Writing a letter home and the logistics implied

It sounds like the most obvious thing to do for a soldier, writing a letter home. But I find it quite remarkable that the Macedonian troops travelling with Alexander wrote letters to their family in their homeland because it implies that the average soldier could actually read and write! Maybe they didn’t all carry pen and ink in their backpack but papyrus or some kind of parchment – even though that seems to have been implemented only in the days of Cleopatra – was easy to take along.

The letters home are rarely mentioned in our literature but they become subject to close scrutiny when the Macedonians are divided after the plot and the execution of Philotas in 330 BC. Many were distressed by the murder of Parmenion, Philotas’ father. The army no longer stood unanimously behind the king’s decisions and policies. Alexander, however, could not let this group of discontent troops sow havoc in his ranks. He had to make sure to find the traitors and those who dared to criticize him. This was a serious matter and he decided to open and censor the army’s letters home. This was the only way for Alexander to locate the unruly elements. He removed the culprits from their own units and transferred them to a separate body, the ataktoi, a disciplinary unit that was specially created for the occasion. These men were sent on particularly dangerous or suicidal missions where they could and would redeem themselves – if they were not killed that is.

The courier service between the troops on the march and their homeland must have involved an incessant flow of riders and seafarers – not only for the common soldiers but also for official business that must have followed another channel.

The most frequent mail exchanges were undoubtedly Alexander’s official correspondences with his Regent, Antipater, and with foreign ambassadors and representatives. It was the task of his secretaries Eumenes of Cardia, who occupied that position previously under his father, and of Callisthenes of Olynthus, the nephew of Aristotle. There must have been an entire “office” of scribes of all kinds, including people who were familiar with the does of don’ts at foreign courts and a number of qualified translators and copyists to keep track of the documents.

Alexander certainly wrote his private letters to his mother Olympias personally for I doubt he would have entrusted these to anyone else. He may have employed a number of private and trustworthy couriers because the content of those documents was highly sensitive.

We are also aware of Hephaistion’s correspondence with Aristotle but it seems evident that he maintained a vivid correspondence with many scholars and high ranking officials spread all over the conquered territories and even beyond.

Also, the incoming mail had to be checked, sorted and distributed. The royal mail had priority and was opened, checked and sorted by the scribes in Alexander’s tent supervised, I assume by Eumenes who had to decide what had to be prioritized and what not.

The matter of correspondence, on whatever level, implies a huge logistic machinery of its own. It has been suggested that initially Parmenion was responsible for the army’s logistics, which may have included the mail services. However, once he was assigned as keeper of the immense Persian treasury in Ecbatana, we don’t know who replaced him to become the trusted brain behind those operations.

Announcing a new series on Alexander the Great

Let’s brace ourselves for yet another TV series about Alexander the Great as announced by the Greek City Times.

Starlings Entertainment* plans to present such a series that will be filmed in Greece. Nothing wrong with that except that their intention is to follow the great conqueror to depict his life as “one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the ancient world”.

Besides concentrating on Alexander himself, the series will also explore the spread of “Greek culture” during his short reign.

How they will manage to do so while shooting the series in Greece only seems a little short-sighted in my opinion. I am very skeptical about this entire project but let’s wait and see what they will make of it.

* Starlings Entertainment is a collection of interconnected companies that focus on developing, financing and producing smartly budgeted, highly commercial live action and animated films and television programs along with other media. Projects are developed in house as well as sourced from an expansive network of affiliates and longstanding producer relationships.

Alexander in India, a musical intermezzo

A dear friend of mine recently shared this wonderful musical rendition created by Peter Pringle entitled Alexander in India - Surbahar & Kithara.

I am sharing this unique musical interpretation for two basic reasons. On the one hand, I find it quite amazing that Alexander is still remembered in India, although he hardly spent a full year in that country, which includes modern Pakistan as well. On the other hand, I am very much impressed by the reconstructed Greek lyre, Alexander’s favorite instrument. As far as I am concerned, this beautiful kithara reminds me of the lyre Apollo is holding in his arms at the Museum of Tripoli in Libya. This labeling, however, appears to be incorrect since the lyre counts “only” four strings, whereas the professional kithara counts seven strings. The instrument Apollo is holding seems to have even more than seven strings, or is it my imagination?

For further information, I copy hereafter the accompanying explanation about this piece of music and the instruments involved.

The surbahar belongs to the Veena Family of the classical instruments of India, and is comparable to the western cello in size and register. The one you see in the video was made for me about 50 years ago by the great Indian luthier, Kanai Lal of Calcutta.

The Greek “kithara” was built by master luthier, Anastasios Koumartzis, of LUTHIEROS MUSIC INSTRUMENTS, which is located in the Macedonian region of Northern Greece. This is the same area in which Alexander the Great was born. The kithara was the instrument of choice for professional musicians during the Golden Age of Greece which reached its height around 500 B.C.E.

