Alexander: succession, 'The Great,' and sooo many Alexandrias w/ Ryan Stitt Decipher History
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- History
Meta
Versions! So many versions. The best version of the film: The Ultimate Cut.
Setting the scene
Ancient Greece after 300. The Peloponnesian War (which Ryan is in the middle of on his show!). The rise of Philip. Olympias.
Philip
Putting Macedon at center stage in ancient Greece. Technical and logistical innovations. Planning the invasion of Persia right before his suspiciously untimely death.
The purge
Alexander and Olypmias. Purging royal competition in the ancient world. Plutarch and gossip about “powerful women” in antiquity.
Sources
The loss of contemporary sources and the reliability of what remains. Plutarch’s gossip column.
“The Great”
What makes an historical figure “The Great,” instead of “The Terrible” or just forgotten? So many Alexandrias! Conquest, culture, and Hellenization.
Manly love
“Homosexuality” in the ancient world and different norms of power and masulinity. Alexander and Hephaestion. Achilles and Patroclas.
Death
Heavy Macedonian drinking and Alexander’s downward spiral. Conflicting reports and also modern interpretations of possible causes of death. Indeterminate succession. Alexander’s body floating around for centuries.
Ryan's Show!: The History of Ancient Greece Podcast
Support the show!
Meta
Versions! So many versions. The best version of the film: The Ultimate Cut.
Setting the scene
Ancient Greece after 300. The Peloponnesian War (which Ryan is in the middle of on his show!). The rise of Philip. Olympias.
Philip
Putting Macedon at center stage in ancient Greece. Technical and logistical innovations. Planning the invasion of Persia right before his suspiciously untimely death.
The purge
Alexander and Olypmias. Purging royal competition in the ancient world. Plutarch and gossip about “powerful women” in antiquity.
Sources
The loss of contemporary sources and the reliability of what remains. Plutarch’s gossip column.
“The Great”
What makes an historical figure “The Great,” instead of “The Terrible” or just forgotten? So many Alexandrias! Conquest, culture, and Hellenization.
Manly love
“Homosexuality” in the ancient world and different norms of power and masulinity. Alexander and Hephaestion. Achilles and Patroclas.
Death
Heavy Macedonian drinking and Alexander’s downward spiral. Conflicting reports and also modern interpretations of possible causes of death. Indeterminate succession. Alexander’s body floating around for centuries.
Ryan's Show!: The History of Ancient Greece Podcast
Support the show!