Polyperchon's son Alexandros

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ruthaki
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Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by ruthaki »

Is there any record of who was responsible for killing Polyperchon's son Alexandros and how was he killed? Thanks in adance for your help.
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Paralus
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Re: Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by Paralus »

Diodorus, book 19 relates the event which occurs as Alexander leaves Sicyon. Cratesipolis is left holding the fort... literally.
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Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

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abm
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Re: Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by abm »

That is the one and only source indeed. Alexion is otherwise unknown. It is often held that he belonged to the anti-Macedonian democratic party of Sikyon (see e.g. the following snippet at Google Books: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ok5o ... rch_anchor). While that is not impossible in theory, it would mean that Alexandros was either very bad at choosing his friends or particularly badly informed of internal affairs at Sikyon. One might also assume therefore that Alexion was not necessarily anti-Macedonian nor even a democrat, but had found other reasons to kill Alexandros; which ones can only be guessed at.
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Paralus
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Re: Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by Paralus »

More than likely a result of Diodorus' summarising. The mention is - literally - a single line (about the murder). I'd think that Diodorus, having more to get to, simply noted the end of Plod's son and decided, for reasons known only to himself, to leave out the "boring details" so to speak. Ditto Cratesipolis who at least benefits by the briefest of character assessments.

Alexander, as Plod Perchon's son, may well have been chip off the old royalist's block: an IBM 186 in Intel Atom world and so may not have read the internal politics of the city well. There were always undercurrents in the politics of the Peloponnesian states (hence Philip's and Epaminondas' reticence to become intwined) not to mention the competing power blocks.

Much more interesting material likely beckoned Diodorus: Agathocles. Then again, if he'd read forward in his source he may have become baffled by the constant chages of allegiances of the players (Polemaios, Telesophous, etc) over the coming period and simply found it all too much!

Being murderd by a polis partisan was not quite the twist and turn of flighty tyche that will have garnered a fuller Diodoran account. Perhaps if Alexander had been bottled up in a Achean fortress??
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Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;
Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

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ruthaki
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Re: Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by ruthaki »

thanks for the info. There was so much of it I found it rather mind-boggling (Diodorus, I mean). As I'm writing historical fiction rather than a history book I only need the most important facts so I will try to get my head around all this and see what is necessary for the plot of my novel. I'd had this idea he was killed in Asia Minor, so this info was good at clearing that up for me. It's only a small portion of a chapter in my novel, just to wrap up what happens to various characters, and as Alexandros is a very minor one I don't need to be too elaborate in the explanation, however I do like to be reasonably accurate. Thanks again.
ruthaki
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Re: Polyperchon's son Alexandros

Post by ruthaki »

Thanks very much for your help.
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