Alexander the Great didn't live long, but few people had such a profound impact on the world. Curiously, dying at such a young age was probably the best Alexander could have done for his legacy—he hadn't grown old and weak, and he hadn't been overwhelmed by the unbearable pressure of actually managing such a vast and disparate empire. His death was almost as dramatic as when he was alive.
The empire he had built through rapid conquest did not last, and although the members of his core group were ambitious and talented, Alexander was a figure that would be difficult to emulate. The soldiers who had won him such a vast empire found an opponent they could not easily defeat—each other. This article will break down the story of Alexander's death and what happened to himself, his family, and his empire after his death.
Alexander orchestrated a campaign against the Arabs
Alexander's army may have forced him to turn back in India, but he was far from completing the conquest. During his time in Babylon, he received emissaries from the surrounding kingdoms, but not from the Arabian Peninsula. Although they did not immediately pose a threat, this slack was enough to convince him to invade. Before Alexander became seriously ill, the battle had been carefully planned and was about to be launched.
If that wasn't enough, Alexander also planned to extend his territory all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar and build a huge road connecting the Pillars of Hercules with Egypt. But his successors decided not to pursue such lofty ambitions, because it was troublesome enough to control what they already had.
Alexander tried to disappear before his death
An interesting story takes place in Alexander's last days, when he allegedly tried to drown himself in the Euphrates River without leaving a corpse. Sources have reported that his pregnant wife, Roxanna (also written as Roxanne), found him missing from his bedroom and found the wounded king crawling toward the river.
Seeing his plan, the young princess persuaded her husband to return to bed, leaving the sick king to say sadly, "You have taken my eternal life." ”
While it is likely that the writer made up an anecdote, the story largely coincides with Alexander's theatrical genius. One of the difficulties faced by historians, especially scholars who study the ancient world, is to find reliable contemporary information. Most of the historical accounts of Alexander were written centuries later, and the material used is now lost.
From the day of his death, a Babylonian astronomical diary was found
The exact date of Alexander's death was June 11, 323 BC, and this was known from an astronomical diary from Babylon (pictured). This short history is the only surviving contemporary account of Alexander's death.
The stone tablet reads: "Today the king died. ”
The reason for his death remains a mystery
One will never know what led to the premature death of one of the most influential people in history. There are several possibilities.
Alexander's last difficult battle in the Indus Valley brought unfamiliar diseases. He was seriously wounded during the siege of Multan and may never recover. It is also possible that he died of alcoholism, after all he had always been an alcoholic, but after the death of his good friend Hefiesep, the habit may have taken a fatal turn.
Another widely circulated credible theory is that Alexander was poisoned by any of his many enemies. One of the main suspects was the Macedonian nobleman Kassander, who was sent to Babylon by his father, Antipat, the Macedonian regent.
Another, more bizarre theory is that Alexander's old mentor, Aristotle, had an influence on the fate of his former students. Alexander ordered Calistini's execution because of his involvement in a conspiracy against the king. Calistini was Aristotle's grandnephew. However, even historians who refer to this theory have a hard time accepting that it is true.
Modern doctors have also proposed a number of other theories, but the continued disappearance of Alexander's mummy means that no one can be sure.
Alexander's body did not decay for several days
According to ancient historians, Alexander's body did not begin to decay until a few days later.
Although the bodies lay in damp and stuffy places, without special care of protection, did not show any destructive effects and remained fresh.
Was the story made up to create a legend, or did it have a plausible explanation for this seemingly implausible situation? Soon, though, a modern theory offers an interesting explanation: Alexander's body didn't decay because it wasn't actually a corpse at all.
The last days of Alexander's suffering may have been caused by Guillain-Barré syndrome (Qur'an-Barré syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome), a rare disease that causes the body's immune system to attack nerves. One of the results was paralysis, so he might have looked like he was dead a few days before he died.
Alexander had no clear heir
When Alexander was nearly killed in the battle of India, a major crisis was barely avoided. Without a clear commander number two, the cohesion of the army collapsed almost completely when rumors of Alexander's death surfaced. None of his generals had enough influence over the rest of the army to wield power.
