alexander the great was poisoned?

[Andronikos]

Alexander was proclaimed a god by Egyptians, there are coins that stylised him as Amun, he got all that throne names like true pharaoh so there is a chance that he was mummified.

[option]

I just received Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green in the mail a few days ago, and I'm really looking forward to digging into it. Anyone else read it? What did you think?

[Apázlinemjó]

Alexander was proclaimed a god by Egyptians, there are coins that stylised him as Amun, he got all that throne names like true pharaoh so there is a chance that he was mummified.

It's sad that we don't know the exact location of his tomb and body in Egypt. Although maybe it's not even there now as the last sources were from the first century or around that, I don't know exactly.

[Atraphoenix]

and day by day we are losing our precious time to save it.

[Suomaa]

Some here suggested, that Alexander became ill and was poisoned, because that would be an good opportunity to do that secretively. I have a variation to that theory - maybe Alexander was poisoned, but he managed to survive the poison, but he had some illness same time, and because he was weakened by the poison, he couldn't survive it. So maybe the illness finished the effects of the poison, maybe the poisoners didn't even know about the illness. The "illness" i mention, can be only a fever, but maybe it was some that drinking too much wine caused, or even both.

So maybe, he was poisoned (accidentally?) with too low quantity of poison, but he was left weak by it, that caused his death in hands by some illness. If i recall correctly, Alexander was ill for some time, not just died day after, what makes(well, i am not expert in poisons, so i may be wrong) poisoning with most poisons with right quantities impossible. Or then was used poison, that seems to be some illness. Or maybe Alexander was just more resistant to poison used, altough that is unlikely.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

We can only speculate but there are some "facts":

• Alexander had several wounds of various battles, the freshest I believe from Hydaspes
• Alexander was inclined to heavy abuse of alcohol
• Alexander led a fairly extreme, reckless lifestyle with forced marching, fighting, binge-drinking and surely other similar behaviours
• Alexander was exposed to an unhealthy climate in Babylon

Now imagine that Alexander, exhausted, probably dehydrated, with at least one fresher wound which could have easily infected and inflammated, went to one of his binge-drinkings / orgies. He could have poisened himself alone from the wine, which surely didn't fulfil today's standards, and helped by the deadly climate fell into a fever. There's a point when the body simply says "no" and that's it.

[Andros Antonius]

Very true. Rome was founded 753BC, and the last remnants of the ERE were conquered in 1461 - which makes for an astonishing 2,214 years of more or less continued existence.

It is true that slower growing empires last longer, and I think even the true Roman empire without the Byzantines lasted long enough, and their legacy definitely lives on today. No wonder so many later nations tried to consider themselves their spiritual successors. Besides, for the later half of the Byzantine empire, it was more Greek in character than Roman.

But if you really want to think of a long running empire or nation, don't forget Ancient Egypt, which I think maintained a consistent culture for over 2000 years, even though the dynasties and kingdoms weren't always continuous. Or better yet, China is one of the oldest cultures that has survived intact for millennia, with the same people ruling except for a few occasions like the Mongol conquest.

[fleaza]

ancient egypts culture was of such power and awe that all those who conquered egypt adopted egyptian customs instead of the egyptians adopting the conquerors customs. thats what "the conqueror becomes the conquered" means i think.

as for the theory on alexanders arsenic poisoning. the symptoms of alexander was of severe discomfort (coughing, vomit, diaorhea etc), a sharp pain, sweating, loss of strength. all tell tale signs of aresnic poisoning. the shock of pain is important becuase it said that some time into medius's party alexander cried out in pain. he later asked to shove in a sword to put an end to the pain. that couldnt have been just fever.

im thoroughly convinvecd ptolemy was the assassin, or at least, had a part to play in the assassination.

[Raygereio]

as for the theory on alexanders arsenic poisoning. the symptoms of alexander was of severe discomfort (coughing, vomit, diaorhea etc), a sharp pain, sweating, loss of strength. all tell tale signs of aresnic poisoning. the shock of pain is important becuase it said that some time into medius's party alexander cried out in pain. he later asked to shove in a sword to put an end to the pain. that couldnt have been just fever.

I don't know.
Those symptomes can also sound like malaria, or hepatitis (due to his alcoholabuse).