What Alexander realised

Alexander

• Son of a king, tutored by Aristotle. Saw himself as a descendant of Greek heroes Hercules and Achilles.

• Ascended to the throne of Macedonia at the age of 20 after his father was killed by royal guards.

• Became the King of Macedonia, Pharaoh of Egypt, and King of Persia.

• In the fight against King Porus, Alexander survived, as his wife Roxana sent a sacred thread / rakhi to Porus requesting him not to harm her husband.

• Died before his 33rd birthday. The empire collapsed on his death due to infighting and invasions. His mother and children were killed.

A popular story goes that when Alexander knew his time was over, he shared three wishes:

• My physicians must carry my coffin, so people see, the best of doctors could not save me.

• The path to my grave must be strewn with gold and silver, so people know it is a waste of time collecting these.

• Let my hands remain out of my coffin. Let people know I came and go empty-handed.

Was Alexander alive when buried

• It was on his return journey, that Alexander fell ill. He was unable to move and speak. Recent medical studies suggest Alexander may have suffered from Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), where the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, leading to paralysis. The pupils dilate, body becomes cold and visible signs of breathing are absent.

• Physicians in those days felt the breath to see if patient was alive and he would have been proclaimed dead. There is a chance Alexander was alive when he was buried a week later. Which could explain why his body remained fresh and people called him divine.

Some are great and

• known for right reasons

• known for wrong reasons

• never known

Some are questionable and

• known for right reasons

• known for wrong reasons

• never known

At what point did Alexander become the great.

Who decides – Alexander, his family, Macedonia, India, historians, movies, listener.

How do you decide.