Alexander had no apparent heir at the time of Babylon's death. He may have had an illegitimate son, Hercules, with a Persian woman named Bassin. The boy's controversial pedigree and the fact that he had Persian ancestry made it unlikely that he would be heir. Similarly, although Roxana was pregnant with Alexander's legitimate child, her Bactrian ancestry would not be treated amicably by many Macedonians.
The rest is Aridaus, Alexander's half-brother, but his intellect is not yet sufficient to rule the country. Alexander apparently liked his younger brother, as he was still alive when Alexander ascended the throne and systematically eliminated all potential opponents. Some Macedonians believed that Aridaus should inherit the throne despite his physical disabilities. In either case, the regent needed to oversee the administration of Alexander's vast empire.
Among the closest generals, Alexander strove to treat them in the same way so that no one would hold a grudge against him or challenge the influence of his rule. As a mechanism for maintaining the king's power, this is very effective, but it also sows the seeds of disaster for the demise of the king's power. Since the generals were seen as equals, no one was necessarily accountable to anyone.
Perdiccas is considered Alexander's most senior bodyguard. He held the position of Kyriale, Alexander's ring was given to him, and it was he who convened a meeting in Babylon to discuss succession. The meeting was enthusiastic at first, but soon fell into confusion as sharp disagreements arose over who would succeed Alexander.
The struggle for supreme power began within hours of his death
The conquering Macedonian army, under Alexander's leadership, barely united, while a divide between infantry and cavalry broke out in India as the infantry refused to advance further. Even Alexander could not force them forward, and the experienced infantry was an important part of Alexander's victory, so they knew it. They were a formidable fighting force, under the reign of Philip II and Alexander, who had become stronger after decades of war, but they were also becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Alexander's efforts to integrate imperial culture infuriated the infantry, who played an important role in the victory, who were dissatisfied with the local army entering the phalanx while the cavalry was almost entirely Macedonian. If even Alexander found his infantry unmanageable, it would be an impossible task for any of his successors.
The infantry captain, Meleg, saw an opportunity and demanded that Alchikous be brought to power. Mellieger went to the room where Alexander's body was placed and, along with the wounded prince and hundreds of retinues, declared Aridaus the new king. Less than 24 hours after Alexander's death, chaos erupted, if he really died.
The outnumbered Macedonian nobles were forced to flee the royal residence through a hidden passageway.
The infantry and cavalry reached a compromise
After fleeing the city, the Macedonian nobility blocked the supply line to Babylon. As the situation quickly spiraled out of control, the two factions reached a compromise to avoid an open civil war. The succession dispute was resolved by proposing a system in which Roxanna's unborn child would rule with Aledaus, who adopted the royal name Philip III.
Perdikas remained regent as Kiriachi, and although in fact a commander of the army, he was also regent of the unborn king. Milieg will serve as his deputy, while other matters involving the European and Asian parts of the empire will be resolved. The agreement avoided open war, but did not prevent further bloodshed.
The rebels were trampled by elephants
After the initial hostile dust settled, the time for reckoning came. Perdicas arranged a ceremony known as purification, which was performed outside the city walls by the Macedonian army. During the performance, a dog is killed, its body is cut in half, and it is dragged to either side of the battlefield. The army would then march between the fragments in a symbolic purification operation. Ostensibly to ease recent tensions between the two factions of the Macedonian army, Perdikas had other intentions.
Outside the city walls, the infantry gathered, only to find that their chosen king had been sent forward to demand the surrender of the culprits of the recent riots, namely those who had put Philip on the throne. The infantry found themselves facing a heavily armed cavalry unit, including armored war elephants from the Indian campaign. In the open, resistance to such forces was futile, and eventually their demands were met — about 30 leaders were arrested and tied up.
They were placed in front of the army and fatally trampled by war elephants, and this was an awe-inspiring, even terrible, display of power by the nobles. Mileg managed to escape, but was soon traced to a temple because he mistakenly believed that banning violence in a sacred place would ensure his safety. He was executed on the spot, ending his short-lived power.
Alexander's widow and Perdikas, eliminated his other wives
Roxanna and Perdicas were reluctant to even consider the possibility that Alexander's two Persian wives would have potential rivals, so they arranged to eliminate them.
