Alexander reached the land of the cathaens where they along with their neighbors had taken up a position on a hill in front of the city which was surrounded by three defensive walls of carts. Seeing enemy's disposition Alexander first threw forward his mounted archers to screen the deployment for the rest of the army, ordering them to shoot at long range in order to pin the enemy in their place and prevent them from making a sortie while the Macedonians were still forming up in their battle order,as well to buy time for the rest of the infantry and cavalry that were following up behind to join him.

Once the Macedonians were properly formed up the king, Observing that opposite his right wing the enemy sector was easier to assail due to the ground being leveled as well as the carts being drawn up not so close but spaced out widely, concentrated his attack against the Indian left as its defenses were strung out. Cavalry proving useless Alexander led his phalanx against the Indians and succeeded in forcing them out of the first line of defense and into the second.

After a fierce fighting Alexander was able to drive them into their city.

Alexander immediately invested this place in a siege and posted his infantry all around the town in order to surround it. However due to the extent of the walls he couldn't fully enclose the town. Opposite a portion of the city wall where there was a gap in the blockade was a lake which was shallow. Alexander conjectured that the enemy would try to make their escape via this lake in the night so he accordingly detached his cavalry opposite the sector of the city wall near the lake to lay in wait for the enemy in an ambush so as to cut off their line of retreat.

Just as Alexander predicted the enemy made a dash towards the lake in the night but in their escape ran straight into the cavalry patrol and were cut to pieces. They immediately retreated back to their town.

Few days later some deserters came to Alexander and informed him that the Indians intended to make their escape that very night via the gap in the blockade. Upon learning of this Alexander ordered Ptolemy with a select body of troops to take position near the spot from where the natives hoped to slip away. He had further instructions from Alexander to carry the carts which the enemy had left behind,following the engagement outside the town,and to use it in constructing Palisades to be posted between the section of the town's wall from where the Indians planned to flee and the shallow lake.

As soon as the enemy flung open the town's gates and commenced their retreat Ptolemy was to fall upon them just when the fugitives were struggling through the hurdles constructed in their path. Furthermore the trumpeters were to sound their bugles to notify Alexander who in turn would bring his troops against the enemy so as to catch them in a pincer.

Just as Alexander was informed the indians attempted to flee but found the Palisades obstructing their path and soon enough Ptolemy with his troops were upon them. The Indians after suffering considerable losses retreated back to their town.

Alexander the Great (Alexandre le Grand) reached far beyond the confines of historical biography, emerging as one of the most versatile and ubiquitous figures in medieval Western European literature. The legendary narratives that coalesced around him after his death preserved more than just his military victories; they captured a life reframed by supernatural encounters, explorations of uncharted lands, famed intellect, open-handed generosity, and an unyielding drive to test the boundaries of human knowledge.

Much of this literary tradition flows from the Alexander Romance attributed to Pseudo-Callisthenes, compiled in the early centuries of the Common Era. By Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, this narrative material entered Western Europe through key Latin adaptations: Julius Valerius’s Res Gestae Alexandri Macedonis, its ninth-century Epitome, and the widely circulated eleventh-century Historia de Preliis.

From the twelfth century onward, Alexander took on a distinctly contemporary resonance in Western vernaculars. No longer treated merely as an ancient ruler from the distant past, he was absorbed into the medieval framework of chivalry, courtly culture, political legitimacy, princely pedagogy, and Christian moralizing. As the historical Macedonian faded, a literary archetype took his place—one onto which medieval Europe could project its own ideals, anxieties, and political ambitions.

To what extent can a historical character be detached from its context, era, and origins? Alexander the Great, a Macedonian general who lived in the 4th century BCE, has been portrayed in many different ways throughout his life. He is seen, in particular, as a figure who has been reimagined in European literature.

The trilogy plus that biography she wrote, that is. I... have a mixed relationship with them personally. On one hand, im glad that she was one of the first people writing about Alexander to acknowledge his relationship with Hephaestion and present him as a very complex human (even if the biography came accross as more of a hagiography at times.) I honestly think that Ms. Renault was in love with Alexander on some level despite being a Lesbian lol. HOWEVER, I need to point out the obvious: Mary Renault was not an actual Alexander scholar.

She had no formal training in the classics. Thats not to say that her books dont merit anything, but I wouldn't recommend them to someone trying to learn more about Alexander the man. Dr. Jeanne Reames is who I'd typically recommend online for those with questions about Alexander, as well as the following biography books:

The young Alexander by Alex Rowson

Alexander the Great: lives and legacies by Stephen Harrison

Dividing the Spoils by Robin Waterfield

But thats just me, what do yall think about Mary Renault and her books on him?

Napolean or Alexander?

“Written in 1929 by the son of Thomas Mann, Alexander shows why Klaus Mann is regarded in Germany as one of the foremost writers of the twentieth century. In creating a new version of Alexander the Great – at times all-powerful, at times craven and debased – Mann railed at the dark spectre that animated the soul of Germany at a time when even his father was caught up in a spirit whose promises were to bear the most rotten of fruit. In presenting history's greatest demagogue, Mann exposed the thin carapace that separates civilisation from barbarism, and gives a dire warning that remains all too pertinent today.

“Published here with a foreword by Jean Cocteau, Alexander is a stunning work of historical reimagining from a troubled and unjustly neglected writer.”

Lysippos created this portrait of Alexander the Great. Alexander himself considered this depiction to be a model for all sculptors.

