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Alexander died in Ecbatana

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Cyrus Shahmiri View Drop Down
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Alexander died in Ecbatana
    Posted: 13-May-2005 at 02:07

People of Hamedan (Ecbatana) believe that Alexander died in their city and there is an ancient tomb near the Hagmatana hill in Ecbatana which is called the Tomb of Alexander for a long time, I think it is possible, we know that Alexander died in the early summer and the summer capital of the Persian empire was Ecbatana, it seems to be strange that Alexander who has conquered a vast empire, stays in a warm city in the summer, even the Babylonian kings left Babylon to the northern cities in this season.

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  Quote Yiannis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 04:32

All the ancient historians write that he died in Babylon.

Perhaps it was his mistake to stay in Babylon in the hot summer months. It was very unhealthy, hot and moist and his probable cause of death was malaria...

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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 05:56

Maybe he was moved to Hamedan when he fell ill?

This is a Macedonain burial monument in Amphipolis:

and this is another one in Hamedan: (There is almost no doubt that it has also been built by Macedonians)

This was also a seated lion like the one in Amphipolis but the hands of this lion were cut off by order of Mardavij when he conquered Hamedan in the 10th century.



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  Quote Yiannis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 07:02

I don't think he was moved. There're records that he continued to inspect troops and the preparations for the invation of Arabia even when he was ill. He died approximatelly 10 days after the got sick so there was no time.

Amphipolis: http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21118a/e211ra02.html   http://www.grecian.net/GREECE/macedonia/serres/amphipolis/am phipolis.htm

Lions were a common theme in Greek art. Here's the Lion of Chaeronia:

Lion of Chaeronea

The marble "Lion of Chaeronea" guards the common
 tomb in which members of the Theban Sacred Band
were buried after Philip's victory, in 338 BC. It is said,
that when Philip saw them slain, among tears he said:
"Perish any man who suspects that these men either
 did or suffered anything that was base
".
It was erected, according to Pausanias, by the Thebans
in memory of their dead. Excavation of the tomb brought
 to light 254 skeletons, laid out in seven rows.

 

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  Quote ramin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 11:24
Cyrus, I didn't get your point by comparing lions of Amphipolis and Hamedan. The one in Ecbatana was built during Median Empire (~ 300 years earlier), by their first king (I may be wrong)
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 12:29

Ramin, sorry you are wrong, it has obviously not an Iranian style, it was said to be a Median statue just because Ecbatana was the capital Median Empire, you can see the similarity between this statue and the one which was posted by Yiannis:

 

And this an Iranain lion in Persepolis:

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  Quote conon394 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 12:54

Of course, aside from lions and where Alexander may or may not have died, the historical record (Pausanias, Diodorus, Plutarch, etc.) is fairly definite: Ptolemy moved the body to Alexandria (disrupting Perddiccas plan to have Alexander buried in Macedonia).

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  Quote ramin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 13:21
@Cyrus;

of course their similiarity is undeniable but what about its age? The lion in Hamedan is also a symbolic statue if I'm not mistaken.

The third lion in Persepolis is a Persian style, to be more specific Achaemenian.
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  Quote Styrbiorn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 13:32
Seems very Greek to me - here's another one (decorated with runes, hehe).
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-May-2005 at 15:30

of course their similiarity is undeniable but what about its age?

Why do you think it belongs to Median period?

The lion in Hamedan is also a symbolic statue if I'm not mistaken.

Yes!

It is interesting to know that Mardavij conquered Hamedan peacefully but, as great historian Masudi who lived in the same period says, when one of his soldiers disrespected this holy lion!!, people of Hamedan revolted against him, Mardavij ordered a three days Massacre in this city but he didn't dare to destroy this statue and just destroyed the hands of it.

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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-May-2005 at 09:33

It is also interesting to mention that the Golden medallion of Alexander has been discovered somewhere near Hamedan, it is already in the Archaeological Museum of Shahrekord (a city in the south of Hamedan)

 

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  Quote ramin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-May-2005 at 13:42
Originally posted by Cyrus Shahmiri

of course their similiarity is undeniable but what about its age?

Why do you think it belongs to Median period?

well... I'm not trying to deny anything, it's just that when I was a kid I always thought this lion was build by Medians. Eversince then I've never heard anything about this lion up to now. So, what I want to know is that how are you so sure that this is a Macedonian lion? maybe they shared the style with Medians, you know, like so many other things that Greeks and Iranians have had in common (e.g. Architecture, luxuries, etc)
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-May-2005 at 15:45
Ramin, as the Persian kings themselves say most of sculptures and reliefs in Persepolis and Susa have been built by Assyrians and Greeks, in spite of that those are Persian because the Persian culture and thoughts can be seen in them but about this lion I think even Medians had built it, we can't say that it is a Median statue because there is obviously a greek culture behind it, it is a burial monument and there is not something similar to it in Iran, in fact ancient Iranians rarely bury their dead.
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  Quote ramin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-May-2005 at 18:36
True, Persian inscriptions indicate they used Assyrians jewellers, Greek and Median stone cutters, and that's about what I remember right now.

About the Ecbatana's Lion I'll try to find some stuff on the web regarding that, not that I reject your point, but still I have see something. anyway, thnx for bringing up this subject
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-May-2005 at 09:41

Thanks, please also search for a picture of the Tomb of Alexander in Hamedan, it has been mentioned as one the most important historical monuments in Hamedan in many Persian sites (without any picture):

http://www.ilna.ir/shownews.asp?code=121203&code1=2
http://www.hamshahri.net/ostans/iraninfo/hamedan/hamedan/mta rikh/btarikh/bta0006a.htm
http://www.hamedanfair.com/hamedan_history.aspx
http://www.hegmataneh.ir/Hamedan13.htm
http://articles.roshd.ir/articles_folder/humanscience/chorog raphy/fali_sadr_caves.htm

It is said to be near the Hagmatana hill, I have visited the hill but not this tomb!

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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2005 at 23:27
Originally posted by Yiannis

All the ancient historians write that he died in Babylon.

Perhaps it was his mistake to stay in Babylon in the hot summer months. It was very unhealthy, hot and moist and his probable cause of death was malaria...

 

or was it alcohol poisining? or maybe poisoned by Antipaters son?  (i seem to also remeber a funny story about acid so cold it could only be stored in an asses hoof )

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  Quote Yiannis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-May-2005 at 04:29

Well dear Tribunus, if you can answer that question (what killed Alexander) and -more important- if you can prove it, you'll get the Nobel price for archaeology/history (assuming there's one)

There're so many theories (various sicknesses, poisons, wounds etc) but hte most plausible one seems to be malaria. At least the symptoms seem to be relevant...

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  Quote Harry Potter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Jul-2005 at 20:51
Im not sure where he died, Babylon or Ecbatana, but his tomb is in Alexandria. The people in Macedonia simply say this, it gets passed down from generation to generation.
Macedonian swear in 1903 wars: With the blood we shed all over Macedonian fields and forests, we serve freedom, as the Macedonian army of Alexander of Macedon did, with our slogan Freedom or Death!
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