I had an idea for a history thread. I, myself, am a lover of history, and will always crave new information about historical events and historical people. However, since summer has started I have experienced a kind-of lack of motivation. I'm just not learning nearly as much as usual, and it's pissing me off. So this is my idea. We talk about history here, about people and events and things that we find interesting. One person posts an article, either written by themself, or by someone else, and then the next poster's job is to post something at least slightly related to that article. For example: I post something about the life of Alexander the Great. The next person, noticing that Alexander's tutor was Aristotle, decides to post a few things or write an article about Aristotle. Sort of a chain, kapeesh? The thing is, it's a bit late for me, I have to get up early tomorrow so I can be like Ahhnold, so I don't have time to research a big thing about Alexander the Great (my original intention). So I'm hoping that someone else could start this whole thing off for me. If this thread doesn't really take off then I'll make the time to get it going, but otherwise, please, pick something cool and write about it!
Alexander the Great He was an interesting character, dragging a troup of engineers and philosophers into Asia. We all know the pedestrian facts about him like that he died young at 23 and was a few inches from death by impaling from an errant spear. We all know that he was a brilliant tactician and noted homosexual. Finally we know that after his death he left a divided set of territories. Now for something of note that I didn't know, probably some of you knew this. Ptolemy Soter who was one of Alexanders generals hi-jacked Alexander's sarcophagus and took it back with him to Egypt. Remember that he was the one who took Egypt and Kyrenaika, consecrated the kingdom of Ptolemy, built Alexandria, and the famous library in Alexandria. So maybe this was more about Ptolemy really.
Ptolemy Soter, born in 367 BC, began his relationship as a childhood friend to Alexander of Macedon. When Alexander began his series of conquests against the peoples of Syria and Egypt Ptolemy soon became one of his favorite generals. By the time Alexander finished he realized that his new empire was too great to leave to one man, so he divided it up among several. He chose Ptolemy to be the satrap, or governor, of Egypt. Soon after Alexander died and Ptolemy stole his sarcophagus for political reasons, burying it in Alexandria, the city named after him. This angered the only man that Ptolemy was supposed to answer to, Alexander's Regent, Perdiccas. Perdiccas marched against Ptolemy but was defeated. Afterwards Ptolemy began collecting books and scrolls for a new library. He married the daughter of the current (but powerless) Egyptian Pharaoh in order to foster a link between the line of ancient Pharaohs and himself, again being quite political, and in so doing starting a 300 year Ptolemaic dynasty. He quickly entwined himself within Egyptian culture, building temples, towns and monuments. Ptolemy Soter also commissioned the construction of the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ptolemy II Philadelphos, his son, ruled alongside him for two years before his death in 283 B.C.
Alexander's older cousin Perdiccas, who ruled before Philip, wasn't marked out by his father, nor was he acclaimed by the Army - he was placed on the throne as a puppet by the Dowager Queen and her lover. But he was accepted as legitimate, and the Army followed him... followed him to disastrous defeat. The main Macedonian field army was wiped out almost to a man by the Illyrians and Perdiccas lost his own life in battle, thereby clearing the way for his young uncle Philip. :m: Peace. And thanks for hiding this thread here, rather than in FT
No problem. But were we talking about the same Perdiccas? Philip was murdered (possibly indirectly by Alexander's mother?), then Alexander conquered everyone, then Ptolemy became satrap of Egypt. If Perdiccas died, how could he have marched to Alexandria when Ptolemy stole Alexander's body? O, what a tangled web...
INTERESTING? the biographical history of Al the Great is interesting and all, but what interests me more is why. What was it that he did that was so different and that made him so successful? One may say tactics; but what was it about those tactics that made him successful while others weren't?
He was, to say the least, a smart cookie. Educated by Aristotle, a philosopher, the pupil of Plato, who was the pupil of Socrates, who together, put together a book called "The Republic." If not for its human flaws, the society they created would have been perfect. But I guess that's the way it is with every human society. I bet there's more to it than that.
Serapis Where I work is near the site of an old temple dedicated to the Alexandrian god Serapis. Now it is said that this god was greatly boosted in popularity by Alexander's interest in it; so, did he just choose this obscure hybrid deity at random, or was the whole thing made up by his successor, Ptolemy?
This should answer your question http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~snlrc/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/paganism/serapis.html
