Majid Matta

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mmat0283@uni.sydney.edu.au

ANHS2609

Alexander: In search for Divinity

The world of Alexander the Great was profoundly shaped by a religious landscape which manifested itself in all aspects
of daily life. As such, it was inevitable that the society developed the utmost respect for their divinities both in a
mental and physical sense. Alexander, having influenced the larger part of the East and West in his campaigns
exercised an extravagant legacy which would predispose his image to be likened to that of a god. However, Alexander
indeed saw himself as a divinity during his career and this religious image had been a result of his supposed family
heritage, his propagandistic methods, the right to thrones and can be attributed to the successfulness of his
campaigns. Ultimately, Alexanders search for divinity was a necessary means to secure his legacy as the conqueror of
the Persian Empire.
Said to have belonged to a celestial heritage and long line of mythical ancestors, it comes as no surprise that Alexander
had a firm belief that he was divine in nature. Plutarch (94AD) suggests that Alexander had descended from the hero
Herakles by Carnaus on his fathers side and from Aeacus by Neopolemus on the mothers side (2.1-2). Given that
myth was ingrained with a sense of realism in the ancient society, such a lineage was accepted as fact. Unsurprisingly,
Green (1991) claims that rulers often used such ancestry to validate their power and policies (p.49). It is integral to
assess the impact such descendants had on Alexanders life in the scope of his military campaign, where these mythic
characters provided strong models of emulation and a firm foundation for his enterprise against the Persian Empire
(Levia, 2013, p.7). Such successes prompted the society to envision Alexander as Herakles, with the Tetradrachms of
Alexander (325BC-323BC) acting as evidence that supports this notion. These coins were both international and
imperial in nature that depicted Alexander as a ruler with the figure of a young, clean shaven Herakles wearing the
lion skin headdress. Furthermore, Plutarch (94AD) brings to the fore the question of Alexanders demigod nature
through mythical and fantastical stories where the night before the consummation of their marriage, she [Olympias]
dreamed that a thunderbolt fell upon her body (2.4-5). According to Heckle & Yardley (2004) such a story and
revelation of Zeus being the true father of Alexander arose after his visit to Siwah where the oracle of Amun at the
oasis was located (p.217). As a result, Alexander used this alleged heritage to his advantage and rejected Philip II as
his father which secured his inevitable deification as both God and Hellenistic King. Moreover, Alexanders parents
themselves significantly shaped his religious knowledge and his ambition to be seen as a god. Olympias was
responsible for selecting tutors such as Lysimachus who had the utmost respect for the gods and heroes. His close
relationship to his tutors predisposed Alexander to see them as role models and even promoted his divine nature by
called and likened to Achilles (Heckle & Yardley, 2004, p.35). Alexander also emulated his fathers nature in the
religious sphere where he adopted his tendency for large festivals and regular sacrifices to the gods as well as his
actions to pray to them after main battles or military enterprises (Levia, 2013, p.10). Excavations at Erseos reveal an
altar devoted to Zeus Philippios which was said to have been a place where Philip was honoured with sacrifices and
prayer to praise his notion of a sacred war. Whilst little historical evidence suggests that Philip was seen as a god,
such alleged self-proclamation could have influenced Alexander to be seen as a god. Thus, it is clear that Alexanders
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belonging to and descending from a mythical and religious line of great heroes and gods certainly enriched his divine
image and this was further influenced by both Olympias and Philips involvement in his early life and career.
Alexanders eventual success as the conqueror of the Persian Empire and founder of the Hellenistic world can be seen
as a direct influence of his propagandist nature that promoted him as being a divine figure destined for greatness.
During his military campaigns, it comes as no surprise that Alexander became engrossed in glorifying himself as a divine
figure by performing honourable actions that could be likened to, or even surpassed the accomplishments of legendary
heroes, leaders and gods (Briant, 2012, p.113). Examples that support this concept include his travels to Troy which
rivalled Achilles journey, his religious expedition to Siwah to stress his relations to Herakles and similarities to Perseus
and additionally his victory at Gedrosia which was seen as significant achievement that rectified the failures of both
Cyrus and Semiramis (Arrian, 123AD, 3.3). These celestial acts served as reminder to his troops and potential enemies
of his good will, character and reinforced the idea that his actions outshined what true heroes and gods of the ancient
world were capable of. Individuals had no choice but to be predisposed by this idea and therefore manifest admiration
and fear respectively. Furthermore, utilised religion and his divine image to inspire loyalty among his followers and
the people he conquered (Killerich, B. p.88). Perhaps the best instance of Alexanders use of his divine nature as
political propaganda was his deification as Zeus-Ammon in Siwah. Many historians, such as Hammond (1980) suggest
such a myth contextually benefited Alexander in his attempt to legitimise his conquering of Egypt and appeal to their
sensibilities as it was known that their lineage of Pharaohs claimed to be the sons of Amun (pp.35-36). This idea was
encouraged by wearing the crown of two rams horns- the sacred headdress of Amun- which ensured his divine image
being communicated to the Egyptian population. Alexander further used this religious image to adapt to and unify the
Macedonian and Egyptian cultures. The eastern Barque Shrine located at Luxor Temple exemplifies this, where
Alexander is depicted confronting and introducing himself to Amun-Re with an accompanying inscription detailing his
spiritual name in Egyptian hieroglyphs (Bosch-Puche, 2014, p. 59-60). Interestingly, whilst this image was accepted
with devotion by majority of the masses, there were small groups of society who condemned the ideal and mocked it
