In world history, as in Pandora's box, many secrets and legends are kept. One of these mysterious pages in history is the mystery of the grave and helmet of Alexander the Great. The helmet is used by the authors as an attractive element for the plots of works of various types of art. For example, it is this helmet that the "gentlemen of fortune" from the film of the same name by Alexander Sery are looking for. This movie "helmet" is kept in the exposition of the Mosfilm Museum and is made from an ordinary fire helmet of the past centuries.
Helmet of Alexander the Great: legends and myths
The name Alexander in Persian sounds like Iskander or Two-horned. And this is quite understandable. After all, according to legend, his head was supposed to be crowned with a helmet, decorated according to the gods with the horns of a ram, which is possibly associated with the ancient heraldic symbol of Macedonia - the image of a goat on the banner of the Macedonian kings.
According to legend, the golden helmet of Alexander the Great was given by the god of sunlight, the patron of the arts, Apollo. It was such a valuable treasure that the Macedonian coast was like the apple of its eye: I didn’t take it with me on military campaigns, and even more so I didn’t use it for its intended purpose - I left it at home. A strong guard remained near the vault. During the absence of Alexander in the country, the helmet served as a talisman for the state and its inhabitants. Shortly before his death, during the Indian campaign, the commander faced fierce resistance from the Indian nobles and their troops. He sent messengers to Macedonia to bring the helmet, in the hope of its miraculous power. However, the helmet could not even protect itself: on the way to the army, the ambassadors of Alexander the Great were robbed by robbers. It happened in a place called Pyatigorye, located on the Mineralnye Vody sloping plain in the northern part of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody region.
The robbers were caught up and subjected to terrible torture. Even at the edge of life, they preferred to remain silent and did not give out where they hid the helmet. It is believed that he was hidden in one of the suitable crevices. The helmet was never found, and Alexander was forced to leave India. It is still unknown where the helmet of Alexander the Great is kept, and historians continue to look for it.
The Mystery of the Grave of Alexander the Great: Alexandria of Egypt
In 2017, 2340 years have passed since the death of the famous commander of antiquity. But it is still unknown where he is buried. The main contender to be considered the resting place of the commander is Alexandria.
After his death, the body of 33-year-old Alexander the Great was embalmed by Egyptian priests, specially called for the ceremony, and left in the palace chambers for two years. Ptolemy, who inherited the throne, did not fulfill the will of Macedonian to bury him on the green land of the Siwa oasis in the Egyptian desert, because he was outside the borders of the state. And Alexander the Great for all fellow citizens personified a strong and powerful power. Ptolemy ordered to bury the great commander and warrior in the tomb in Alexandria, thereby making the city a place of pilgrimage for a huge number of people.
There is a version that initially the funeral procession was sent by Ptolemy to his possessions - to Memphis, but the priest of the temple opposed the burial of Alexander in Memphis, predicting misfortunes and bloody battles in case of disobedience. It was then that the path of the body of the great commander of antiquity continued to the land of Alexandria.
During the reign of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, the tomb was walled up. As a result, Alexandria ceased to be a "city of cities". The tomb was so well hidden that no one could find it. However, there is a version that it is located under the mosque of the prophet Daniel on Alexander the Great Street.
Funeral chariot in descriptions of the past
To Alexandria, Alexander the Great was transported in a marble sarcophagus, on a chariot created by the great engineer Philip. According to Ptolemy, the mourning chariot, drawn forward by 64 mules, moved along the roads that were immediately laid, because a wholearmy of builders. Behind the chariot was the commander's army itself: foot soldiers, chariots, cavalry, even warriors on war elephants.
But Flavius Arrian claimed that 8 mules were harnessed to the chariot. And the chariot was made of gold, with gold rims and spokes. And the mules were adorned with golden crowns, bells and necklaces.
Sarcophagus: history and fiction
According to Ptolemy's descriptions, the sarcophagus was located under a canopy between the ivory columns that adorned the chariot. The canopy was made in the form of a starry sky and decorated with precious stones. On the cover of the sarcophagus, made of gold by Philip, they put the commander's weapons and a Trojan shield. According to the memoirs of Flavius Arrian, the canopy was removed from the inside with rubies, carbuncles, emeralds. Inside it hung four paintings depicting various military units of the Macedonian army on the march: chariots, war elephants, cavalry and fleet. Beneath the canopy was a golden throne adorned with flowers that changed every day. And the sarcophagus, according to Arrian, was golden.
A relief was carved on the longitudinal wall of the sarcophagus, telling about the victorious battle of Alexander the Great with the Persian army led by Darius III. The battle was so fierce that around the chariot of Darius piled up the bodies of the dead Greeks and Persians. The very height of this fight is carved on the sarcophagus with particular reliability in the transfer of the warriors' attire, in dynamics andexpressions.
Desert grave?
Alexander the Great joined Egypt to his empire without any problems, as his army was perceived as the liberator of the Egyptian people from the Persians. Eight years before his death, the commander traveled along the Nile, deep into the Egyptian desert, where he discovered the Siwa oasis. The three hundred-kilometer journey left the army without water, the army almost died. With difficulty, the travelers reached the green island of life, where the temple of the god Amun towered among the greenery. In the temple, the priests not only blessed Alexander the Great, but also called him the son of Amon. This inspired Alexander to new campaigns and accomplishments, as well as to the decision to be buried on the ground of this oasis near the temple.
In 1990, Greek scientists went to Siwa and discovered there an amazing underground burial complex, on the reliefs of which they saw the image of the personal symbol of Alexander the Great, and on the steles - letters inscribed on behalf of Ptolemy, or by himself, reporting on the burial of Alexander Macedonian in Siwa, according to the will. The temple and the tomb were surrounded by a wall. Images of lions were found here, which were commonly used in the funeral rites of Greece. And everything else had little in common with Egyptian culture and looked more like Macedonian buildings and products.
The surviving ancient coins depict Alexander the Great with a headdress in the form of a lion's head and two ram's horns, which corresponds to the description of the legendary helmet. In the Hermitage, the helmet of Alexander the Great exists mainly inimages on old coins.
Replica of the legendary helmet
The story of the golden helmet of Alexander the Great excites the minds of people, awakens the imagination of artists. Modern jewelers created its exact copy. The image from his sarcophagus was taken as a basis. It was made within 5 months by three craftsmen from a multicomponent alloy, based on copper and zinc. Sheet thickness - 1.5 mm. All curls were knocked out with wooden hammers. This is very hard manual labor.
Full face of the helmet is made in the form of a lion's muzzle. The entire helmet is initially covered with a layer of silver and then gold. Only the nose remains silver, which is covered with a special varnish so that the silver does not wear off. The helmet of Alexander the Great is encrusted with stones (tiger's eye, sapphires or moissanites), rock crystal and ivory.
The helmet suggests a wear size of 58, but it is unknown if this size matches the exact size of Alexander the Great's head.
The helmet is quite durable. If worn continuously, it will last for five years.
