What book did Alexander the Great carry with him?

Iliad
In making Troy his first stop in Asia, Alexander revealed a different motivation for his conquest of Asia, one that could be found in the text he carried around with him everywhere: Homer’s Iliad.

What story by Homer did Alexander the Great always carry with him?

We read Homer in three ways: as a poet, a historian, and a contemporary. The bard is to the West what Vyasa and Valmiki are to us. Alexander the Great, writes Plutarch in Greek Lives, always carried with him a copy of the Iliad during his military expeditions and kept it under the pillow every night.

Did Alexander the Great sleep with a copy of the Iliad?

The story that Alexander kept a copy of Homer’s Iliad under his pillow (προσκεφάλαιον; Plut. Alex. 8, 26) is justly famous but physically impossible. Neither Alexander nor anyone else could have slept with the Iliad (with or without a casket) under his pillow.

Did Alexander the Great read the Odyssey?

Fox goes on to explain that “It is through Homer that Alexander still comes to life” and that Alexander did not read Homer as a scholar, but “more in the spirit of a marcher baron living out the ballads which mirrored his own home world” (pg. 66-67).

Is it the Iliad or Iliad?

“The Iliad“ (Gr: “Iliás“ ) is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, which recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy (which was also known as Ilion, Ilios or Ilium in ancient times).

Who slept with the Iliad under their pillow?

Likewise, Alexander the Great (356-323BC) seems to have been driven by a quest to be the “new Achilles”. Plutarch tells a delightful story that Alexander slept with a dagger under his pillow at night, together with a copy of Homer’s Iliad.

Did Alexander read the Odyssey?

From an early age, Alexander was exposed to The Iliad and The Odyssey under the instruction of his teacher, Aristotle. The parallels between Alexander and Achilles are striking; for instance, both are undoubtedly the most remarkable warriors.

Did Alexander the Great Read Iliad?

Like me, Alexander had dreamed of the epic since childhood, when he had first been introduced to the Homeric world. He had learned to read and write by studying Homer. The copy of the Iliad that Alexander put under his pillow every night was annotated by his teacher, Aristotle.