What Do We Know About Alexander The Great?

[@heatherrobertson6110]

I assume that the question "Why did Alexander cry?" is meant to elicit the answer "He wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer" which is a sort of modern paraphrase of Plutarch.

[@nicholashagy9493]

Plutarch who was more about writing a dramatic story rather than strictly sticking to the facts. Like Arrian. I take less of a grain of salt from Arrians work than I do with Plutarch. If you want to know something about Alexander and you're concerned about facts Arrian should be your starting point.

[@heatherrobertson6110]

@@nicholashagy9493 Not to mention that Plutarch was writing about 400 years after Alexander's death, so yes you are absolutely right, it's definitely reasonable to assume that there is poetic licence going on here. The quote is pretty well known, though, so is almost certainly the source of the Google question.

[@ancientstristan]

Ah yes that's a great point! Admittedly my mind just immediately went to Cleitus the Black and Hephaestion's death! Thanks for pointing this out.

[@nicholashagy9493]

@@ancientstristan Ah yes, Arrian very rarely made any sort of direct quote attributed to anyone in his work because again if he couldnt prove it with facts he left them out. The argument with Cleitus that you are referring to. With Arrian he describes the tense scene he talks about them getting into a terrible argument but he doesnt quote much of it. In fact the only quote im aware he makes is attributed to essentially Cleitus' last words which is what drove Alexander even into more of a rage causing his poor drunken reaction.

[@lunatickoala]

The modern quote which most people know from Die Hard (though it does predate the movie) isn't a paraphrasing of Plutarch, but pretty much the exact opposite of what Plutarch actually wrote, in which Alexander says "Have I not good cause to weep, that being as there are an infinite number of worlds, I am not yet the lord of one?". As others have mentioned, Plutarch wrote that centuries later and was more concerned with dramatization and moralizing than in recounting history.

[@ilirlluka6789]

The person who asked "Was Alexander the Great a Christian?" appears to have a worrying lack of basic historical timelines awareness.

[@RozKounelakion]

Who cares

[@tomurg]

If you think that’s bad I got an even worse story for you: here in the Netherlands a reporter once asked members of the public which were mostly young people when the Second World War began. One of them said “1839”, the reporter “no a century later” and the guy replied “1792”. After being corrected he even said “yeah that’s a century later isn’t it?” 😑😑😑

[@gelisgeo1309]

I think Because he mentioned in Christian religion...

[@r3ddim832]

Thank you for clarifying that he was Greek, people cannot understand history without its context ! cheers

[@Hydro0223]

I kept telling people saying he’s not Greek is like saying Columbus wasn’t Italian. Yes the countries didn’t exist when they were born but if you count it by the modern day geography Alexander is Greek and Columbus is Italian. It’s just people trying to sound smart by being technical.

[@r3ddim832]

@@Hydro0223 exactly, dna tests exist, and there are certain phenotypes that define race and the world we live in. just because for example Turkish propaganda says something doesnt mean its right, Maybe countries and borders were different back then but they still live on to this day

[@Candlemancer]

​@@Hydro0223Not just that but the idea of a cultural Greek (or Italian, or German) identity is much older than a unified nation state that occupies those territories. Like European being something many people identify as regardless of there not being a unified nation of Europe.

[@seeyouinthecircle]

100% Albanian CONFIRMED!! to say Alexander the GREEK is to say Alexander the GEHY. Yes: he cry 🥲- but babys too will cry, is every babys gey??? NO💀 Greekes can NO explain this, because they hold men's hands in romance!!! Is chinees boy speak british in USA meaning he is NO CHINEES?? 👀🇦🇱 🤯Takes L Shqipëria FITON! 💪🏾🎸🇦🇱🦅🦅 greak: L cerne gora: L Albanaia: W!!! 🎸💪🏾🏆🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱 (Sends from my iPhones)

[@seeyouinthecircle]

100% Albanian CONFIRMED! 🇦🇱💪🏾🎸 When chinese man speaks British in USA, it meaning he is NOT CHINEES? 👀🤯Taking the L, GREEKS! to say Alexander the GREEK is to say Alexander The 🕺. Yes: he cry at funeral 😓 - but babys too will cry, is every babys this way also? NO 💀 Albanian DNA, Greekes can NO explain this, because they hold hands in romance! greaks: L cerne gora: L Albanaia: W! 🦅🦅🇦🇱 Shqipëria FITON! 🇦🇱🎸💪🏾 (Sends from my iPhones)

[@AceMoonshot]

Just my worthless opinion but I think the, "Why did Alexander the Great cry?" question is in reference to the story that "Alexander wept, seeing as he had no more worlds to conquer."

[@thoso1973]

A line immortalized by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in DIE HARD. :)

[@jackson857]

Agreed.

[@joãoAlberto-k9x]

The great gay.

[@roastedpepper]

But the answer to that is in the quote

[@AceMoonshot]

@@roastedpepper But it is how people search for things. If I want to know the story behind the quote, I don't search the whole quote. Shrug.

