No one controlled their image as much as Alexander the Great. Despite this, however, artists in antiquity produced a variety of portrayals of him: Alexander as a young man, realistic images, idealistic, and even Alexander as a divinity. This diversity only increased over the centuries following Alexander’s death. In Images of Alexander, Malcolm and Frances explore how the conqueror has been portrayed from his own lifetime, through antiquity and the Middle Ages and onwards to the late Victorian period.
If you would like to see the images that Malcolm and Frances discuss, you can do so now on our website here. Many of the older images of Alexander belong to the field of high art: sculptures, busts, paintings. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Alexander laid siege to pop art. How did he fare? Find out in Episode 7!
Resources
on-line texts for the Alexander Historians:
About Malcolm and Frances
Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”.
Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life.
Spearpoint Socials
Instagram: @spearpointATG
Threads: @SpearpointATG
Bluesky: @spearpoint.bsky.social
Malcolm
Instagram: @thesecondachilles
Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon
Frances
Instagram: @futuristichistorian
Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com
Intro + Outro Music
Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com)
Audio Engineer: Renee LeBoeuf, Green Frog Productions, LLC, Seattle WA
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