without hesitation. Aedllian (c.215AD) claims that when Alexander thought he was god, Anaxarchus.laughed at him
(9.37); with Damis exclaiming in a tone of mockery: let us agree that Alexander be called a god, if thats what he wants
(Pluatrch, 93AD, 219e). Modern scholarship supports this, with most historians disregarding these tales as unhistorical
in nature. Regardless, such radical use of the religious sphere secured his right to the throne and certainly made for
effective political theatre against any rivals or oppositions. Regardless, with contempt for the human condition he
aspired to that of the gods; and he was not shamed to conceal the fact that he was the son of a man, the citizen of a
state and a human being (Maximus, 9.5). Therefore, Alexander envisioned himself as a divine figure as a means of
political and cultural propaganda to heighten his reputation with the conquered masses, instil fear in his enemies who
could never rival the nature of a god and secure his right to the most notable Egyptian throne.
Alexanders determined belief that he was indeed a god could be argued to be a direct result of his unprecedented
success in his military endeavours and conquests. From his structured and rigorous upbringing, it was in no doubt that
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Alexander was destined for greatness. The mere fact that Alexander was able to quell all the rebellions that occurred
in the areas conquered by his father, make innovative changes to his fathers Phalanx and military organisation to
achieve decisive victories in all battles, being successful in his twelve year campaign through Asia, Arabia and Africa
and ultimately creating the most extravagant and leading empire known to the ancient world highlighted the notion
that he was a god incarnate (Errington, 2008). This concept is supported by the Roman writer Aelian (c.3AD) who
explains that:
When Alexander had defeated Darius and taken over the Persian Empire, he was very proud of his
achievement. Feeling himself raised to the level of divinity by the good fortune which had now overtaken him,
he sent an instruction to the Greeks to vote him divine honours. (2.19)
To best attribute his success and liken it to divine qualities, Alexander implemented the Persian ceremonial salutation
known as proskynesis into the Hellenistic court. Worthington (2004) argues that pryokynesis was a logical vehicle for
all of his subjects to recognise his divine status and a social protocol that manifested deep respect to the King (p.280).
Given that Leiva (2013) maintains that such a ritual was only to be performed only before the gods and doing so before
a mortal would have been seen as both impious and undignifying, Alexander must have viewed his successful
campaigns as achievable only by the gods (p.27). Similarly, Alexander ordered his own deification and establishment
of the ruler-cult which emerged as a means to signify his achievements which required clear recognition. Fishwick
(1987) likens such principal devotion to that of the ancient Egyptians and their concept of pharaonic worship which
ultimately established and secured a posthumous cult for Alexander (p.96). With such a cult being proven to be
established only for Gods, the link and relationship between Alexanders triumphs and devotion is blurred in nature.
The cult did achieve the desired outcome that Alexander intended as his legacy was worshipped and honoured for the
generations to come and interestingly allowed for the establishments of other cults to celebrate the accomplishment
of the other Hellenistic kings to follow (Fredricksmeyer, 1981). Hence. Alexander had a firm belief that his
achievements warranted the Hellenistic world to view him as a divine figure who deserved to be worshipped and
respected throughout many generations of rulers and civilisations postdating his death.
It is therefore clear through an in-depth study of the religious landscape and attitudes that it manifested that
Alexander lived in a society that stressed the importance and correlation between achievement and divinity. To be a
god required an individual to have a divine heritage and an immaculate knowledge of religious endeavours- qualities
which Alexander certainly manifested throughout his life and career. Furthermore, Alexander sought celestial nature
as means to promote his career through the use of political propaganda that spread and signified his legacy and story
to both his followers and enemies. Moreover, the accomplishments that Alexander achieved throughout his lifetime
were unprecedented and excelled even heroic stories of mythical legends and gods which suggested to both himself
and the Hellenistic society that he was indeed a god who should be worshipped and honoured at the height of his
career and through legacy. Ultimately, Alexanders pursuit of spirituality was indeed an essential method to secure his
legacy as the conqueror of the Persian Empire and founder of the Hellenistic world.
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References
Bosch-Puche, F. (2014) Alexander the Greats Egyptian Names in the Barque Shrine at Luxor Temple, Harrassowitz
Verlag and Wiesbaden, Germany.
Briant, P. (2012). Alexander the Great and His Empire. New Jersey: Princeton University Press
Errington, M. (2008). The History of the Hellenistic World: 323-30BC. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Fishwick, D. (1987). The Imperial Cult in the Latin West- studies in the Ruler cult of the western provinces in the
Roman Empire. Netherlands: BRILL Publishing.
Fredricksmeyer, E. (1981). On the background of the ruler cult, in H. J. Dell (ed.), Macedonian Studies in the Honor
of Charles, F. Edson. Michigan: University of Michigan.
Hammond, N. (1980). Alexander the Great, King, Commander and Statesman. London: Chatto & Windus.
Heckel, W. & Yardley, J. (2044). Alexander the Great: Historical sources in translation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Killerich B. (1993) The Public Image of Alexander the Great, in J. Carlsen et al. (eds) Alexander the Great, Reality
and Myth Rome, pp. 85-92
Leiva, M. (2013). The Divinity of Alexander the Great, Masters dissertation in Classical Antiquity. London: University
of Nottingham.
Worthington, I. (2004). Alexander the Great, Man and God. London: Pearson.

Extension granted by Dr. Christopher Malone. Due date: 17/05/16

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Majid Matta

440181060

mmat0283@uni.sydney.edu.au