[@tommysalty5864]

I really enjoy the Ancients! Tristan has such a nice energy and I love his voice. The guests are always wonderful people with inspiring stories. Thanks for all the good things you bring us :)

[@blake7587]

Sadly many of the “experts” they use are not experts at all.

[@DreamSneak]

​@@blake7587 that's a shame to hear, who for example have they used that is not a real expert?

[@blake7587]

@@DreamSneak Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, and then a super Woke Viking lady who tried to interpret 11th century Viking history through he lens of a post-2018 ultramodern Feminist. Basically it’s the same situation we saw with doctors during Covid where their own political ideology is put in front of actual evidence and data.

[@krapfantasy]

@@blake7587 that's a blemish on the world of academia more broadly, within the historical fields etc, rather than a blemish on the podcast which is excellent. I will concede however, maybe they could vet some experts, but the few episodes I have listened to have been great though.

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

One of the most thrilling historical novels that follows the life of Alexander the Great during his legendary campaign, is “The Virtues of War” by Steven Pressfield. Truly epic.

[@rafaellagaribaldi9391]

What is known about the ancient Macedonians? 1) They spoke a Greek dialect 2) They had Greek personal names 3) They had Greek Royal names 4) They had Greek place names (e.g Pella, Aegae, Thessaloniki, Amphipolis etc 5) They worshipped Greek gods 6) they proudly proclaimed that they were Greeks 7)They had Greek names for the months of the year 8) They participated in the Olympic games where only Greeks were allowed to participate 9) The cultural milieu of the Macedonians was Greek 10) The coins they minted in their millions was Greek 11) The Temples they built were Greek 12) The legacy they left from Egypt to India was Greek.

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

M A C E D O N I A N S ARE WITH MACEDONIAN NAMES ! ! !

[@nezperce2767]

​​@@tatjanavelkova5814you ve got just one issue. YOU CANNOT READ ANYTHING THAT THE MACS DID OR SAID ABOUT. CAYSE YOU ARE A SLAV

[@anthosm]

​@@tatjanavelkova5814 state the etymology of the word Alexander Αλέξανδρος. I will wait for your reply that will never come.

[@ChargeCity]

It's refreshing to just hear someone say Macedonia is Greek

[@cherryblack420]

It's not, not exactly.

[@allstarlord9110]

@@cherryblack420It’s Slavic🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰

[@kosmasgvl1615]

😂😂😂😂​@@cherryblack420

[@Farron6]

I agree, it’s sad a country has to try and steal another’s history and legacy

[@allstarlord9110]

@@Farron6 Yeah Greece is awful for doing this

[@vangelisskia214]

"It should be noted that there is NO CONNECTION between the ancient Macedonians of the time of Alexander the Great who were related to other Greek [Hellenic] tribes, and the modern so called "Macedonians" of today [of the Former Yugoslav Rep..of north Macedonia]who are of Slavic origin and related to the Bulgarians" [David H Levinson, Anthropologist, Encyclopaedia of World Cultures, p. 239]

[@owenb8636]

Greeks will bring that up if you ask about the weather

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

​@@owenb8636Lol.

[@Jahanoudis]

​@@owenb8636 when you have people distorting your history you have to

[@Leo-ok3uj]

@@owenb8636 As they very much should, North “Macedonia” should change that name for one that represents them better Like Bulgarian

[@KasumiRINA]

We don't learn about Alexander "the Great" in Ukraine, as there were too many Alexanders in history, we DO know Alexander the Macedonian, the ruler of Macedon, son of Macedonian king Philip. He did fight AGAINST Greece and defeated Greek rulers, same way he defeated Persians. Later crowned himself a Pharaoh but Egyptians don't need to invent history to claim him as one of their own... It's getting REALLY stretching for Greeks to claim Greece existed as some sort of a unified state in 4th century BC... because it kind of didn't. Kingdom of Macedon though, was a thing. That's a historical fact. And no amount of screeching will make Alexander the Macedonian into Athenian or Corinthian. Also arguments like "he spoke Greek" would need you to prove how USA or belongs to England by that logic. You can argue about modern former Yugoslav Macedonia or former Ottoman Greece all you want, that has nothing to do with it, and doesn't change the fact that Alexander was the ruler of ancient kingdom of Macedon, later Empire. He absolutely was Macedonian, and screaming that Alexander was Greek AND trying to ban Macedonia from using that name at the same time is some ultra-nationalistic schizophrenia: make up your mind, if he was Greek and not Macedonian, then why fight over Macedon name at all?

[@OrriTheFox]

Iron Maiden playing this song on the latest tour was INCREDIBLE. Up the irons!

[@TheIsemgrim]

it was, i went to see them twice on this tour and both times was amazing:)

[@fuji5534]

That song is what got me into metal when I was around 12 looking for docs about Alexander and came across that song

[@Styphon]

​@@fuji5534I'm only half way through the video. I hope the question "How historically accurate is Iron Maiden's song?" is asked and answered. If it isn't, well Host? 🤔

[@Styphon]

I've never seen them perform it live. Not even when they toured for the original album! But I love the Eddie artwork that was recently used.

