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Ancient and Modern Treatment of Alexander the Great

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Ancient and Modern Treatment of Alexander the Great ANCIENT AND MODERN TREATMENT OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT by JOAN HILL submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject ANCIENT HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: DR RJ EVANS JOINT SUPERVISOR: MS MEADE MARRE FEBRUARY 2002 II Student Number: 333-016-8 I declare that "ANCIENT AND MODERN TREATMENT OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT" is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references . .... ~ .... ~.... k ..... J~LL(Mrs) 12 February 2002 lll SUMMARY This dissertation examines the different interpretations of the secondary sources for Alexander the Great by three modern historians, Nicholas Hammond, Peter Green and Mary Renault. The Introduction looks briefly at the lost pnmary Alexander-histories, the extant works of Diodorus Siculus, Quintus Curtius, Plutarch and Arrian and includes an abbreviated curriculum vitae of each modern author. Chapter I concerns modern interpretations of the controversial circumstances surrounding the accession of Alexander and the assassination of Philip. Chapter II covers the elimination of possible rivals, Attalus, Alexander Lynccstcs and Amyntas son of Pcrdiccas, two major conspiracies - the Philotas Affair and the death of Parmenio, the conspiracy of the Royal Pages and death of Callisthenes - and the killing of Cleitus the Black. Chapter III deals with modern explanations of the death of Alexander. The Conclusion highlights significant theories and trends presented by the modern historians, which influence their interpretations of the ancient sources. KEYWORDS: Alexander the Great; Hammond; Green; Renault; ancient/extant sources; access10n; conspiracy/conspirator; opposition; death; cause of death; modern scholars; interpretation; theory; trends. iv For my husband, Derek, and for my parents, Harry and Edna Bramley. v CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Preface ........................................................................................................................ vii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ viii Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Legend, Propaganda and History ........................................................................ 3 The Secondary Sources ...................................................................................... 8 Three Twentieth Century Historians ................................................................. 16 Chapter I: The Accession of Alexander III of Macedonia ........................................ 19 The Marriage of Philip and Cleopatra(? Spring 337) ....................................... 20 The Insult and the Flight from Pella(? Spring 337) ........................................... 25 The Pixodarus Affair(? after the Spring of 337) ............................................... 28 Pausanias the Assassin ..................................................................................... 31 Conspiracy? ..................................................................................................... 35 Alexander ........................................................................................................ 39 Olympias ......................................................................................................... 42 Anti pater ......................................................................................................... 44 The Three Bodyguards ..................................................................................... 46 The Lyncestian Brothers .................................................................................. 50 Demosthenes ................................................................................................... 5 1 Darius .............................................................................................................. 53 The Evidence ................................................................................................... 56 Chapter II: Conspirators and Conspiracies .............................................................. 58 The Conspiracy and Death of Attalus ............................................................... 59 Amyntas son of Perdiccas ................................................................................ 66 The Conspiracy and Death of Alexander the Lyncestian ................................... 70 The Philotas Affair and the Death of Parmenio (October 330) .......................... 76 The Death of Cleitus the Black (Autumn 328) .................................................. 90 The Conspiracy of the Royal Pages and the Fate of Callisthenes (Spring 327) .. 98 Chapter III: The death of Alexander ....................................................................... 112 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 131 Hammond ...................................................................................................... 131 Green ............................................................................................................. 138 Renault .......................................................................................................... 143 Appendix I: Summary of Evidence for the Accession of Alexander III of Macedon ................... 149 Appendix II: Summary of Evidence for Conspirators and Conspiracies ................ 155 Appendix III: The Ephemerides ................................................................................ 158 Appendix IV: The Battle of the Granicus River ...................................................... 165 Appendix V: Hephaestion ........................................................................................ 171 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 176 Figures and Plans Stemma - The Argead dynasty of Macedonia ............................................................... 72 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Richard Evans, for his encouragement, advice, good humour and expert guidance and to my assistant supervisor, Ms. Martine de Marre for her positive feedback and willing assistance. They, and other members of the Department of Classics, have greatly enriched my life by their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise. I am also indebted to the Council of the University of South Africa for financial assistance in the form of a Master's Exhibition, without which I would not have been able to continue studying. The support and encouragement of my family has been invaluable. My sincere thanks go to my son John and my daughter Patricia for their cheerful enthusiasm and to my husband Derek, who has lived with Alexander as a constant companion for the past two years, and who has endured it with patience, encouragement and generous praise. vii PREFACE Philip JI of Macedonia was the subject of my long essay for my Honours degree and the beginning of my fascination and enthusiasm for Macedonian studies. When I came to choose a topic for a dissertation, it was an easy and logical step to proceed from the father to his more famous son. But, because Alexander the Great has been the subject of so many books, articles, and other publications, it was necessary to approach the topic from a different angle. When researching the extraordinary circumstances that surrounded the death of Philip, I had been struck by the range of opinions and theories offered by modern scholars and thus the idea was born to examine how three twentieth century scholars had used the evidence provided by the ancient sources. This approach would provide the opportunity to study a selection of the more controversial aspects of Alexander's life and expedition while exploring the equally controversial academic debate that inevitably accompanies Alexander-studies. The modern authors, Hammond, Green and Renault, were chosen precisely because of their different styles and opinions and the result of the investigation, for me at least, has been absorbing, enlightening and, occasionally, surprising. viii ABBREVIATIONS Modern Studies Modern works which are referred to more than once are subsequently given in an abbreviated form, which should be self-explanatory. The following works are noted for the sake of clarity: Atkinson Commentary JE Atkinson, A Commentary on Q. Curtius Ru.fits Historiae Alexandri Magni Books 3 and 4. of Power", AUMLA (1962). Brunt Introduction and Notes PA Brunt, "Introduction to Arrian ", History of Alexander and Jndica. Griffith HM II NGL Hammond and GT Griffith, A History of Macedonia Vol. II - 550 - 336 BC Hamilton Introduction and Notes JR Hamilton, "Introduction to Arrian", The Campaigns ofAlexander. Hammond HM Ill NGL Hammond and FW Walbank, A History of Macedonia (Vol. Ill) 336-I67 BC Heckel Introduction and Notes W Heckel, "Introduction to Quintus Curtius Rufus", The History ofAlexander. McQuecn Commentary EI McQueen, Diodorus Siculus: The Reign of Phillip II - The Greek and Macedonian Narrative from Book XVI. Translation and Commentary. Scott-Kilvert Forward and Notes I Scott-Kilvert, "Translator's Forward and Notes", The Age ofAlexander. Welles
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