A few months ago, I came upon a quite interesting post on this subreddit that asked why Indian sources didn't refer to or mention Amazon at all, and one commenter said the only time he was referenced was a passing mention of "Chandakosha" in Emperor Harsha's biography.

I found this quite intriguing and dug a bit deeper, and analysed the quite scant possible other references, such as the supposed meeting of young Chandragupta and Alexander, a reference to an Alexandria in the Buddhist *Milindapanha* (Questions of Menander), and an Ashokan Rock Edict that mentions a different Alexander, king of Epirus.

The Harshacharita passage itself is quite ambiguous, and it is possible but not certain that it refers to Alexander, the case for it relies on phonetic play by Banabhatta, its author, who might have rebracketed Alexander into Alasa-Chandakosha, as well as the narrative parallel to the Alexander Romance (Both allude to a world-conquering king who failed to subdue a kingdom of women). I have gone into further detail in my substack.

The main source I have used here is Sylvain Levi's *Alexander et Alexandrie dans des Documents Indies,* 1934, as well as others.

This Serbian manuscript, dating from the 15th century, recounts the life and exploits of Alexander the Great. The manuscript was destroyed during the bombing of Belgrade in April 1941. Only a limited number of fragments and photographic reproductions of its illustrations have survived.

This Serbian manuscript, dating from the 15th century, recounts the life and exploits of Alexander the Great. The manuscript was destroyed during the bombing of Belgrade in April 1941. Only a limited number of fragments and photographic reproductions of its illustrations have survived.

Hey everyone! I’ve been working on a website where you can follow Alexander’s journey from Macedonia to India, explore 3D battle reconstructions, and compare ancient ships and army formations.

You can check it out here: https://alexander-ancien-atlas.com/

It’s still a work in progress, and I’d love feedback from people who know the history, especially if you spot inaccuracies or something that doesn’t work.

What would you like to see added or corrected ?

Its showing a “Dying Alexandros”

Sculptor Mervan Altınorak, based in İskenderun (Hatay), made a statue of Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus using 50,000 pieces of electronic waste over 8 months.

I kept switching to English whenever I wrote the city's name, since it comes from Alexander the Great.

Here is the continuation of the article I wrote in the first part. Alexander the Great is one of the historical figures who has captured my attention the most, and I can say that I am by no means alone in this interest. Despite his immense popularity, studies in political history or Hellenistic history unfortunately tend to push the evolution of Alexander’s personality across different cultures into the background. Of course, I’m not saying there is no research on this topic, but there is very little. I have attempted to generalize and summarize a topic I also explored in my doctoral dissertation in two parts. Naturally, like all generalizations, it has its shortcomings. Still, I think it serves as a good introduction.

If you’re curious about Alexander, I invite you to visit my Substack page. As social scientists, we’re known for never really keeping quiet. I’d say this page consists of the posts where I just can’t stop talking about the field.

I’m an actor and indie film maker

My challenge is to make a 1-4 location feature about Alexander for a film challenge.

Who has any good ideas on what part of Alexander’s life would be a good fit for this. Obviously there’s so much room for creativity here, and so much to do… But just wanted to hear some fun ideas!

I thought it would be interesting to portray the movie about the day king Philip dies and all the complications and drama that came with that. But there’s so many angles I can do about him with limited locations… so many!!!

Finding good fiction about Alexander is not so easy, so when the author of one the best (if not the best) novels about Alexander's youth publishes a short story, you should run!

Dr. Jeanne Reames has just made available through her website a what-if short story, "The Anger of Achilles" with quite a what-if scenario: "What if Philip of Macedon died at the Battle of Chaironeia in 358 BCE, and an 18-year-old Alexander was taken to Athens as a prisoner of war, then sold to... Demosthenes"?

Short, but to the point, it will make you scratch an itch you didn't even know you had.

Alexander the Great was a flamboyant commander who led from the front. Rather than directing his armies from a safe position far behind the fighting, he repeatedly placed himself within reach of deadly enemy weapons. In many of the battles he commanded, Alexander took the initiative at critical moments, personally leading the decisive attack and often riding at the head of his Companion cavalry.

Although the image of a commander leading from the front is undeniably charismatic, it came with enormous risks. If Alexander had been killed in battle, his army could have suffered a severe loss of morale and leadership. His conspicuous armor and royal insignia may also have made him an obvious target for enemy soldiers. So how did Alexander survive so many battles while repeatedly placing himself in such danger?

Alexander was wounded on multiple occasions during his campaigns, sometimes seriously. Yet he never fell in battle. His survival can be attributed to a combination of factors: luck, the protection provided by his trained bodyguards and elite troops, his armor, his battlefield experience, and the amount of time he actually spent in close combat rather than fighting continuously at the front.

So what was it really like when Alexander led from the front, and how did he survive the battles and wounds that could easily have ended his life? This article examines the evidence from the ancient sources to explain how one of history's most famous commanders repeatedly exposed himself to danger, and somehow lived to fight another day.

Alexander the Great has been part of literary and historical memory for more than twenty-three centuries. His story travelled across an extraordinary geographical and linguistic range, eventually appearing in more than thirty-five languages. Yet the Alexander who survived this long journey was not always the same Alexander who conquered the Persian Empire. In different periods and places, he became a king, a philosopher, a prophet, a defender of the faithful, and even a figure connected with the end of the world. The historical Alexander provided the starting point, but later traditions repeatedly changed what could be done with his story.