[@chrishill7797]

How awesome was it? I saw them in Manchester on that tour

[@mom2asher]

I had assumed he’s called “the Great” because he conquered Persia, and was portrayed therefore as a sort of successor to Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great. Basically, putting him on a level with the Persian Great Kings to legitimize his rule. (Mind you, I’m no expert on Alexander or the Persian Empire LOL I’m just reading Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and extrapolating a bit 🤷🏻‍♀️)

[@aniket385]

Yes u are correct….. later European monarchs began to call themselves with the Fake the Great title …. His full regal is what was of Cyrus the great king of four corners King of fars Babylon blah blah blah

[@claylawton7694]

Part of why Alexander is so great is because he was curious about the mysterious beyond, always knowing there's a secret in the desert, a hidden thing over here in the forest. Everywhere he conquered, he explored and enjoyed as a king, enjoyed their culture, accepted titles. The dudes awesome and knew how to have a good time

[@iordanistzivas4902]

Greetings from ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ, ΕΛΛΑΣ. Thank you for the video. Short and very informative 👍

[@johnirby8847]

Alexander demonstrates the power of belief. A self-fulfilling prophecy of a man who believes he is the son of a god, invincible, destined for victory. A man like that will move mountains to get what he believes is his and will never stop. That's what was so great and frightening about him.

[@CesarJoel94]

It's always good to see Tristan ❤️🥰😍

[@K8E666]

Love Tristan and The Ancients

[@williamromine5715]

Alexander the Great died some 300 years before Jesus was born. Of course he couldn't have been Christian. Who could have asked such a question?

[@lllllliiillllll]

Probably an indoctrinated religious zealot

[@cailanmurray4430]

Sure the name Christianity came after Christ but Jesus was Jewish and did the practicing of Judaism

[@KasumiRINA]

@@cailanmurray4430 Christianity being an offshoot of Judaism isn't really a secret, nobody denied that. It became separate religion at some point.

[@Candlemancer]

​@@cailanmurray4430 Ok but you can't be Christian if you live before Jesus was born. A Christian is by definition a *follower* of Jesus.

[@tomz5704]

​@@KasumiRINAoh quite some Christians deny this

[@Hydro0223]

Saying Alexander isn’t Greek is like saying Christopher Columbus isn’t Italian, yes the countries as we know it didn’t exist but they were born in the land that would eventually be part of those countries. The city Alexander and his father were born are parts of northern Greece

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

Well said mate 👏👏

[@Ken_Scaletta]

The thing about Alexander's body not suffering any decay fits standard Hellenistic tropes about famous people or royalty not decomposing after death. It shows divinity or sanctity. You see the same trope being used later for Christian saints.

[@williamrobinson7435]

This works well, this format. Nice one Tristan and team. 🌟👍

[@Charge11]

It’s not the republic of Macedonia. It’s the republic of northern Macedonia. Which is not ethnically connected to ancient Macedonia.

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

Correct. Nothing to do with the real thing.

[@adsctt1]

Love this! Very interesting history and a great presenter!

[@vangelisskia214]

"We must also remember that Philip and Alexander were Greeks, descended from Heracles, they wished to be recognized by Greeks as benefactors of the Greeks, even as Heracles had been" N G L Hammond (1989), 'Alexander the Great' p. 257 "As members of the Greek race and speakers of the Greek language, the Macedonians shared the ability to initiate ideas and create political forms" N G L Hammond (1992), 'The Miracle that was Macedonia', p. 206

[@KasumiRINA]

Greek RACE? Why then don't we claim people in Quebec and Belgium are also French now, same logic here. People REALLY go out of their way to pretend Macedonia wasn't a separate country.

[@olorin3815]

@@KasumiRINAmacedonia was a separate country.. as were other greek city states and kingdoms , which doesnt make them not greek. Its possible that mecedonians had more mixed heritage as they lived on border areas but at end of the day they were greek, spoke greek and wanted to be refered to as such

[@vangelisskia214]

@@KasumiRINA ".. do not forget Greece, Alexander ..It was for her sake that you launched your whole expedition, to add Asia to Greece .." Arrian [Anabasis of Alexander 4.11.7] «.. τῆς Ἑλλάδος μεμνῆσθαί σε ἀξιῶ, ὦ Αλέξανδρε ἧς ἕνεκα ὁ πᾶς στόλος σοι ἐγένετο, προσθεῖναι τὴν Ἀσίαν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ..» Ἀρριανός [Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἀνάβασις 4.11.7]

[@vangelisskia214]

