Religion and Alexander the Great
Abstract
Alexander the Great was religiously both a man of his time and the catalyst for change in the pattern of Greek religious life. He accepted the ubiquity of divine presence in the world and participated actively in the practice of Greek paganism, but he was also imbued with his own importance which evolved over time into a belief in his own divinity. This belief and the desire for such recognition led to the worship of Hellenistic kings as mortal gods.
Keywords
Alexander the Great, Macedonia, Ancient Religion, Omens, Gods, divinizationReferences
ABD EL-RASIQ, M. (1984): Die Darstellungen und Texte des Sanktuars Alexanders des Grossen im Tempel von Luxor, Mainz.
ANSON, E. M. (2013): Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues, London-New York.
ANSON, E. M. (2015): "Alexander at the Beas", in P. WHEATLEY - E. BAYNHAM (eds.): East and West in the World Empire of Alexander: Essays in Honour of Brian Bosworth, Oxford: 65-74.
ANSON, E. M. (2020): Philip II, the Father of Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues, London-New York. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350103979
ANSON, E. M. (2021): "Alexander the Great: A life lived as legend", in J. WALSH - E. BAYNHAM (eds.): Alexander the Great and Propaganda, London-New York: 14-32. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315114408-2
ANSON, E. M. (2023): "We Are The Champions! Terrorism, Body Counts, and the Nature of Ancient Greek Warfare", in E. M. ANSON (ed.): A Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great, Leiden-Boston: [forthcoming].
BADIAN, E. (1981): "The Deification of Alexander the Great", in H. J. DELL (ed.): Ancient Macedonian Studies in Honor of Charles F. Edson, Thessaloniki: 27-71.
BADIAN, E. (1996): "Alexander the Great Between Two Thrones and Heaven: Variations on an Old Theme", in A. SMALL (ed.): Subject and Ruler: The Cult of the Ruling Power in Classical Antiquity, Ann Arbor: 11-26.
BADIAN, E. (2000): "Conspiracies", in A. B. BOSWORTH - E. BAYNHAM (eds.): Alexander the Great in Fact and Fiction, Oxford-New York: 50-95. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152873.003.0003
BOSWORTH, A. B. (1980): A Historical Commentary on Arrian's History of Alexander. Volume I. Commentary on Books I-III, Oxford.
BOSWORTH, A. B. (1995): A Historical Commentary on Arrian's History of Alexander. Volume II. Commentary on Books IV-V, Oxford.
CARNEY, E. D. (2000): "The Initiation of Cult for Royal Macedonian Women," CPh 95: 21-43. https://doi.org/10.1086/449469
CARNEY, E. D. (2015): "Macedonians and Mutiny: Discipline and Indiscipline in the Army of Philip and Alexander", in E. D. CARNEY (ed.): King and Court in Ancient Macedonia: Rivalry, Treason and Conspiracy, Swansea: 27-59. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvvn99t.6
CHRISTENSEN, P.; MURRAY, S. C. (2010): "Macedonian Religion", in J. ROISMAN - I. WORTHINGTON (eds.): A Companion to Ancient Macedonia, Malden-Oxford: 428-445. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444327519.ch21
CURRIE, B. (2005): Pindar and the Cult of Heroes, Oxford-New York.
DERCHAIN, P. (1996): "Pharaoh dans le temple ou l'illusion sacerdotale", in M. BROZE - P. J. DEHON - P. TALON - E. WARMENHOL (eds.): Les moyens d'expression du pouvoir dans les societies anciennes, Leuven: 91-99.
DEVEREUX, G. (1976): Dreams in Greek Tragedy: An Ethno-Psycho-Analytical Study, Berkeley.
EDMUNDS, L. (1971): "The Religiosity of Alexander", GRBS 12: 363-391.
FREDRICKSMEYER, E. A. (2000): "Alexander the Great and the Kingship of Asia", in A. B. BOSWORTH - E. BAYNHAM (eds.): Alexander the Great in Fact and Fiction, Oxford-New York: 136-166. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152873.003.0005
FREDRICKSMEYER, E. A. (2003): "Alexander's Religion and Divinity," in J. ROISMAN (ed.): Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great, Leiden: 253-278. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004217553_011
FULIŃSKA, A. (2014): "Dionysos, Orpheus and Argead Macedonia: Overview and Perspectives", Classica Cracoviensia 17: 43-67. https://doi.org/10.12797/CC.17.2014.17.03
FURLEY, W.; GYSEMBERGH, V. (2015): Reading the liver: papyrological texts on ancient Greek extispicy, Tübingen. https://doi.org/10.1628/978-3-16-153891-9
GREEN, P. (1990): Alexander to Actiium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age, Berkeley.