In his military exploits, Alexander travelled east as far as the Indus River, which he reached in 326 B.C.E. By that time, he was far from home, his men were getting tired, and they were met by fierce opposition from the armies of the rulers whose territories they invaded. As a result, Alexander never penetrated into the Indian subcontinent, and died in Babylon in 323 B.C.E., on his way back home.

This composition is in the Indian scale (“thaat”) known as “bhairav” (flat 6th and flat 2nd). The surbahar was built to be tuned to an F#, so the kithara is tuned F# G B C C# D F F#.

In more than one way, India is the missing link in my earlier blogs about music and musical instruments in antiquity as I explored ancient music, starting with the Seikilos inscription (see: Revealing ancient Greek music, the Seikilos Epitaph and Reconstructing ancient Greek music, an impossible task?) and continued with Persia (see: What is Persian music like?) and Uzbekistan (see: A thought for Roxane, Alexander’s Bactrian wife).

Music truly is of all times and certainly unites peoples from around the globe! And I can’t help wondering what Alexander would have thought about all this. He must have liked most of it!

A good picture of the excavations of Halicarnassus’ city walls

The Hurriyet Daily News finally is able to give us a nice overview picture of the ongoing excavation site that exposes the ancient city walls of Halicarnassus.

In my previous post, Exploring the walls of Halicarnassus, I complained about the lack of concrete information. This time, at least, we have a description about the lay-out of these walls, commencing at the harbor of modern Bodrum. From there they ran towards what is known as Kaplan Tower and the Bardakçi area inside the old Military Camp. It continues to the Myndos Gate over a distance of 1.5 km, and via the Gümbet Junction to Göktepe on much higher grounds.

Once this section is completed, works will start on the eastern side of Halicarnassus. A story that will be continued, of course.

Scaffolds in front of the Alexander mosaic in Naples

The Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) is asking for attention and luring future tourists to admire the world-famous Alexander mosaic (see: The Alexander mosaic).

They have announced that by the end of this month, they will start the restoration of said mosaic, a project that will last until July 2021. Initially, I wondered what exactly they meant by “restoration” since my information was based on the article published by the Archaeology News Network.

[Picture from The Archaeology News Network, Credit : Pedicini Fotografi/MANN]

I could easily understand that, given the present absence of visitors to the museum due to the Corona pandemic they would take the opportunity to clean the mosaic and check it out for possible damages. A further investigation through the site of the MANN does, however, explain the full reason for this restoration process.

A close inspection of the mosaic has revealed that it is undulating, particularly the central right part of the scene caused apparently by the oxidation of the metal elements of the wooden supporting framework mounted in 1916 when this masterpiece was transferred to the museum.

Over the years, it is not surprising that some of the tesserae came loose and that other surface damage like cracks have occurred. Also to consider is the damage caused by the weight of the mosaic pressing down to its lower section as it was originally conceived to lie flat on the floor.

Halfway through the restoration process, the entire panel will be removed from the wall to examine the condition of its support and carry out whatever reparations that may be necessary.

The direction of the MANN calls this restoration “an important page in the history” of their museum which will contribute to Italy’s cultural heritage.

As I said so many times, the name Alexander the Great still sells!

The ancient city of Tenea

Together with Nemea and Tegea in the Greek Peloponnese, Tenea is one of the lesser-known names, although the site has been discovered back in the 1850s. 

Over the past seven years, excavations at Tenea have yielded a considerable amount of grave goods from the archaic cemetery all the way to later Hellenistic graves. It appears that in archaic times, offerings accompanying the dead are rare or sparse, but in Tenea, they were found in profusion. One Hellenistic grave, in particular, contained a gold-plated wreath, together with jewelry, richly decorated vessels, painted bone objects, and large numbers of lamps decorated with gladiators and masks. These images clearly referred to a theater, which was eventually unearthed, as well as an Odeon and a Stadium. Last year, Tenea’s public baths were located, including a solarium.

[Picture from Ekathimerini]

As late as 2018, archaeologists could trace a two-lane road from the late Mycenaean era that was still used far into the Roman times. The houses along this road were luxurious Hellenistic examples with marble floors, sewage pipes, and more common objects testifying of an active community. 

The agora brought more interesting objects to light from its surrounding workshops, such as 30 gold seals, glassware, jewelry, and scales apparently left behind after a raid or some natural disaster. 

Recently, archaeologists were able to expose a Roman Mausoleum that had been looted in antiquity. Still, other Roman burials yielded a rich collection of vessels, jewelry, together with glass and bronze artifacts. So much so that they state that these burials offerings alone could fill a museum! So far, they uncovered an average of 300 coins a year! 

It seems that excavations till now were concentrated around the rich cemeteries. Nothing much has been said about the theater, the Odeon, the Baths, or the Stadium. Those remains are in a deplorable state.  