@@KasumiRINA ALEXANDER’s speech before the battle of Issus: "...We Macedonians are to fight Medes and Persians, nations long steeped in luxury, while we have long been hardened by warlike toils and dangers; and above it will be a fight among free men and slaves. And so far as GREEK will meet GREEK, WE shall not be fighting for like causes; those mercenaries with Dareius will risk their lives for pay, and poor pay too; WE on the contrary shall fight for GREECE and our hearts will be in it. As for our FOREIGN troops - Thracians, Paeonians, Illyrians, Agrianes - they are the best and stoutest soldiers in Europe, and they will find as their opponents the slackest and softest of the tribes of Asia. And what, finally, of the two men in supreme command? You have Alexander, they - Darius!" Arrian, "Anabasis of Alexander" Book II, Ch.7, par.4,5 Cambridge, Massachussets, Harvard University Press

[@vangelisskia214]

@@KasumiRINA "For on many occasions when I AND THE OTHER GREEKS sent embassies to you begging you to remove from your statutes the law empowering you to get booty from booty, you replied that you would rather remove Aetolia from Aetolia than that law." PHILIP V, KING OF MACEDON [Polyvius, 18.4.8]

[@marsspacex6065]

One of the few figures that in history that actually deserves the moniker “the great”. The history of the world turned based on his short life.

[@LograyX]

It's fascinating that one of the Alexandrias he founded, Alexandria Eschate was still around and held some Greek culture into the 1st Century BCE. They had diplomatic ties to the Han Empire in China.

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

There is a site known as Umm Qais (or Gadara), located in modern-day Jordan. Umm Qais was originally a Greco-Roman city founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. The city flourished during the Hellenistic and Roman periods and was known for its cultural significance and architectural marvels, including statues of dolphins among other artifacts and structures. I thought that was pretty interesting. Saw it on KZbin once.

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

In Afghanistan, the ancient city of Ai Khanum (also known as Alexandria on the Oxus) was founded by Alexander the Great around 330 bce it was an important Hellenistic city that showcased Greek architectural and cultural influences. Worth googling

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

ALEXANDER with his ARMY FALANGA were in PERSIJA, INDIA and EGYPT ! !

[@dh7314]

Kids these days call him Alexander the GOAT

[@jimiliev3924]

Which kids?

[@jimiliev3924]

A nice surprise.

[@alexanderthegreat5649]

They would be right.

[@claylawton7694]

I'm glad kids love Alexander automatically and I don't have to be an evangelist of the guy

[@tolpiteeyeq5832]

About his hair color; the ancient Greeks saw color differently. How we see blonde in modern day was considered “white” by the ancient Greeks, and how we see light brown today is how they saw “blonde”. So the ancient descriptions of him being called blonde lines up with Ancient Greek translation because blonde hair was described as “the color of lightly cooked steak/meat” by the ancient Greeks, which is not a yellow, but a light brown. This also aligns with the mosaic which depicts him with light brown as well. It’s simply because the ancient Greeks saw color differently

[@janerkenbrack3373]

Why did Alexander cry? I hate to have to point this out, but you missed the reference in the question. The old saying is that when Alexander conquered some place, he looked across the length and breadth of his empire and wept, for he had no more worlds to conquer. The reason he cried is because he had nothing left to conquer. As you pointed out, this wasn't true, but that is where the question comes from.

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

He also had a tantrum over a knot.

[@Farron6]

It’s not true though. He had plans ready to invade the Arabian peninsula and Italy. It’s a false little fable of a statement. There’s even theories that hint that his generals poisoned him as they were satisfied with their conquests and simply didn’t want to go on.

[@PSpurea]

Loved seeing Tristan on youtube! He’a such a joy to watch and listen to. Please bring back more of Dr. Elliott as well!!

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

Great documentary ! All answers still lie in “Vergina”, for over two millenniums now, to this very day.. Two monumental works regarding the legacy of the Ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia are: “The Rise of the Greeks” by Michael Grant and “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography” by Peter Green. Truly masterpieces.

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

..................... rise your ....... chicken.

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

Μακεδονία 🔥🇬🇷

[@MrSihamenos]

I would love for the ancients podcast (which im a big fan of) to interview archaeologists Liana Souvaltzi who was at one point in charge of trying to find alexanders tomb. Please make it happen!

[@JimKalaitzis]

I think that there are different perpectives about the blond hair between the North and the South, in southern Europe we dont really characterise hair as brown.. We use different words but most of them translate to blond

[@KasumiRINA]

People absolutely should see that someone from Mediterranean describing people as "blond" probably meant a population whose hair was on lighter side of brown of average, so they looked blonde compared to Greeks or Italians... Like tons of people historically described Scythians as blond, no way steppe nomads around Black Sea all looked like Nordics, likely closer to average tempered climate Europeans (before they mixed with Asiatic Sarmatians). Same here, they didn't use peroxide back then so ancients views on blondness wouldn't be someone who looks bleached. Just

[@paulodelima5705]

Golden hair because he was son of a god.

[@Theodoros_Kolokotronis]

“Your ancestors came to Macedonia and THE REST OF HELLAS (Greece) and did us great harm, though we had done them no prior injury. I have been appointed LEADER OF THE GREEKS, and wanting to punish the Persians I have come to Asia, which I took from you..”. - Alexander the Great Alexander's letter to Persian king Darius in response to a truce plea, as quoted in the primary source “Anabasis of Alexander” by Arrian.

