Explanations proving Alexander the Great was a drunk and killed many people

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Alexander the Great Q&A Forum : One Thread

Can somebody please help me with finding some examples to prove that Alexander the Great wasn't so great after all becuase he was a drunk and killed many people and put many other's into slavery.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2003

Answers

At the risk of sounding way too serious; many believe he is the one spoken of in the Book of Daniel (exerpts below...); if this is correct, who are we to say who is "Great" if the Lord God himself allowed mention of the man...

The "Mighty King"

"And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia; and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them; and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these." (Daniel 11:2-4 RSV)

"He said, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation; for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram which you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. And the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power." (Daniel 8:15-22 RSV)

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2003


Alexander killed his best friend Kliestus (don't quote my spelling) in a drunken brawl after Kliestus said something he did't like. .....of course Alexander was a bit upset (very upset) when he realized what he had done.

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2003

The best example of Alexander as a reckless and destructive drunk is his burning of the royal city of Persepolis. This act is briefly mentioned by the historian Arrian (look in the index under Persepolis).

However, it is Plutarch's Life of Alexander that really gets down and jiggy with this story and other tales of Alexander's drinking. Plutarch was a moralist and a bit of a prude, who disliked excessive drinking and he makes a lot of nasty comments on Alexander's drinking habits.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2003


Moderation questions? read the FAQ