia’s Mighty Phrygia, The Kingdom Of Myth And Midas

Anatolia’s Mighty Phrygia, The Kingdom Of Myth And Midas

In the western-central arid heartland of ancient Anatolia, the river Sangarios snaked through the ancient Iron Age Kingdom of Phrygia , once a rival to Assyria in the south-east and Urartu in the...
The Problem With Labelling Alexander, The Macedonian King With A Mercurial Character

The Problem With Labelling Alexander, The Macedonian King With A Mercurial Character

‘ It is a naive belief that the distant past can be recovered from written texts, but even the written evidence for Alexander is scarce and often peculiar ,’ says Robin Lane Fox in Alexander the...
Hera and her pet peacocks. Juno and Argus by Peter Paul Rubens (circa 1611) Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Public Domain)

Elephants, Eels, Fawns and Ravens: Ancient Lives Of Beloved Exotic Pets

Unlike Aristotle who viewed animals as irrational creatures with lower moral standing, sent to earth solely to serve humans, Pythagoras regarded them highly and proposed that animals had reincarnated...
Closeups of images of Alexander (the two leftmost figures), an Indian priest, and a servant shown on the silver Tibetan bowl that depicts Alexander legends with a Jewish “twist.” Source: Ancient Orient Museum, Tokyo

Jewish-styled Alexander Legends Found on Silver Bowl from Tibet

A new paper published in the Bulletin of the Asia Institute argues that an ancient silver bowl found in Lhasa 50 years ago displays in Greek-style reliefs scenes from a Jewish version of the...
Mithridates expertly used symbology to appeal to the multiple factions of his coalition. Source: Fernando Cortés / Adobe Stock.

A Master of Symbology: How Mithridates Eupator United the Foes of Rome

Pop culture usually depicts the relationship between Greeks and the East as tumultuous. This is due mainly to the three wars Greece fought against Persia, featured in films like 300 by Zack Snyder...
The legendary Silver Shields of Alexander the Great went on to serve Eumenes as the house of Argead battled the Macedonian forces of Antigonus but in the end family trumped loyalty.		Source: Honga

Silver Shields: Alexander's Crack Troops Who Betrayed Their New Master

Could a ragtag team of elite troops in their later years, and a bureaucrat-turn-general take on the military powerhouse of the day? Eumenes, the Greek general, was tasked by Olympias (Alexander’s...

The Influence of Mythology on the Mind of Alexander the Great

History regularly describes Alexander the Great as a general who either imitated or communed with mythical gods and heroes throughout his campaigns and conquests. In fact, the mythological was often...
The Last Will and Testament of Alexander the Great: Its Appearance, Disappearance And Legacy

The Last Will and Testament of Alexander the Great: Its Appearance, Disappearance And Legacy

“…the uncomfortable fact remains that the Alexander Romance provides us, on occasion, with apparently genuine materials found nowhere else, while our better-authenticated sources, per contra, are all...
Ancient Greek science and technology represented by a 3D image of Athens landmark the Parthenon emerging from a smartphone screen.		Source: scaliger

Ancient Greek Science and Technology – From Antikythera to Pharos

The Antikythera computer was the culmination of advanced mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy and engineering. It incorporated the philosophy and science of Aristotle, the gears of Ktesibios, the...

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