[@georgiosFreeman]

Was Alexander a Christian? By Zeus! these muricans...

[@joshuadk13]

They’re probably confusing him with Constantine the great to be fair

[@galloian]

Good stuff. Really like this Q&As with Tristan Hughes and the Ancient's podcast.

[@WW2SecretHistory]

I studied Alexander. But a lot of things I've learned from this video. Thanks!

[@Mars2i0]

I don’t know why, but I love that “The Stag” text happens too early. I know it’s a mistake, but I think its placement is perfect.

[@M-_-O]

15:15 “A stag” was early but it just makes the visual “joke” at 16:24 (definitely) funnier.

[@mickeljacobs9473]

I love listening to The Ancients podcast.

[@dimitris9479]

About if Alexander was a good person, we must consider that he lived in a completely diffrent age, he was a king that had to take some difficult decisions. He sure made some misτakes in his life but who human is perfect ..

[@HanaVys]

I agree with you with a few exceptions. I think killing Kleitus was when he took things as a personal affront and anger won over any moral standards that might have held. His treatment of the people of Thebes and Tyre, though, might have been a part of his strategy, showing other cities what happens if you betray him (Thebes) or cross him and try to outwit him and his army. So it could be both revange or premediated act. Otherwise he was usually pretty merciful to the defeated people. Anyway, he was simply obsessed with conquering Persia and surpassing all the other famous heroes of history (and subconsciously his own father who had underestimated him). He most probably enjoyed fighting and war. And considering that he grew up in a military society where only good fighters and leaders were valued, we can't be surprised that this is what he wanted to excel in. Tbh, to survive in such a society, you have to be a bit of a psycho, you can't show weakness by being too kind or naive, otherwise you're dead, and that's what we have to consider in the first place, when we think of his personality or moral standards.

[@NapoleonCalland]

​@@HanaVys If he'd let Thebes get away with breaking faith, how many other cities would have been ravaged ?

[@HanaVys]

@@NapoleonCalland Well, that's what I'm saying. It might have been strategic decision more than just pure revenge.

[@NapoleonCalland]

@@HanaVys I wasn't disagreeing 😉

[@HanaVys]

@@NapoleonCalland Ok, ok :) Anyway, a lot of famous military leaders in history did that as a sort of negative PR to say it in our times terms. They wanted their enemies to surrender rather than fight and lose experienced fighters and manpower on the side of the enemy. It's a thing that a lot of contemporary people don't realize when they look at some historical events. I'm not excusing it, it was still very cruel and for us, it was a war crime under the Geneva convention, but it wasn't mostly just random cruelty.

[@TheAtomicDom]

I thought Alexander wept because there were no more worlds to conquer? 😏

[@TahoeNevada]

"Alexander wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." -Hans Gruber, Die Hard

[@vangelisskia214]

".. do not forget Greece, Alexander ..It was for her sake that you launched your whole expedition, to add Asia to Greece .." Arrian [Anabasis of Alexander 4.11.7] «.. τῆς Ἑλλάδος μεμνῆσθαί σε ἀξιῶ, ὦ Αλέξανδρε ἧς ἕνεκα ὁ πᾶς στόλος σοι ἐγένετο, προσθεῖναι τὴν Ἀσίαν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ..» Ἀρριανός [Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἀνάβασις 4.11.7]

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

before 25 centuries ALEXANDER TSAR ON MAKEDONIJA. ..... Elladi.

[@pendragonsxskywalkers9518]

I am not sure if Plutarch said anything about Alexander hair colour (as far I know he commented only that Alexander was fair skinned). As far I know, Aelian was the one who noted Alexander was blond.

[@the_petty_crocker]

The answer to everything is More Tristan.

[@shaggycan]

Amoung men, Alexander. Amoung horses Bucephalus.

[@vladyslav4]

Among commentators, shaggycan

[@davisoaresalves5179]

This guy knows a lot.

[@marcusestube]

This was brilliant!

[@xeronix9774]

i love history

[@gsilcoful]

Cool stuff.

[@g.ricepad9470]

You should call in Anthony Kaldellis for an episode on Byzantium

[@williamberven-ph5ig]

Alexander must have been one of the most charismatic men who ever lived. Thousands of Alpha men followed and fought for him through a decade or more of war and deprivation: this boy, no more than 5'7" whose greatest love was one of his generals. In his presence one of have felt himself in the company of a god.

[@arihelmarreiro]

Guys, great content as always but you really have to do something but your audio capture. I've been noticing this in a lot of videos recently, and they all have this muffled, blurred by echo sound. Please, look into it because it's getting progressively harder to properly appreciate your videos.

