1. Hephaistion’s death
324 BC

2. Draw symbols of these 10 things onto a chart
Hephaistion died in Ecbatana, 324 BC from excessive drinking. Hephaistion supported all Alexander’s policies. He was second in command.
Alexander was in so much grief that he:
Hanged Hephaistion’s doctor
Lay for 3 days without food or water
Cut his hair – like Achilles did when patroclus died
Destroyed the temple of Asclepius (god of health and medicine)
Sacred fires were extinguished throughout the empire (Persian custom for a King’s death)
Made a decree of general mourning throughout the east
Commissioned a memorial for Hephaistion at Babylon
Sent an embassy to Siwah to consult his father Ammon to ask how Hephaistion should be honoured. The response was: as a hero.
Asked the Athenians to create a hero cult for Hephaistion
Ordered large, expensive shrines to be built in Alexandria (Egypt) and the island of Pharos

3. Request for deification
While at Babylon, envoys came from a number of Greek States, wearing crowns. They approached Alexander and crowned him with golden crowns, honouring him as a god.
Plutarch says Alexander wrote to the Greeks asking them to give him divine honours
Reaction from Greek states:
Sparta
“Since Alexander wants to be a god, let him be a god” (Danis)
Athens
Debated the issue

4. Why would he asked to be deified?
The Greek states all agreed to give him the honours in Spring 323
This meant they recognised Alexander as divine
For Greeks, it was impossible for a mortal to become a god, eg. Herakles was only ever considered a demi-god
Why would he asked to be deified?
Alexander wanted to be god of his Empire, because he thought being the Great King of Persia proved he was worthy
Alex was encouraged to believe in himself from a young age. Olympias told him he was son of Zeus
He emphasised his heroic lineage – his decent from Achilles (mother’s side) and Heracles (father’s side)
He believed he was son of Ammon Ra after visiting the oracle at Siwah

5. Alexander’s death
There were Warnings and superstitions before his death:
when he reached Babylon, priests of Marduk begged him not to enter – they had received an oracle from the gods that if he did, he would suffer misfortune
Alex disregarded their advice,
When alex was sailing in the marshes, his hat & diadem (crown) was blown off. They landed near the tombs of the dead Assyrain kings. A sailor swam out to get it and to keep it dry, put it on his head. He was given one talent for helping. But then was executed because prophets said it was bad luck that the sailor had worn the diadem(crown).
One day when Alex had left the royal throne at Babylon and man sat on it. The prophets also demanded that he be executed

6. Alexander’s death
June 10, in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, In Babylon, 323 BC
Age 32
After a night of heavy drinking he became very ill. He caught Malaria, a fever that lasted 2 weeks.
His troops all paid their last respects to him when they realised he was deteriorating
He had no heir

7. C:\Documents and Settings\JRadich\My Documents\my content off school network\from ayesha\iron maiden - alexander the great.mp3
1.56minutes

8. Alexander The Great[ BC] My son, ask for thyself another kingdom, For that which I leave is too small for thee. Near to the east, in a part of ancient Greece, In an ancient land called Macedonia, Was born a son to Philip of Macedon, The legend his name was Alexander. At the age of nineteen, he became the Macedon king, And swore to free all of Asia Minor, By the Aegian sea in 334 BC, He utterly beat the armies of Persia. Chorus: Alexander the Great, His name struck fear into hearts of men, Alexander the Great, Became a legend ‘mongst mortal men.

9. King Darius the third, defeated fled Persia, The Scythians fell by the river Jaxartes, Then Egypt fell to the Macedon king as well, And he founded the city called Alexandria. By the Tigris River, he met King Darius again, And crushed him again in the battle of Arbela, Entering Babylon and Susa, treasures he found, Took Persepolis, the capital of Persia.
Chorus: Alexander the Great, His name struck fear into hearts of men, Alexander the Great, Became a God amongst mortal men. A Phrygian king had bound a chariot yoke, And Alexander cut the Gordian knot, And legend said that who untied the knot; He would become the master of Asia.

10. `Hellenism he spread far and wide, The Macedonian learned mind, Their culture was a western way of life, He paved the way for Christianity. Marching on, marching on. The battle weary marching side by side, Alexander’s army line by line, They wouldn’t follow him to India, Tired of the combat, pain and the glory. Chorus: Alexander the Great, His name struck fear into hearts of men, Alexander the Great, He died of fever in Babylon.