Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Monday, September 4, 2017

Bringing Greek theater and Euripides back to life

The classical theater of the Getty Villa and the English translation of Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides is for many of us the closest we can get to sitting in a real Greek theater and watching a true Greek tragedy.

Euripides was well-known to Alexander who could quote parts of his many plays. He was a prolific writer and about ninety of his plays are known to us, although only nineteen of them have survived.

It was only one year after Euripides’ death that his Iphigenia in Aulis was performed for the first time in Athens during the Great Dionysus Festival. Aristotle kindly referred to Euripides as “the most tragic of poets” which I find not surprising remembering how I couldn’t help weeping the first time I saw the film version of Iphigenia directed by Michael Cacoyannis with music by Mikis Theodorakis.


The scene is set on the shores of Aulis where Agamemnon, king of Sparta, is ready to sail his fleet to Troy in order to assist his brother Menelaus in recovering his wife, the beautiful Helena. Agamemnon’s ships are, however, waiting in vain for favorable winds to blow them east to Troy. The goddess Artemis is consulted and in order for the winds to return, she demands the ultimate a sacrifice from Agamemnon: he is to sacrifice his eldest daughter Iphigenia. It is a family tragedy played to the extreme that moved people then and still moves us now so many centuries onwards.

From September 7 till September 30, 2017, this tragedy will be performed every Thursday and every Saturday at the Getty Villa. For more information, please click on the Getty Villa site.

[Poster is from Getty Villa]

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