Startira II was the daughter of Alexander's archenemy Darius III, who was captured along with her mother after Alexander's victory at Issus. Statila and Parissatis, the daughter of another Persian ruler, married Alexander at a group wedding in Susa, but this was a rather wrong attempt at cultural integration, and Alexander and his men married Persian wives. After Alexander's death, all marriages ended in divorce except for one person.
When rumors of Stadilla's pregnancy reached Roxanna, she and Perdicas conspired to forge a letter from Alexander summoning the princess and her sister to Babylon. The letter was sent before the Persian women learned of Alexander's death. When the women arrived, they were immediately wiped out, and the remains were thrown haphazardly into a well and then buried by servants.
Although Parissatis does not appear in the historical record, it is likely that she was killed with Statilla or later executed. But Roxana's ruthlessness is forced, and her future is tied to her unborn child, so no competitor can survive.
The Empire was assigned to rule as regents by his successors
The Partition of Babylon divided the empire into smaller areas, ruled by Alexander's closest allies as regents. Antipat was left in charge of Macedonia when Alexander began his great conquests, and he and his son Kassander would continue to rule macedonia. Egypt was placed under the administration of Ptolemy, while the remaining lands in Asia were divided among the generals, although the potentially lucrative province of Cappadocia had to be protected by Eumenes.
The outbreak of local uprisings tested the skill and determination of their successors, who found it much easier to claim authority over Alexander's empire than to actually enforce it. Alexander's grand dream of further expansion was soon abandoned by Perdicas and his successors as they were busy maintaining their existing territory.
Moreover, the relationship between the successors was tense from the beginning, and with the formation and rupture of the marriage contract, the factions also went from formation to dissolution. Alexander's mother, Olympias, was no stranger to court intrigue, and after Alexander's death, many of her works were directed at Antipat. One of the most famous women of antiquity was Cleopatra, Alexander's 32-year-old sister, the widow of King Epirus.
Leonardus seemed destined to win the battle for her marriage, but died before the wedding took place. Later, Perdicas, Kassander, and Antigonus all tried to win Cleopatra's favor, but all failed.
Alexander's funeral car took two years to complete
Alexander's unspoiled body was preserved by embalmers while a suitable vessel was built to send him to his final resting place. Traditionally, Macedonian kings were buried in the ancient capital of Aigai. Even after the capital was moved to Pêra, the kings were still buried in Aigai. There is a prophecy that if any of the Kings of the Allgaid Dynasty were buried elsewhere, the Allgaid Dynasty would perish.
The funeral carriage, one of the great wonders of the ancient world, was pulled by 64 mules to escort the king back to Macedonia. At least that's the plan.
His body was snatched by Ptolemy
Ptolemy was one of Alexander's closest friends, but his military experience was limited, especially compared to Alexander's other personal bodyguards. However, the bravery he lacked on the battlefield was enough to make up for it. Considered the wisest heir, Ptolemy eventually built a great empire in Egypt on his own.
Ptolemy, aware of the symbolic value of Alexander the Great's body, planned to transport his body to Damascus for safekeeping. Realizing that a conspiracy was brewing, Perdiccas arranged for the body to be transported back to Egypt, only to discover that Ptolemy's men had transported Alexander's body to Egypt and would be stored in Alexandria for centuries.
It is said that Alexander personally requested that his body be buried in Siwa, Egypt, but scholars believe that this is a fabrication by Ptolemy to justify his shameless theft. Today, Alexander the Great's mausoleum is a popular tourist destination visited by julius and Augustus Caesar (see pictured), but its location was eventually lost and remains a mystery today.
The move prompted Perdiccus to rally an army to invade Egypt and reclaim Alexander's body in order to prevent potential opponents from gaining too much power. In the end, the battle became a disaster, and Perdicas was killed by his own officers, who then defected to Ptolemy.
With the death of the regent Perdikas, the unity of the empire collapsed after three years of unstable existence. Macedonia never achieved unity again, and despite having a powerful empire like Ptolemaic Egypt, the Seleucid dynasty lasted for centuries. But with the fall of Perdikas, the struggle for successors has only just begun.