Thanks nickcarraway.
Posted on 08/17/2023 4:32:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Over the centuries, humans have always been fascinated by the vices and virtues of history’s most consequential figures. As one of the towering figures of history, Alexander the Great often attracts some of the closest scrutiny in this regard.
At the time of his death in 323 BCE, Alexander the Great had conquered a vast empire that stretched across three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. His conquests had a profound impact on the ancient world and left a lasting legacy.
One of Alexander’s worst vices may have been his relationship with alcohol. His biographers chronicled several sessions of especially heavy drinking enjoyed by the Macedonian king. During one such evening of drunken revelry, Alexander murdered a close friend – an act that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Alexander's empire map A map of Alexander the Great’s empire at its largest extent c.323 BC including details of key roads, location, and battles. Credit: Generic Mapping Tools / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 The murder of Cleitus the Black
Cleitus the Black was appointed as a commander of the Greek Cavalry by Philip II, and he held this position throughout the reign of Alexander the Great.
During the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC, Cleitus displayed remarkable valor when he intervened to defend Alexander from the simultaneous attacks of Rhosaces and Spithridates. Cleitus managed to cut off Spithridates’s arm, preventing the Persian satrap from striking Alexander and thus saving the leader’s life. Grecian Delight supports Greece
Following the trial and subsequent execution of Philotas, Cleitus earned further recognition and was subsequently promoted to co-commander of the companion cavalry, one of the most prestigious positions within the military hierarchy.
In 328 BC, Cleitus was appointed to the satrapy of Bactria by Alexander the Great. However, during a banquet held in honor of Dionysus at the satrapial palace in Maracanda (now Samarkand), a dispute erupted between Cleitus and Alexander. Inebriated from the feast, Alexander proclaimed a reorganization of commands, assigning Cleitus the task of leading defeated Greek mercenaries against steppe nomads in Central Asia. Feeling overlooked and resentful, Cleitus openly expressed his dissatisfaction, criticizing Alexander’s accomplishments and legitimacy as king, and attributing his success to his father, Phillip II. Alexander murders Cleitus Did an unhealthy relationship with alcohol consumption cause Alexander the Great to murder his friend? Credit: Weston, W H / Plutarch / Rainey, W / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
As tensions escalated, Alexander threw an apple at Cleitus and called for a dagger or spear, but others intervened to separate them. Eventually, Cleitus returned to the room to voice further grievances, and in a moment of rage, Alexander hurled a javelin through Cleitus’s heart, resulting in his death.
Cleitus’s motives for the quarrel have been debated, with some suggesting his anger may have stemmed from Alexander’s growing adoption of Persian customs, including the acceptance of practices like proskynesis that were considered degrading by many in the Macedonian army.
When Alexander became sober he was struck with grief. Having murdered his friend, he isolated himself within his tent and refused to eat or drink for three days. Alexander the Great Alexander the Great. Credit: Public domain / Wikimedia Commons Study questions whether Alexander the Great was an alcoholic
Evidently, Alexander, the Great’s drunken behavior was, to put it mildly, extreme. Nevertheless, this is not enough to ascribe the medical condition of alcoholism.
In 2003, researchers endeavored to discover whether “Alexander the Great indulged pathologically in alcohol and whether it contributed to his death.”
The researchers studied the texts of Diodorus of Sicily, Plutarch, Arrian, Curtius Rufus, Athenaeus, Aelian, and Justin. In particular, they examined references to alcohol consumption by Alexander and the officers in his army.
Ultimately, the researchers concluded that “Alexander consumed large quantities of undiluted wine periodically, reaching pathological intoxication. However, the existing data do not provide convincing evidence that Alexander the Great manifested abuse of or dependence on alcohol according to DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria, and it seems unlikely that alcohol was involved in his untimely death”
He had just marched to the Indus and back, much of that through desert. He had around five serious wounds in his combats. He was very much in the front fighting. When he was laying up at Babylon there was a fever... Babylon was swampy in those days. Speculation is when he took ill he drank for medicinal reasons and inadvertently drank himself to death.
The standards by which we judge someone to be an alcoholic are remarkably low in our puritanical finger wagging world we live in today. Everyone that drinks to excess is not an alcoholic, although many Karen’s would love to label them as such. When I was in the Marine Corps in the 90’s we certainly drank a lot and many would instantly call us alcoholics, though I can’t remember anyone in my squadron who actually was one. I travel a lot in Europe for my job and by American standards the majority of Germans, French, and Italians would be considered alcoholics, though few of them are really alcoholics.
Well, that all will do it. Still, people manage to drink themselves to death on too much water (yet another case reported just a week or two ago) - so I’ll remain a bit sceptic on the “the alcohol killed him” angle.
I was going to say that I didn’t think drinking alcohol was his worst vice.
High-functioning alcoholic.
Yes, he was. Next.
No one knows what actually killed him but the most likely cause was either typhoid fever or malaria. It’s also possible he was poisoned.
Thanks nickcarraway.
“ I speared a man in Maracanda just to watch him die….” 🎶🎵
Yes if he murdered someone in a drunken rage, that would be alcoholism to me.
No doubt many of us can thank our existence to alcohol....both in preserving life and in making ugly girls look hot - at least for the night.
When asked if he ever drank water, W.C. Fields replied, “I never touch the stuff! Fish f__k in it!”...............
Good point! Even children drank beer and wine because of water impurities.
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