Alexander The Great Downfall
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, son of Philip II and Olympias (i), controlled a dominion that covered an area from Egypt to the Caspian Sea and the Balkans to the Himalayas. He is considered one of the most efficient as well as bright soldiers and rulers in ancient history, he had marched a poorly armed and meager European army on a campaign of over 20,000 miles to capture and control the high and mighty Persian Empire. The Persians had range over a territory including all of what are now Syria, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It had taken Alexander all of twelve years and he was still only thirty-two. Alexander the Great may have been the acknowledged master of the then world, but he was a captive
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Situated on the banks of the River Euphrates, in what is now central Iraq, the city was to be the capital of his new empire. On the night of June 1, in chambers within the royal palace, Alexander was holding a memorial feast to honor the death of a close personal friend. Suddenly, around mid-evening, he was seized with intense pain and collapsed (ii). He was taken to his bedchamber where, after ten days of agony, convulsions and delirium, he fell into a coma and died.
This death of Alexander the Great is considered curious. What caused the strong and healthy young ruler of half the known world to die so abruptly at the very pinnacle of his power? Malaria, typhoid and alcohol poisoning have all been suggested as possible causes of death. There is also the other option of murder.
Unlike many events in ancient history, the details of Alexander’s death have been secured in writing. The initial symptoms were agitation, tremors, aching or stiffness in the neck, followed by …show more content…
Coming from plants, shrubs and trees, these nitrogen-bearing chemicals especially affect the nervous system, causing shaking limbs and muscle pains in the back or neck before the victim experiences severe agony and seizures.(vii) Most of the alkaloid poisons cause stomach pain, and many produce seizures, delirium and hallucinations, all of which are described in Alexander’s case. However, the list of poisons that could have killed Alexander can be shortened considerably because many of the alkaloid toxic plants also produce severe vomiting and intense headaches that are not
Situated on the banks of the River Euphrates, in what is now central Iraq, the city was to be the capital of his new empire. On the night of June 1, in chambers within the royal palace, Alexander was holding a memorial feast to honor the death of a close personal friend. Suddenly, around mid-evening, he was seized with intense pain and collapsed (ii). He was taken to his bedchamber where, after ten days of agony, convulsions and delirium, he fell into a coma and died.
This death of Alexander the Great is considered curious. What caused the strong and healthy young ruler of half the known world to die so abruptly at the very pinnacle of his power? Malaria, typhoid and alcohol poisoning have all been suggested as possible causes of death. There is also the other option of murder.
Unlike many events in ancient history, the details of Alexander’s death have been secured in writing. The initial symptoms were agitation, tremors, aching or stiffness in the neck, followed by …show more content…
Coming from plants, shrubs and trees, these nitrogen-bearing chemicals especially affect the nervous system, causing shaking limbs and muscle pains in the back or neck before the victim experiences severe agony and seizures.(vii) Most of the alkaloid poisons cause stomach pain, and many produce seizures, delirium and hallucinations, all of which are described in Alexander’s case. However, the list of poisons that could have killed Alexander can be shortened considerably because many of the alkaloid toxic plants also produce severe vomiting and intense headaches that are not