GREENWALT, W. (1982): "A Macedonian Mantis", AncW 5:17-25.
GREENWALT, W. (1994): "A Solar Dionysus and Argead Legitimacy", AncW 25: 3-8.
HABICHT, C. (2017): Divine Honors for Mortal Men in Greek Cities: The Early Cases, Ann Arbor.
HAMILTON, J. R. (1969): Plutarch Alexander. A Commentary, Oxford.
HAMILTON, J. R. (1973): Alexander the Great, Pittsburgh
HAMMOND, N. G. L.; GRIFFITH, G.T. (1979): A History of Macedonia. Vol. 2, Oxford.
HECKEL, W. (2004): "Alexander and the 'Limits of the Civilised World'", in W. HECKEL - L. A. TRITLE (eds.): Crossroads of History: The Age of Alexander, Claremont: 147-174.
HECKEL, W. (2006): Who's Who in the Age of Alexander the Great, Malden-Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470757604
HOWE T.; MÜLLER, S. (2012): "Mission Accomplished: Alexander at the Hyphasis", AHB 26: 21-38.
HUGHES, J. D. (2000): "Dream interpretation in ancient civilizations", Dreaming 10: 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009447606158
JAMESON, M. H. (1991): "Battle-Line Sacrifice", in V. D. HANSON (ed.): Hoplites: The Classical Greek Battle Experience, London-New York: 204-227.
JOHNSTON, S. I. (1999): Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece. Berkeley-London.
KARATAS, A. M. S. (2020): "Greek Cults and Their Sacred laws on Dress-code: The Laws of Greek Sanctuaries for Hairstyles, Jewelry, Make-up, Belts, and Shoes", CW 113: 147-170. https://doi.org/10.1353/clw.2020.0001
KEARNS, E. (1989): The Heroes of Attica, London.
KING, C. J. (2004): Alexander and Divination: Dreams, Omens, and Aristander of Telmessus in the Alexander Historians, [Diss.] Brown University.
LACEY, J. (2023): "Food and Conquest: Getting Beyond Engels", in E. M. ANSON (eds.): The Campaigns of Philip and Alexander the Great, [forthcoming].
LANGDON, M. K. (2000): "Mountains in Greek Religion" CW 93: 461-470. https://doi.org/10.2307/4352439
LANNI, A. (2008): "The Laws of War in Ancient Greece", Law and History Review 26: 469-489. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0738248000002534
LEPSIUS, C. F. (1972): Denkmaeler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien nach den Zeichnungen der von Seiner Majestät dem Koenige von Preussen, Friedrich Wilhelm IV., nach diesen Ländern gesendeten, und in den Jahren 1842-1845 ausgeführten wissenschaftlichen Expedition auf Befehl Seiner Majestät , Vol. 3, Geneva.
MIKALSON, J. D. (1998): Religion in Hellenistic Athens, Berkeley. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520919679
NICE, A. (2005): "The Reputation of the 'Mantis' Aristander", AClass 48: 87-102.
PRITCHETT, W. K. (1971): The Greek State at War: Part I, Berkeley-London.
PRITCHETT, W. K. (1979): The Greek State at War: Part III, Berkeley-London.
SPANN, P. O. (1999): "Alexander at the Beas: Fox in a Lion's Skin", in F. B. TITCHENER - R. F. MOORTON (eds.): The Eye Expanded: Life and the Arts in Greco-Roman Antiquity, Berkeley-London.: 62-74. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520919709-009
SHELDON, R. M. (2005): Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome: Trust in the Gods, but Verify, London-New York.
SQUILLACE, G. (2010): "Consensus Strategies under Philip and Alexander: The Revenge Theme", in E. CARNEY - D. OGDEN (eds.): Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son, Lives and Afterlives, Oxford-New York: 69-80, 260-264.
VON BECKERATH, J. (1984): Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen, Munich-Berlin.
Published
Downloads
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.