Alexander’s global afterlife
How the Macedonian leader’s posthumous impact outstripped even his epoch-shaping empire-building
English union
The Alexander Romances featured prominently in the Talbot Shrewsbury
Book, which was famously presented to Margaret of Anjou on her betrothal to English king Henry VI.
Icelandic sagas
Norse bards saluted Alexander’s achievements in Alexanders Saga. Dating to as early as c1280, this translation of a Latin poem is considered one of Iceland’s most important works of medieval literature.
God of Egypt
It was in Egypt that Alexander’s journey to posthumous superstardom DGICP EJKGʚ[ VJCPMU VQ VJG TWOQWTU (fanned by Alexander himself) that he was not the son of King Philip of Macedon but of the deity Amun.
Ethiopian battles
Over time, the escapades attributed to Alexander became ever more fanciful. In an Ethiopian version of the Alexander Romances, the hero battles traps, hidden pits a dancing clockwork automation.
Adventures in Armenia
The Alexander Romances were a literary phenomenon across Europe and western Asia, with translations being produced in languages including Coptic, Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Armenian.
The art of Afghanistan
Following Alexander’s conquests, modern-day Afghanistan became home to theatres, temples and impressive artworks produced by Greeks who settled there in his armies’ wake.
The heir to Persia
The author Firdausi transformed perceptions of Alexander among the people of Persia by casting him as the rightful heir to the Persian throne in his epic poem the Shahnameh.
Indian impact
Such was the range of Alexander’s cultural impact that rulers on the Indian subcontinent (which marked the eastern limits of his enormous empire) were still discussing Greek philosophy years after his death.