How about crowning Alexander with a gold wreath on his birthday? In Greek antiquity, gold wreaths symbolized glory, power, and immortality – three qualities that certainly apply to Alexander!
These wonderful creations were imitations of laurel, myrtle, olive, ivy, or oak worn during symposia and in processions. I elaborated on the subject in my earlier blog post: Wreaths and crowns of leaves or gold. They also accompanied important people to their burial site, as is the case of Philip’s tomb in Aegae. The gold wreath stood for the king's victories in battle and his immortality.
Each type of leaf came with its own significance. For instance, oak leaves representing wisdom were used in Philip’s days. They also were symbols of Zeus, as were olive branches. Gold wreaths could also be dedicated to the gods at their respective sanctuaries.
After Alexander’s death, these wreaths became more popular. They were the result of a high level of craftsmanship since the thin gold sheets had to be shaped into life-like leaves and flowers to produce an extremely fragile piece.
By the late 2nd
/3rd century, they were exclusively reserved for the aristocracy, as
recorded by Athenaeus of Naucratis. He
was an Egyptian-born Greek writer, who mentioned that guests at luxurious
dinner parties in
Let’s invite ourselves to Alexander’s birthday party and raise our wine beaker to his eternal glory. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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