[@Aetheraev]

"When Alexander of Macedon was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer. Eric Bristow is only 27." - Sid Waddell

[@VladVlad-ul1io]

i love how at 4:17 when the christian Q comes in there is a church organ playing a Hymn :)

[@chiteushamutete]

I love this stuff

[@rafaellagaribaldi9391]

[David H Levinson, Anthropologist, Ethnologist, Encyclopaedia of World Cultures, p, 239]] " It should be noted that there is NO CONNECTION between the ancient Macedonians of the time of Alexander the Great who were related to other Greek/Hellenic tribes, and the modern so called modern "macedonians of today (of the Republic of North Macedonia) who are of Slavic origin and related to the Bulgarians"

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

MACEDONIANS 25 CENTURIES ! ! bulgari...140 years.

[@klaudioabazi4478]

Quite fascinating questionnaire

[@katherinecollins4685]

Great video

[@gonefishing167]

Really enjoyable, thank you. 👵🙏🙏🇦🇺

[@wardafournello]

Alexander the Great was not just a conqueror. His purpose was to exchange values ​​and knowledge, resulting in the prevalence of Greek civilization and the creation of the Hellenistic era. Scientific sequence in the campaign of Alexander the Great: Doctors: Drakon ,Glaukias , Kritodemos, Filippo the acarnanian ,and Ippoktates son of Ippocrate. Historians,Topographers: Aristovoulos kassandrephs , Kallisthenes nephew of Aristoteles. Painters, poets, musicians: Athenodoros from Thessaly ,Lykon ,Apelles ,Lysippos,Aristonikos. Fortune tellers , Prophets : Aristandros , Kleomenes from Sparta.

[@Homme927]

Love Tristan

[@kyonkochan]

Alexander the Great is fascinating sure but I think his father Philip II is a much more compelling historical figure. He basically set up the Macedonian army that Alexander inherited and is the real brains of the military genius of Macedonia. Because of his conquests Alexander had a huge revenue stream to fund his campaigns. He was kind of the trust-fund kid of his era which is why he had such good PR. And a lot of the lands that were inherited by his generals basically had to prop up Alexander as a noble conqueror who's legacy just "happened" to fall into their laps so they had no choice but to "begrudgingly" continue the legacy of such a "great" man.

[@chropeh1]

While there is no question that without Philip there would be no Alexander The Great, this is an over simplification that is claiming no attribution of the success to the ruler and leader who ACTUALLY conquered all the lands that his father had not. That does not just happen on its own, or solely by the actions of many different military leaders.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@chropeh1 I think the point is that Alex is a bit overrated and Phil is underrated, a lot of the time people credit only the one who baked the cake instead of the one who prepared the batter, Japan is the exception where Oda Nobunaga gets as much, if not more credit than Hideyoshi.

[@gaborrajnai6213]

Lol dear look at the map. Macedonia conquering Persia is like today Delaware would conquer the United States. We only dont say its impossible because Alexander did it, but Philip most likely would just accepted the first peace proposal what Darius offered him, he wouldnt go to Bactria and India. And that would be a sound strategic decision. Alexander constantly found himself outnumbered, fighting against impossible targets like Tyre on places where locals had a profound advantage over his army, and still managed to come out victorious, mainly because he never let his enemies to regroup and dig in, he moved his army lightning fast over impossible terrain in a constant chase. He didnt only win his battles in the battlefield, he won them by his incredible sense for logistics and personal courage. In Sogdia, they almost got him with his army near the Oxus, his throat was cut wide open, yet he organized a counterattack during the night and managed to beat the Sogdians who were completely unprepared. At that point his army wasnt even Macedonian, he managed to train up the Persians to Macedonian military standards, while he was moving through the deserts of Central Asia.

[@chropeh1]

Also, one of the most likely theories about his death, which you did not mention and it honestly rings truer than most of the other ideas is that he drank himself to death. It could have been from extensive drinking over time, or acute alcohol poisoning. This is quite a sensible hypothesis given that he grew ill during a long feast.

[@chrishill7797]

Another theory is that maybe one of his generals (or companions) secretly poisoned him so they could all go home, because by this point everyone was homesick.

[@predatxr7624]

@@chrishill7797 dang thats upsetting to think about. Imagine they had no ill intent trying to trying to get everyone to get back home. Instead they accidentally murder their king.

[@chrishill7797]

@@predatxr7624 yeah I know right? Still, his troops had been on manoeuvres for so long and you can imagine how homesick they were

[@predatxr7624]

@@chrishill7797 Oh, without a doubt. Even if Alexander were infront of everyone else I can still see why even the generals wanted to go home. As bold as it can be to put yourself in their shoes, how do you lead men to conquer a world full of views, riches and everything else for years on end when all he wants is home?

[@WW2SecretHistory]

Can you do this for Napoleon and Julius Caesar?

[@stelvis1984ify]

The hair colour is an interesting debate. Alexanders hair is described as Ξανφος Xanthos, which in modern Greek would be light coloured hair, not necessarily blonde though. If most of the population has black or dark brown hair, it would be perfectly acceptable for the man with light brown hair to be called Xanthos.

