Posted on 05/07/2023 9:57:12 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A new version of how the face of the legendary Greek king and army leader Alexander the Great might have been in real life is presented by Royalty Now Studios on YouTube.
Researchers have often employed modern technology and historical records to try and answer the question what Alexander’s true face might have looked like, also based on numerous surviving busts of the great Greek leader who was born in 356 b.C. and died in 323 b.C..
In his short but fascinating life, Alexander created a vast empire that stretched from Greece to northwestern India and established him in the collective memory as “Great”.
Historians’ descriptions of Alexander’s face A fresco depicting a hunt scene at the tomb of Philip II, Alexander’s father, at the archaeological site of Aegae, is the only known surviving depiction of Alexander made during his lifetime, in the 330s b.C..
Also, contemporary coins and the famous Alexander Mosaic –a 1st century b.C. work unearthed in Pompeii- portray him with “a straight nose, a slightly protruding jaw, full lips and eyes deep set beneath a strongly pronounced forehead,” as Krzysztof Nawotka describes in his 2010 study, Alexander the Great, by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Grecian Delight supports Greece Detail of fresco depicting Alexander the Great. Fresco depicting a young Alexander in a hunt scene at the tomb of Philip II, at the archaeological site of Aegae. Credit: See page for author / CC BY SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Although most of Alexander’s statues attribute the same facial features to the young king of Macedon, historians have been inconclusive about the color of his hair, as referrences from ancient historians are conflicting.
The ancient historian Aelian (c. 175 – c. 235 AD), in his Varia Historia, describes Alexander’s hair color as blond “ξανθὴν“, that could also mean yellowish, reddish or brownish.
Taking all other features into account, Royal Now Studios attempt not only an animated new facial reconstruction of Alexander the Great, but also a modern interpretation of what he might have looked like in contemporary clothing and aesthetic.
Mystery around the tomb of Alexander the Great Questions about the appearence of Alexander the Great could be probably answered more easily by modern anthropological study methods had his tomb and remains been discovered.
But, to this day, the location of the tomb of Alexander continues to be surrounded by mystery and the discovery of his final place of rest is considered one of archaeology’s Holy Grails.
As the possession of his body was seen as a symbol of legitimacy by his successors, his funeral cortege, on its way from Babylon to Macedon, was seized by Ptolemy and taken to Memphis, Egypt.
From there, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, transferred the sarcophagus to Alexandria, where it remained until at least late Antiquity, sources suggest.
According to legend, Ptolemy IX Lathyros, one of Ptolemy’s final successors, replaced Alexander’s sarcophagus with a glass one so he could convert the original to coinage.
The recent discovery of the majestic Amphipolis tomb in northern Greece, dating from the time of Alexander the Great, gave rise to speculation that its original intent was to be the burial place of Alexander, but the theory was soon abandoned.
A most disruptive theory is suggested by Greek-French academic Byzantinologist Helene Glykatzi-Ahrweiler, named herself amongst the 100 greatest Greeks of all time by the 2008 show Great Greeks.
In her 2018 book published by Gutenberg, the famous scholar suggests that the tomb in Aegae in is, in fact, Alexander’s, and not his father’s – which would explain why the young king was depicted in the famous fresco inside that tomb.
He was bi.
Did they really have to depict him with the wino-beard-stubble look? The clothing looks a bit anachronistic too. I can’t see if he’s holding a cell phone, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Well, he did have an extremely close relationship with one of his generals...
I knew someone like that once. Liked the Bruins AND the Yankees.
Alexander was bi-had a wife and at least one legitimate son, and a kid/kids from mistresses...
Nope, can’t say I’m related, I’m much better looking! LOL
John Belushi lived longer than Alexander (by a few months).
If Alexander had gone to the trouble of marrying and producing a son before he started his conquests, the empire he created might have held together after his death (if he had left behind a son who was a few years away from being an adult).
I was thinking that too- how can they do a facial reconstruction without a skull to work off of?
He married at around 25-30, normal for that time because any royal father with an eligible daughter wanted to see some battles and conquests from a potential SIL before entering into an alliance-just good business...
History says Alexander’s whole family was a pack of royal jackals who fought and murdered everyone and each other to get/keep the throne-his mother was so bad that she was actually executed for treason/murder. His legitimate son-by his wife Roxana-was born about 2-3 months after Alexander’s death. Roxana was from around what is now Afghanistan. After being guarded for years, the kid was murdered-along with his mom-at 14-he was about to inherit the throne-by a relative who really wanted it for himself-it is a wonder the kid lived that long. Alexander’s murdering Ptolemy relatives brought all that Greek culture to Egypt, too...
Alexander didn’t need to marry a royal daughter. He could have married someone from a leading Macedonian family. Philip and Alexander were obviously very talented individuals but left a lot to be desired as human beings—very bloodthirsty when it served their interests. The Greeks were not taken in by the propaganda of a war of revenge because of Xerxes’ invasion (Macedonia had been on Persia’s side in 480). The Athenians generally had a poor opinion of Alexander.
Alexander died too young. Even if he had a heir at the age of 18, the heir wouldn't make it that long anyway.
Alexander looked like Nicholas Cage...............
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