If we believe the legend, Tenea was founded by the Trojans. Supposedly, Agamemnon brought them to Mycenae at the end of the war. However, the city has been continually inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD, and, amazingly, it has not been better documented. After all, it lies only some 30 km from Corinth.  

Updated 6 June 2021

Project for a virtual Museum of Alexander the Great in Vergina

The renewed excavations around the Royal Palace of ancient Aegae and the adjacent theater seem to have reached completion (see: At last, the Palace of Aegae reopens to the public).

For many years, this area was widely neglected by tourists because the remains offered a rather poor idea of the wealth and beauty the Palace once displayed. Besides, it stood in the shadow of the marvelous exhibition space inside the Great Tumulus where the unlooted grave of Philip II was discovered in the 1970s as well as the tomb of a young prince attributed to Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great.

However, Vergina (the modern name for Aegae) has much more to offer because the ancient city was widespread. In an attempt to connect the many known elements of Aegae, a new building has been constructed to become the entrance to what is called the Polycentric Museum. This space will house the statues and sculptures that were unearthed in the many sanctuaries of the city. It will also be used for temporary exhibitions and, most importantly, it will contain a virtual museum named “Alexander the Great: from Aigai to the World” – a true honor to their world-famous citizen! Please also read the update The Palace of Aegae/Vergina in full glory.

Honestly, it is about time that all the hitherto discovered remains are truly put on the map and disclosed to the general public. Many of the tombs and sanctuaries were off-limits for years and the recent financial crisis that hit Greece did not help. It was important for Aegae to be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which eventually led to an EU funding of 4.5 million euros. Finally, the proud citizens of Vergina consider that their city played an important role in European civilization. Nicely said, but it was Alexander’s doing and not the work of Aegae or Pella!

However, their argumentation does not really matter. What really counts is the fact that by now all the known elements of Aegae are finally brought together, for they are many!

Take for instance the Sanctuary of Eucleia from the 4^th century BC with the grave of Eurydice, Alexander’s grandmother that was always closed to the public. It further consists of a small temple from Hellenistic times, two Stoas, and at least three other burial sites of high-placed people. Another Sanctuary was dedicated to Cybele, the mother of the gods, of which very little remains. Not much has been disclosed about the excavations in and around the private houses from the Hellenistic era, and only part of the city walls have been exposed.

The attention of archaeologists was focused mainly on the great number of necropolises (see: More Royal Tombs found at Aegae) located to the east of the Great Tumulus containing the grave of Philip. Here we find several clusters of necropolis, such as the cluster of the Queens, the cluster of the Temerid dynasty, the cluster of Heuzy and Bella, the general cemetery of the tumuli (apparently still to be investigated further), the archaic necropolis and the necropolis from the classical period. They certainly have their work still cut out!

Ithaca, a poem by C.P. Cavafy

The poet Cavafy most probably doesn’t ring a bell with most of us. I must confess I hadn’t heard of him until the death of Sean Connery on October 31, 2020. There is no apparent link between both names except that the actor has read Cavafy’s poem with the musical background of the Greek composer Vangelis, who also composed the music for the Alexander movie directed by Oliver Stone.

Cavafy was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Greek parents. After his father died in 1870, he moved to Liverpool, where he developed his command of the English language. Eventually, he returned to Alexandria.

Nothing predicted his destiny to become one of the most distinguished Greek poets of the 20^th century. He remained obscure all his life, and he only circulated his verses among friends. The main reason probably was that he was gay and that many of his poems were sexually explicit.

Cavafy was fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, which was reflected in his poems describing life in those days.

The poem entitled “Ithaca,” which I quote hereafter, is generally accepted as one of his great works. It is based on Homer’s Odyssey and talks about the importance of our journey in life to reach our final destination. In other poems, like “The Battle of Magnesia” and “To Antiochus of Epiphanes,” Cavafy develops his theory that the decadence of civilization leads to its destruction.

ITHACA

As you set out to Ithaca 

hope that your journey is a long one, 

full of adventure, full of discovery. 

Laistrygonians and Cyclops, 

angry Poseidon-don't be afraid of them: 

you'll never find things like that on your way 

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, 

as long as a rare sensation 

touches your spirit and your body. 

Laistrygonians and Cyclops, 

wild Poseidon-you won't encounter them 

unless you bring them along inside your soul, 

unless your soul sets them up in front of you. 

Hope that your journey is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when, 

with what pleasure, what joy, 

you come into harbors you're seeing for the first time; 

may you stop at Phoenician 

to buy fine things 

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind - 

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities 

to learn and learn again from those who know. 

Keep Ithaka always in your mind. 

Arriving there is what you're destined for. 

But don't hurry the journey at all. 

Better if it lasts for years, 

so that you're old by the time you reach the island, 

wealthy with all you've gained on the way,

not expecting to make you rich. 

Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey. 

Without her you would have not set out. 

She has nothing left to give you now. 

And if you find her poor, Ithaca won't have fooled you. 

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you'll have understood by then what these Ithacas mean.