[@KernowekTim]

Cheers man. You're a good un, I reckon.

[@mysondice]

16:25 that thing is definitely some kind of deer I think

[@whyjnot420]

A part of me likes to think of Macedonia as the Kentucky of Greece.

[@mom2asher]

“Was Alexander a god?” I’d say yes… with a VERY big asterisk LOL yes, he was mortal. BUT his mother claimed that he was the son of Zeus, which would make him at least partly divine. And Egyptians viewed Pharaoh as divine, and he was a Pharaoh, which would again make him a god. I mean, obviously, he wasn’t ACTUALLY a god, but a strong argument could be made that he was considered to be at least partly divine

[@NapoleonCalland]

He was officially deified, so yes. 13:50 Has Tristan never read about demigods ? Heracles 🦁 died too, but was still a son of Zeus ⚡🦅, like Dionysos 🍇. 🦁☀️🐝⚡🦅⚡🐝☀️🦁

[@ЛиляНагимова-ь6м]

Tristan is indeed a good person (in contrast to Alexander😂) , adore him❤

[@maximillianschonhausen]

I was wondering if his ”Great”ness was also because of his ideals of fusion between East and West? Or were these ideas already prevalent and widespread before he made them his (and realized them)?

[@KasumiRINA]

I looked up and it seems a Roman poet gave him that nickname, during his lifetime he was known as Alexander of Macedon, something that summons a lot of Greek tantrums in the comments.

[@eiriksinclair5986]

Philip II was from the planet city of 'Uranos' which is where 'the Zeus' goes to Crete, so he is both Philip II and Zeus. Ouranos goes to Crete from planet city 'Saturn'. Land & Sea, Atlantis.

[@Leynx-Et-Fenrir]

There are gods, there are men and there is Alexander!

[@mranderson9813]

"Was he a good person?" By our standard you mean

[@joeboah6040]

21:59 , Heracles is murdered by Polyperchon on orders of Cassander

[@ChthonicRemains]

Asking if Alexander the Great cried is like asking if he ever bled. He's human so of course he cried. As Tristan said, the most prominent account of this is when thew himself over the body of his lover, Hephaestion, and laid there weeping for 2-3 days. He refused to eat, was said to have cut a lock of his own hair, crucified Hephaestion's doctor, burned a temple dedicated to Asclepius for failing to save the man he loved, tried to deify Hephaestion so that he could be reunited with him in the afterlife, and spent something like 2 billion USD on a funeral for him.

[@seamantrade7919]

Alexander was the greatest of the Great !! No one can compete with him. He won ALL the battles he gave!!! He didnt lose even in one.No Napoleon or Genkis han or Julius Ceasar can compete with him.He first conquered the around the Dunabe countries again (cause they thought after the death of his father Philip were free) at the age of 19 and then he went against Persia., who won with very few men and small army,organized armies of millions because of his tactic.He was the Greatest of the Great!!!

[@mattandrews2594]

Bit weird that History Hit only released this now after sitting on it for 6 months.

[@Germanicus_SPQR]

“Alexander wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.”

[@lordvadertheleftie9703]

The best book on the subject was written by Michael Wood

[@Egg-88]

I saw a comment about the netflix adaptation 'making Alexander gay' I strained my eyes rolling them so hard

[@nezperce2767]

I ve seen persian girls. He got married to three of them. Lucky b..

[@StrLab]

"Bucephalus" sounds so weird word in english, in ancient and modern greek means "head of an ox", meaning how big head the horse had. Alexander means "protector of men" (άλεξ+άνδρας) and Philip means "friend of horse" (φίλος+ίππος) in both ancient and modern Greek. As for the name Macedonia, they are to possibilities: The first is that the word "Macedonia" comes from the greek mythology. Pyrros threw stones to create people, the first person was Hellinas (Greek) and the second was Macedon. From those mythological persons come the names "Hellas"(Greece) and Macedonia... The second that the word "Macedonia" means "long land" in ancient Greek...

[@christossymA3A2]

Did his name struck fear into the hearts of men ?

[@poil8351]

well context he conquered most of the world as most Hellenistic greeks regarded it.

[@AprilPinnell]

If I knew my grandfather Alexander it would be his 🌎 but it's my grandmother's Betty she kind of raised me

[@AprilPinnell]

The only thing I kno about my grandfather is that he died when my mom was 10 or 12 years old n was married to my grandmother Betty and he's buried in n.j. But according to my peoples music that he is a legend lol I guess he conquered the world like Chris Columbus Alexander is my moms dad n I am his granddaughter but my mom told me along time ago I was named after him

[@infolover_68]

Alexander was like the rock star of the Ancient World, kings and generals after him imitated his example and deeds but no one surpassed him indeed. And the prestige of Hellenism expanded so rapidly that the Greeks themselves were in awe for the cultural influence the legendary Macedonian king had started!!

