ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL

Alexander-Pharaoh of Egypt is currently being written. These blog posts for the Ancient Egypt series are about the author’s decades’-long journey to the book. Before publication, readers should know something about Alexander, the journey, some of which was perilous, and the new book with its characters.

So It Begins …

A young man sits astride a black horse with a white star on its forehead. He dangles his legs casually and turns sideways towards the viewer. One hand rests on his hip.

He wears the dress of an ancient Greek. Blond hair frames a youthful face, while a red cape billows behind him.

What an alluring cover.

Inside, the book opens with a birth.

At first, it sounds like the beginning of yet another tale about a Greek hero. Yet this hero was real. His name was Alexander the Great.

The narrative has remained remarkably consistent for more than two thousand years.

Signs and Omens

Before Alexander’s birth, his father, King Philip II of Macedon, reportedly experienced a strange dream. In it, he sealed his wife’s womb with a wax seal bearing the image of a lion.

A Greek seer from Caria named Aristander interpreted the dream.

According to Aristander, the closed womb simply meant that Olympias was already pregnant. The lion, however, carried a deeper meaning. It signified that the child would possess the courage and strength of a lion.

The interpretation suited Alexander perfectly.

After all, Aristander later became one of the adult king’s favourite advisers.

Ancient writers also associated Alexander’s birth with a series of remarkable events. On the same day, Philip’s horse won at the Olympic Games. The king also received news of a military victory. Then came the birth of his most famous son.

For ancient storytellers, these events could not have been mere coincidence.

The Goddess and the Fire

Plutarch recorded another extraordinary story.

On the night Alexander was born, the magnificent Temple of Artemis at Ephesus caught fire and burned.

Why did the goddess fail to protect her own sanctuary?

The explanation was simple.

Artemis was too busy attending Alexander’s birth to notice the flames.

Such stories reveal an important truth about Alexander’s reputation. Although he was a historical figure, myth and legend soon surrounded him.

In many ways, that was exactly what he wanted.

And it worked.

More than two millennia later, people still remember Alexander the Great.

A Different View from Persia

Not every tradition portrays Alexander as a hero.

The Persian view is considerably less flattering.

Alexander conquered the Persian Empire and destroyed Persepolis. Ancient sources claim that he ordered the city burned, possibly during a drunken celebration. Later traditions also accused him of destroying sacred Persian writings.

As a result, many Persian accounts remembered him not as a hero but as a villain.

Even today, some traditions in Iran regard Alexander as accursed. In these stories, he appears as a destructive figure rather than a glorious conqueror.

The contrast could hardly be greater.

The Alexander Romance

Another tradition emerged through the famous Alexander Romance.

In these stories, Alexander embarks on fantastical adventures that stretch far beyond recorded history. He travels to distant lands, encounters strange peoples and undertakes extraordinary quests.

Each new tale enhanced his reputation.

With every retelling, Alexander became larger than life.

He no longer seemed merely human.

Hero, God and Legend

Alexander wanted posterity to remember him as both a hero and a god.

In many respects, he achieved that ambition.

For centuries, children across the Western world learned about his victories and achievements. Schoolbooks often presented him in a favourable light, celebrating his courage, ambition and military brilliance.

Elsewhere, however, memories remained very different.

In parts of Iran, folklore transformed Alexander into a frightening figure. According to popular stories, mothers sometimes warned misbehaving children that Alexander would come for them if they refused to sleep.

History had created two Alexanders.

One was a hero.

The other was a monster.

Across Civilisations

Alexander’s influence extends far beyond history books.

He appears in the Hebrew Bible. He also appears in Christian tradition. References to him can even be found within Islamic tradition through interpretations connected to the Quran.

Few historical figures crossed so many cultural and religious boundaries.

Billions of people have encountered Alexander in one form or another.

That extraordinary reach helps explain why he remains one of the most famous individuals in history.

Ironically, despite his desire for divinity, he was not a god.

He was a man.

That fact makes his achievement even more remarkable.

A Ten-Year-Old Reader

I close the book.

The young Greek on the cover stares directly at the reader.

Unlike Hitler or Napoleon, he seems approachable. He is handsome, youthful and oddly familiar.

He looks like one of the good guys.

He seems nice.

I might write about him one day.

But tomorrow is a school day.

And I’m ten.