Ephippus of Olynthus was a
historian and contemporary of Alexander.
It is unclear whether this man is the same as Ephippus of Chalcis mentioned by Arrian as one of the superintendents Alexander installed in Egypt. The reason to link both
names is that the city of Olynthus is
part of Chalcis.
Otherwise, our Ephippus may well have
lived at the king’s court or shortly after his death.
He is known as
the author of a lost pamphlet “On the
death (or funeral) of Alexander and Hephaistion” as mentioned by Athenaeus of Naucratis, who lived about
the end of the 2nd/beginning of the 3rd century AD. The
document held an account of the burial of Hephaistion and Alexander as well as of the
king’s death.
Robinson is
quoting Athenaeus in several separate
issues, shedding a different light on Alexander
than what other, usually Greek, sources tell us.
According to Ephippus, Alexander spent one hundred minas on a dinner with his friends,
i.e., sixty or seventy of them. It seems the author is reacting to some critics
about Alexander’s expenses compared
to those of the Persian king, who spent four hundred talents for his 15,000
invites. Converting the currencies, however, both expenditures come to the same
amount per capita.
Another
observation made by Ephippus is that
the Macedonians never understood how to drink in moderation but drank a lot of
wine at the beginning of a feast. The case of Proteas of Macedonia, who was a sturdy guy, is highlighted because
he drank a great deal all his life. Alexander,
Ephippus said, once ordered a
six-quart cup of wine and after a drink toasted Proteas thereby extending a challenge to him. Proteas took the cup,
sang praises to his king, and drank the rest of the wine under wide applause of
those present. A little later, Proteas
ordered another such cup, toasted the king, and took a drink. Alexander then (accepting the challenge) took it but could not hold
it, falling back on his cushion and dropping the cup from his hands. The king
fell ill and died.
This scene inspired Oliver
Stone in his Alexander movie during a scene played in India. However, this is not how the king died and the text puts serious question marks behind the assumption that Ephippus lived at Alexander's court at the time of his death. The truth about Alexander’s death, for
me, lies elsewhere as I discussed on previous occasions (see: A
personal approach to the cause of death for Alexander).
Regarding the
luxury of Alexander, Ephippus tells us that the king had a
golden throne, and couches with silver feet “on which he used to sit and
transact business with his companions”. These couches are known from the Susa wedding party but the link is not made in this text.
Ephippus continues by
stating that Alexander also wore
“sacred vestments”, such as the purple robe, cloven sandals, and horns of Ammon
as if he were a god. At times, he would imitate Artemis, wearing her dress
while driving his chariot. Alexander
also had a Persian robe and displayed the bow and javelin of the goddess above
his shoulder. Sometimes, he dressed as Hermes, and sitting with his friends he
wore the god’s sandals and the petasus,
holding the caduceus in his hand. In
everyday use, he would appear wearing a purple riding cloak and a purple tunic
with white stripes, and the Macedonian causia
holding the royal diadem. Referring to Heracles, Alexander would wear a lion’s skin and carry the god’s club.
To my own
astonishment, Ephippus also says that
Alexander used to have the floor
sprinkled with perfumes and fragrant wine, while incense and myrrh were burnt
in his presence. If this is true, I presume it would happen only while the king
resided in one of the Persian palaces? The bystanders are said to remain silent
out of fear of his violence “with no regard for human life.”
Athenaeus further quotes Ephippus, saying that Alexander arranged
a festival for Dionysus at Ecbatana.
He does not tell us when this sacrifice occurred but I would assume it was in
324 BC, maybe around the death of Hephaistion.
The local satrap Satrabates had invited all the troops
(just try to picture the scene!) for his lavish feast and many speeches of
praise and flattery were made to impress Alexander.
As in Samarkand,
some of these praises turned into insolence. However, with the king’s complicity one of his armorers totally went overboard by having the herald
announce that he, Gorgus, would
shower the son of Ammon with 3,000 gold coins; and whenever Alexander would besiege Athens, he would add 10,000 full suits
of armor and as many catapults and other missiles needed for the war.
Such words
clearly illustrate how preposterous and absurd these flatteries of Alexander were! Freedom of speech?
Shifting through Ephippus' lines, it is
difficult and even impossible to determine what is correct and what is not. As
always, opinions are divided. Ephippus’ version of the facts is examined in
detail by Antony Spawforth in his
article The Pamphleteer Ephippus, King
Alexander and the Persian Royal Hunt.
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