What did Alexander die of?
Alexander the Great had never met an opponent in his life. He led the Macedonian-Greek allied forces to launch an expedition to the Persian Empire. In less than ten years, he conquered the vast areas of the East, thus establishing a huge empire across Europe, Asia and Africa. However, the invincible emperor died suddenly in Babylon in the summer of 323 BC. What is the real cause of his death?
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was born into a new royal family in Bola, the capital of Macedonia, and Philip II was his father. From an early age, I received a good cultural education with Aristotle, the oil painting of Alexander in the Asian Temple. 16 years old, went out with his father and learned a lot of military knowledge. When Alexander ascended the throne in 336 BC, he put down the civil strife in the court and the rebellion of the northern princes, and defeated the anti-Macedonian riots in the Greek States. In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander led the Macedonian-Greek allied forces to fight in Persia. The following year, he fought and won against the Persian army led by Darius Iii near the city of Isu in Asia Minor, and captured Darius Iii's mother and wife. In the summer of 327 BC, taking advantage of the discord among Indian countries, Alexander occupied a large area in northwest India. The local people in India rose up and his soldiers were tired of fighting for years. Coupled with the hot climate in India and the plague, Alexander finally chose to retreat. In 324 BC, Alexander's army returned to Babylon by sea and land respectively.
In the summer of 323 BC, Alexander died suddenly while he was planning a new expedition. What did Alexander die of? Historians have many different views.
The first theory is that Alexander was poisoned. Arian, an ancient Greek historian, recorded in The Expedition of Alexandria that Antipatrubu gave Alexander a medicine, and Alexander died shortly after taking it. It is said that this medicine was stored in the hoof shell of a mule, which was specially prepared by Aristotle for Antipatru, and then given to Alexander by Cassander, the son of Antipatru. Cassander's younger brother, Ioli, was Alexander's royal valet. Not long ago, Alexander wronged this follower, and he has been bitter.
The second theory is that he died of a malignant disease. Grgo Ye Fu, a scholar of the former Soviet Union, held this view in ancient Greece. In the book "The New Biography of Alexander", American scholar Goller thinks: "The malignant disease that Alexander contracted because of long-term fighting in the swamp area worsened in the night of June 13, and the treatment failed." He didn't have time to make a will, and the issue of succession to the throne was not made clear. Professor Wu Yujin, a historian in China, agrees with this view.
The third argument comes from the famous British historian Hal Joe Wells. He thought, "One day in Babylon, Alexander was drunk and suddenly had a fever. Since then, he has been ill and died soon. " There is a similar record in the Encyclopedia Britannica: "After a long period of heavy drinking, Alexander was very ill. In June 323 BC, 13 years, that is, 10 days after drinking heavily, Alexander died. "
The mystery of Alexander's mausoleum
When Alexander the Great died in Babylon, his body was preserved in the basement of Babylon Palace. The following year, in order to compete for the throne, his men launched a life-and-death struggle, and his body was not buried in time. After a year of struggle, the Alexander Empire was divided into three parts: Seleucus occupied the Asian part: Macedonia and Greece in the middle were inherited by Alexander's posthumous son, and the real power was in the hands of Antioch and Cassandra; Ptolemy occupied Egypt. It was not until after the war that people suddenly remembered that Alexander the Great was not buried. In the eyes of the world, Alexander the Great is as great as God. In order to inherit the throne properly, the new kings are scrambling to bury Alexander's body, and they also think that they can get Alexander's protection.
According to the rules of Macedonian royal family, Alexander's body was escorted by Cassander to the tomb valley in Macedonia. Unexpectedly, the funeral procession was stopped on the road and forced to change its route, but Alexander's hearse was gone.
A few months later, the mausoleum of Alexander the Great miraculously appeared in Alexandria, Egypt, and Alexander's golden coffin was placed in it. For centuries, this mausoleum has attracted countless tourists, and many celebrities have come to worship, including heroes such as Tiberius, Caesar and Octavian. It is said that before Caesar entered the mausoleum, he was told that it was dark and deep, and he could only enter it when the sun shone vertically on a sunny day, and it was only two or three hours. Once he can't exceed the time limit, he will lose his way and die in it. Caesar, who came to visit, didn't believe this legend, and wanted to go in with a torch, but as soon as he arrived at the tomb door, the torch suddenly went out for several times in a row. Caesar begged Alexander to give him a chance to meet himself in his heart. After a while, the tomb miraculously became transparent. Caesar went in alone and stayed there for two or three hours. The tomb was transparent until Caesar came out. The legend that Octavian worships Alexander is more interesting. It is said that Octavian accidentally broke Alexander's nose while kissing his body. This tomb of Alexandria in Egypt mysteriously disappeared after a visit to Tiberius. Some people say that pagans destroyed it, while others say that the sea swallowed it. However, in Alexandria, Egypt, people did not find any clues about the mausoleum of Alexander the Great.
Where is Alexander's mausoleum?
One view, the boldest guess, is that there is no tomb in Alexandria, Egypt. It was invented by historians to please the Roman emperors and tout them as successors to Alexander's career. The real Alexander's body was secretly moved to an unknown place after being intercepted.
Someone once said that when Alexander passed through Egypt in his crusade, he did a mysterious thing-he visited the God Amon. He sneaked into the temple alone and talked with Amon, but the content of the conversation is unknown. Alexander never mentioned it again. He said that he only told his mother Olympias about it. Alexander has never returned to his native land since he set foot on the land of Asia, and God has never given him any chance. Some people speculate that the dialogue with God is likely to involve the location of Alexander's mausoleum, and even does not rule out the possibility that he is buried somewhere there. A female Greek archaeologist tried to excavate Alexander's mausoleum, but she was disappointed when she arrived there. So far, no possible remains of Alexander's mausoleum have been found in Egypt.
Up to now, it is believed that the commander-in-chief of Alexander's phalanx soldiers knows all the secrets about Alexander's mausoleum. It is possible that he directed this historical mystery play. Did he leave any clues about the tomb? Some confidential documents in the library of Alexandria seem to have left clues. Unfortunately, at the turn of the last Millennium, a fire in the library of Alexandria took these confidential documents away from the world without leaving any clues. It is speculated that Ptolemy may not have built a tomb for Alexander at all, but put his body in an ordinary sarcophagus and buried it in a very remote place, or it may have been thrown into the sea! Indeed, for a man like Alexander the Great, perhaps only the vast sea is his best destination, which can set off his broad mind. However, no matter which statement is still inconclusive, scientists' exploration continues.