杏吧原创

鈥淒OES Alexander live? He lives and rules.鈥� Surprisingly, this Greek folk-saying has a lot going for it 2000 years after the Macedonian conqueror died in mysterious circumstances at Babylon. A Hollywood spectacular is out, another is on the way and a spate of new books has appeared. Alexander has it all: military genius, bisexuality, a conspiracy-laden death and the enduring archaeological mystery of a still-undiscovered tomb.

The sheer scale of his life and legacy is evident in Laura Foreman鈥檚 Alexander: The Conqueror. She traces fact and legend from Macedonia to Afghanistan and India in a journey of stunning photos and engaging text. It is, however, Alexander鈥檚 death and the ensuing adventures that concern the other three authors reviewed here.

The ancient world was reshaped by Alexander鈥檚 sudden and unexplained death at the age of 32 in the summer of 323 BC. The Hellenistic era evolved out of the long and bloody power struggle between Alexander鈥檚 generals that followed. So traumatic was this aftermath that for more than 2000 years rumour, gossip and propaganda have continued to rage over who and what finished off the seemingly invincible conqueror.

In Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon, Graham Phillips has no doubt who the murderer was. He has no hesitation in accusing Roxanne, Alexander鈥檚 wife, of poisoning him with strychnine obtained during his Indian campaign. Paul Doherty prefers a different suspect in Alexander the Great: The death of a god, seeing Alexander鈥檚 general Ptolemy as the prime suspect. Both authors construct highly unlikely scenarios to argue their views. Roxanne and Ptolemy were among those least likely to have wished Alexander dead: their power stemmed from his authority. Malaria, rather than murder, was the likely cause of Alexander鈥檚 death.

The astute and tough-minded Ptolemy came off best in the end. He founded a dynasty in Egypt, turning its new capital of Alexandria into a mausoleum 鈥� a huge memorial park dedicated to his dead king鈥檚 memory.

Caesar visited Alexander鈥檚 tomb, as did Octavian and Caligula, yet no trace of it has ever been found. In The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great, Andrew Chugg explains why and offers his own theories. He identifies a location in downtown Alexandria where archaeologists should look, and suggests that Alexander鈥檚 mummified remains may have been passed off as those of Mark the Apostle around AD 400 and now lie in St Mark鈥檚 Basilica in Venice.

Countless theories, too few clues and no body guarantee our enduring fascination with Alexander the Great. Alexander does indeed live and rule.