Alexander the Great in Egypt
Ancient • 47m
History Hit's Tristan Hughes travels to Egypt to explore its extraordinary links to one of the most famous names from antiquity, Alexander the Great. Of all the lands in the Eastern Mediterranean, it is Egypt that has the most fascinating - and enduring - connection to this ancient conqueror.
It’s a connection that began during Alexander’s lifetime, but endured and evolved significantly following his death, thanks to Alexander’s talismanic corpse, hijacked and fought over between former brothers in arms in an ancient 'Game of Thrones' - with a gruesome climax on the River Nile.
From the holiest of holies at Luxor Temple to the Pyramids at Giza, join Tristan as he explores fascinating links to Alexander that can be found all along the Nile - if you know where to look.
In the depths of an ancient temple, Tristan finds pharaonic depictions of Alexander, a Macedonian king making offerings to Egyptian gods, and looking no different to famous names such as Ramesses II and Tutankhamun.
And he investigates the fascinating links to Alexander at the magnificent necropolis of Saqqara - from the stunning subterranean Serapeum, complete with massive granite sarcophagi designed for the mummified remains of sacred bulls, to a mysterious semi-circle of half-destroyed, Greek looking statues that may well have marked the first tomb of Alexander in Egypt.
This is a story where Alexander’s death was just the beginning...
Up Next in Ancient
-
Greatest Discoveries: Last Days of Po...
Tristan Hughes explores the destruction of Pompeii, using extraordinary eyewitness testimony and the revelations of archaeology to understand what really happened here nearly 2000 years ago.
In 79 AD, one of the greatest natural disasters in Roman history occurred in southern Italy, when Mount V...
-
Greatest Discoveries: Lost Lives of P...
The story of Pompeii’s destruction is renowned across the world. In 79 AD, this prosperous Roman town was destroyed by a massive, volcanic eruption. Pompeii became frozen in time, only to be rediscovered c.1500 years later.
Warning: contains very strong language and sexual content.
Vesuvius’ er...
-
Fire and Blood: Boudica's Vengeance
In 60 AD, the fledgling Roman town of Colchester witnessed ancient Armageddon. Thousands of British warriors descended on the settlement, turning what was then the capital of Roman Britain to ash. At the head of these attackers was one of the most well-known figures in British history - the warri...
8 Comments