[@lotcam4046]

Chinggis Haan surpassed him, ////

[@infolover_68]

@lotcam4046 And the first Chinese emperor Qi Huang Di in territorial conquest and the disposal of colossal armies. But in those ancient times, the Asian conquerors didn't cause in the West the military and cultural shock that Alexander did. Even more, Arabs, Persians, Indians, and Mughals admired Alexander centuries after his death...

[@lotcam4046]

@@infolover_68 they admired Alexander just like any other conquerors, Timur fantasied about Chinggis Haan, Arabs about Salahuddin, Iranians about Cyrus the Great, Indians about Ashok, Chinese about Qin Shi Huan,etc, Alexander wasn't special in their list, as above include those who had done what can be equal if what Alexander had done is multiplied by several numbers, He maybe special in European and N.American history but not in Asia neither anywhere, ////

[@infolover_68]

@lotcam4046 It's your opinion, the Mughals liked to have miniatures of portraits depicting Alexander dressed as a Mughal warrior emperor. At the end of the Alexander movie, stone relieves and statues of Alexander from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Egypt, and other sites were shown...

[@lotcam4046]

​@@infolover_68 boy, do you know Alexander had conquered those regions in his lifetime and it is by no surprise if he had his life-size statues made in his lifetime, As for the Mughals, it needs more clarification, as whom they had depicted in their Mughal warrior attire, surely Alexander wasn't from the times of Mughals so how he would have worn those clothes, more likely those paintings were of someone else, Also, if somebody admires him, then you will find he/she will have many other conquerors in his list of admirers, like Turks admires their Ottoman Sultans( Sulayman the Magnificent, Bayezid the Lightning, Mehmed the Conquerer, etc) very commonly and the rulers of those Empire(especially Islamic) also admired the generals( Khalid Bin Waleed, Tariq Bin Ziyad, Musa Bin Nusayr, Muhammed Bin Qasim, Ali, etc) who spread the early Arab Caliphate, As for the Indians(especially Hindus) they admire their Conqueror Kings and Emperors( Ashok, Chandra Gupta Maurya, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Prithviraj Chauhan, Rana Sangha, Ranjit Singh, etc) more than you admire Alexander instead Alexander often either do not make their lists of admiration or if made then it is at the bottom of the lists, As for the Iranians, their top of the list is Cyrus the Great, then Darius the Great then on and on, As for the Chinese they have empirical amount of Conqueror Kings and Emperors who surpasses both in achievements and feats what Alexander had done,

[@elgoblino4578]

was he christian? in 350 BEFORE CHRIST? you cant make this shit up.

[@folkers78]

I love that he’s Christian!

[@golgumbazguide...4113]

Ok

[@DracoMalfoy-ds7uc]

Wasn’t Roxanna from modern day Afghanistan?

[@Seanpwoody]

History Jude Law

[@ColdTakes585]

So technically wouldn’t that make Alexander both Macedonian AND Greek? Like you can be a New Yorker and American, not just American

[@v0rtexbeater]

No, not really. That's like saying people born in Rome, Georgia are Italian. The modern country of Northern Macedonia has nothing to do with ancient Macedonia.

[@ColdTakes585]

@@v0rtexbeater except that analogy makes no sense whatsoever because Georgia doesn’t overlap Italy, ancient Macedonia did overlap Ancient Greece, hence why he says Alexander could be considered Greek

[@Peterkonto]

​@ColdTakes585 Nevertheless the ancient Macedonians did spread the Greek language culture and customs across the known world hence today its called the Hellenistic world meaning Greek or Hellenic..

[@tatjanavelkova5814]

before 25 centuries PHILIP create KINGDOM MAKEDONIJA. PHILIP KING, ALEXANDER TSAR ON MAKEDONIJA ! ! !

[@nezperce2767]

​​@@tatjanavelkova5814tsars are made by rusdians, arround 850 AD you timed arrical in the area. Ask Симео̀н I Велѝки, 864 AD he understands yr lang

[@gelisgeo1309]

Thanks for the obvious: Of course Alexander was Greek but you should have noted that North Macedonia and its inhabitants are Slavs . They call themselvs Macedonians but they aren't with the original meaning of term

[@eganyi743]

book in the background?

[@buckanderson3520]

Some things can be romanticized in the imagination but brought back to reality when you imagine the smell.

[@shaggycan]

29:00 almost every single person from history was a monster. They are remembered because they changed something, and its very rare that change came without blood.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

All of our ancestors were survivors. They did terrible things to survive. The things that they did would be considered monstrous by modern society.

[@armingleiner5292]

No most of them were normal humans like us minus the privilege of the 21st century. People today arent better people than people in the past.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@perceivedvelocity9914 speak for yourself, majority of nations out there weren't megalomaniac mega-empires that conquered half the world, in fact most countries were colonized themselves BY these monsters.

[@jackroutley8136]

100% I hate when people bring up the fact that these people killed as if every other major leader from those time periods were any different😂 brutal men from brutal times

[@lindasegerious9248]

Wait, did someone really ask whether ATG was a good general?

[@Jesse-cx4si]

Answer: He was great. Moving on.