Macedonian Empire Under Alexander the Great © Clipart.com
On this day in ancient history - June 11:
June 11 is the anniversary of the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.. Alexander died in the afternoon, in the palace at Babylon, leaving the fate of his kingdom in the hands of his Macedonian generals.
What killed Alexander is still open to debate. An article claiming Alexander the Great could have died of West Nile Virus looks at the type of evidence most historians would overlook, including the fact that there is a swamp near where Alexander died that could have been the breeding grounds for insect-borne diseases. In The Death of Alexander the Great, Paul Doherty looks very carefully at the historical evidence and then concludes that Alexander died from arsenic poisoning.
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Comments
Don’t we just looooove conspiracies? I prefer the conclusion of Andrew Michael Chugg of “The Quest for the Tomb of Alexander the Great” http://www.alexanderstomb.com/main/index.html who states that Alexander probably died from falciparum malaria. Mr. Doherty comes across as a man wanting to sell books rather than as a serious researcher.
I would just love to quote all of the eyewitness primary sources directly, but am having getting these on the web.Any suggestions?
Most of them you may have to buy or check out of a library. Here’s a list of sources: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/alexandersources/p/alexandersource.htm Even though they wrote after him, they had access to better material than we have. Jona Lendering explains in the good sources on Alexander.
One would expect an author with the last name of “Chugg” to lean toward the “drank himself to death” theory.
It is worth reading Zecharia Sitchin (his latest “There Were Giant’s Upon The Earth”, although Alexander the Macedonian is mentioned several times in his other books) who traces Alexander to Babylon to meet the god Marduk and receive his blessing and to determine if Alexander (believing himself a demigod) could achieve immortality (along the line of the purpose of the quest of Gilgamesh). I won’t give away the story, but upon his return from Egypt to Babylon (to rebuild the zigguarat (sp) of Marduk), Alexander was warned by Babylonian priests of bad omens should he re-enter the city. He heeded these warnings and instead sent in his representatives to oversee the reconstruction. . . only to die shortly after outside the city walls. . . would that we stood there now, to see these mysteries for ourselves. Fortunately, we are graced with Ms. Gill. . . and through her, new, ancient mysteries abound. Volcan
Between the constant travel,fighting,and trying to control his army,Alexander had to be a run down man trying to keep on top of his game.I would guess a contracted disease invaded his body,took hold,and zapped his strength.With poor medical attention his body failed.I am a history lover and in no way an expert like some of the people here.Anyway it is nice to express my opinion. N.
D0 not over look the obvious.
AIDS
I can’t get over that he was only 33.