Alexander the great and three examples of upholding mythological tradition
Consideration of three episodes from the history of Alexander the Great that illustrate his attitude towards ancient myths and religiosity. Drawing parallels between the act of Alexander and that of his mythical ancestor Achilles by different autors.
| Рубрика | Религия и мифология |
| Вид | статья |
| Язык | английский |
| Дата добавления | 11.06.2021 |
| Размер файла | 81,9 K |
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Consequently, if Alexander wanted to secure the understanding and support for his cause in the Greek world, he had to build the legitimation of his campaign on two foundations -- the formal On the formal grounds of legitimization of Alexander see: Badian E. Alexander the Great between Two Thrones and Heaven: Variations on an Old Theme // Subject and Ruler: The Cult of the Ruling Power in Classical Antiquity. Papers Presented at a Conference Held in the University of Alberta on April 13-15, 1994, to Celebrate the 65th Anniversary of D. Fishwick / ed. by A. Small. Ann Arbor, 1996. P 11-26. -- See also: Dreyer B. Heroes, Cults, and Divinity // Alexander the Great. A New History / eds W. Heckel, L. A. Tritle. Oxford, 2009. P 218-234. and the informal ones. Indeed, from the formal point of view, his campaign was presented as the war of revenge against the Persians and the liberation of the Greeks in Asia Minor See: Brunt P A. The Aims of Alexander... P 45f; Flower M. Alexander the Great and Panhellenism // Alexander the Great in Fact and Fiction. Eds A. B. Bosworth, E. J. Baynham. Oxford, 2000. P 96-135; Habicht C. Gottmenschentum und Griechische Stдdte. 2. Aufl. Mьnchen, 1970. S. 17-36; Kholod M. M. The Cults of Alexander the Great in the Greek Cities of Asia Minor // Klio. Beitrдge zur Alten Geschichte. 2016. Bd. 98.2. P. 495-525.; informally, it was a heroic war, an act of heroism both on his part and on the part of his soldiers Moreover, if the ideas of revenge and liberation had been exhausted after capturing Persepolis, the idea of heroic war became the central one starting from that moment.. There is good reason to assume that the heroic aspect was more important to Alexander, and that is why he imitated ancient heroes and competed with them. Therefore, a spear thrown into the soil of Asia at the very beginning of his expedition can be regarded as the main symbol of his war [Diod., XVII. 17. 2; Arr. Anab.
11. 5-7; Just. XI. 5; XI. 6, 10-11]. In fact, the whole ideology of heroic contest is built around this image, which created the field of informal legitimation. The Hellenic concept of land ownership by right of “conquest with a spear” (hora doriktetos) See: Mehl A. DORIKTETOS CHORA. Kritische Bemerkungen zum “Speererwerb” in Politik und Volkerrecht der hellenistischen Epoche // Ancient Society. 1980/81. Vol. 11/12. P. 173-212; Chaniotis A. War in the Hellenistic World: A Social and Cultural History. Oxford, 2005. P. 181f. -- it should be emphasized that it really was the oldest right; therefore, it is totally wrong to suggest that Alexander did not have any right to lay claim to the Persian throne (Wortington I. By the Spear. Philip II, Alexander the Great and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire. Oxford, 2004. P. 199); it would mean imposing modern ideas about legitimacy on Alexander. As history shows, the right of war was actually the strongest right in the ancient world. Besides, Alexander did not literally intend to become the king of Persia; he created his own kingdom incorporating Persia and Persian elements into it: FredricksmeyerE. Alexander the Great and the Kingship of Asia // Alexander the Great in Fact and Fiction. Eds A. B. Bosworth, E. J. Baynham. Oxford, 2000. P. 136-166. also stems from it. In fact, the idea of the “right of a spear” is very old See: Garlan Y. War in Ancient World: A Social History. London, 1975. P. 75 f.; Austin M. Alexander and the Macedonian Invasion of Asia: Aspects of the Historiography of War and Empire in Antiquity // Alexander the Great. Ed. by I. Wortington. 1995. P. 118-135; Billows R. King and Colonists (Aspects of Macedonian Imperialism). London. 1995. P. 25f.; BruntPA. The Aims of Alexander... P. 46f. -- The Roman custom of declaring war by hurling a spear vividly confirms the age and universality of the “right of a spear”. Another Roman parallel is the archaic legal practice vindicatio, which involved the uttering of a sacred formula confirming the right to own certain property holding a stick (vindicta) in an outstretched hand, which symbolized the readiness to fight for this property with arms, i. e., the stick symbolized a spear., and it is first mentioned in the “Iliad”, where Achilles -- Alexander's prototype -- refers to Briseis as the captive of his spear [Il.9. 343]. It should be reminded here that in the epic world, which served as a model for Alexander, warfare was regarded as the most respectable way of earning a living, and Homeric heroes not only engaged in robbery but also boasted about it [Il. XI. 670 -- 682; Od.
70-74; III. 105-107; IX. 252-257; XI. 71-74; XIV. 229-234; XXI. 15-30]. Therefore, it is more than natural that, following ancient examples, Alexander presented his expedition as the realization of the age-old “right of a spear”. Both he and his soldiers were fed by the heroic ideals of glory and valour, which were provided by numerous examples from the world of myths.
All that explains why Alexander maintained and cultivated a peculiar mental environment around himself woven from myths and prophecies. After all, the heroic ethos that fed his ideology was underpinned by archaic religiousness and ancient myths. Therefore, Alexander revived ancient myths and created new myths around himself. The three examples discussed in this article show how Alexander maintained the ideological matrix of heroism during his campaign, skilfully manipulating with images and notions inherited from ancient myths.
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