0451472004 (63 page)

And Alexander would be there too, lifting a cup in our honor.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

*denotes a historical figure

The Court of Macedon

*Philip II, king of Macedon and Alexander’s father

*Olympias, Philip’s first wife and Alexander’s mother

*Alexander, Philip’s heir

*Eurydice, Philip’s seventh, and youngest, wife

*Cynnane, Philip’s eldest legitimate daughter and Amyntas’ widow

*Adea, Cynnane’s daughter

*Arrhidaeus, son of Philip and an Illyrian dancing girl

*Thessalonike, legitimate daughter of Philip, raised by Olympias

*Hephaestion, Alexander’s companion

*Antipater, regent of Macedon

*Cassander, son of Antipater and former student of Aristotle

The Persian Royal Family

*Darius III, King of Kings

*Stateira I, Darius’ queen

*Stateira II, elder daughter of Darius

*Drypetis, second daughter of Darius

*Sisygambis, mother of Darius

*Parysatis, daughter of King Cyrus, cousin to Stateira and Drypetis

The Persian Nobility

*Bessus,
satrap
of Bactria

*Oxyartes of Balkh, minor noble

*Roxana, daughter of Oxyartes

*Alexander Aegus, Roxana’s son

Parizad, Oxyartes’ son and Roxana’s twin brother

*Mazaeus,
satrap
of Babylon

*Ariamazes, rebel leader at Sogdian Rock

Others

Adurnarseh, Greek singer

*Alcetas, Alexander’s general

*Bagoas, eunuch and lover to Darius III

*Barsine, Alexander’s mistress

*Heracles, Barsine’s son

*Glaucus, physician

*Nearchus, Alexander’s admiral

*Ptolemy, Alexander’s general

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Although Alexander the Great (in typical, pompous Alexander fashion) reputedly bemoaned the fact that he had no Homer to record his triumphs in the annals of history, that’s likely due to the fact that he had his appointed historian, Callisthenes, convicted of treason and imprisoned for criticizing Alexander’s adoption of Persian customs. However, several of Alexander’s contemporaries—including Ptolemy and Nearchus—did write of his various campaigns. Sadly, their works have all been lost and thus, we are left with the often conflicting accounts from Plutarch, Arrian, and Quintus Curtius Rufus, all of whom lived roughly four hundred years after Alexander’s death. This sketchy historical record gave me the rare and wonderful benefit of being able to choose which historian’s account would best accommodate my story arc during various events. That said, I still took a few liberties regarding certain characters. For example, Cassander’s character is combined with that of his brother Iollus, who served as Alexander’s wine bearer in Persia and was rumored to have poisoned the great conqueror. Ariamazes is a mixture of the historical Ariamazes, commander of Sogdian Rock, but also that of Spitamenes, a Sogdian warlord whose wife reputedly cut off his head and sent it as a peace offering to Alexander. Also, while there is no mention of Alexander’s sister Thessalonike becoming a warrior, it is well documented that both Cynnane and her daughter, Adea, were trained in the art of war as befitted noble Illyrian women. It didn’t seem too far a stretch to believe that Thessalonike would yearn for the same training as she grew up with two warrior siblings. I also tweaked history to have Hephaestion take the place of two other documented soldiers, Peucestes and Limnaeus, atop the Mallian wall where Alexander was wounded. Finally, ancient historians disagree on the manner of Bessus’ execution, so I combined pieces of Plutarch’s and Arrian’s versions, giving the torture a decidedly Persian twist.

In order to keep this tale from becoming a thousand-page saga, certain events and the overall timeline were condensed, especially toward the end of the book. According to history, the fire in Persepolis occurred weeks after Alexander entered the city and received the citizens’ gold, although sources do speculate whether the ancient city was burned at the recommendation of the courtesan Thais or whether the fire was ordered by Alexander as vengeance for the Persian War. The gruesome and never-ending string of murders that took place from Alexander’s death until Roxana’s execution took roughly thirteen years and many more men served as regent until only one man was left standing in Macedon: Cassander. I decided against making Cassander a villain, since the historians writing about him hundreds of years later seemed blinded by their awe of Alexander; it is easy to see why they cast suspicion on the role Cassander played in Alexander’s death.

Both ancient and modern historians continue to debate the real cause of Alexander the Great’s premature death, with theories including typhoid fever, malaria, alcoholism, and poisoning. Lacking a time machine and the ability to definitively prove what felled the great conqueror, I chose to combine several factors: namely, his grief at Hephaestion’s death, his overindulgence in alcohol, and a possible infectious disease. Hephaestion’s death also remains a mystery; it was possibly caused by poisoning or typhoid compounded by an ulcerated intestine. It is unlikely that we’ll ever know the true cause of either of these deaths, so given the existing evidence, I chose what could be considered plausible for both men.

After Alexander’s death, the main players on the stage really did drop like unlucky flies. It’s believed that Roxana colluded with one of Alexander’s generals, Perdiccas, who became regent after his death; Roxana’s real aim was to murder Stateira. In a book with a weighty list of characters, I replaced Perdiccas with Roxana’s fictional brother, Parizad. There is also debate as to whether Parysatis or Drypetis was killed alongside Stateira, but after being forced to kill off so many of my favorite characters, I decided to let Drypetis live.

If I could, I would name several ancient cities after a number of people who were instrumental in shaping this book. I owe Kate Quinn a lifetime’s supply of swan fat beauty cream (or perhaps just a bottle of really great merlot) for her hilarious comments regarding severed heads and her talent for hashing out appropriate curse words for my leading ladies. Jade Timms makes Alexander’s achievements pale in comparison with her ability to critique my manuscript immediately after giving birth and while wrangling two very small children. Renee Yancy and Amalia Dillin both helped make this book readable in its infancy, a feat akin to storming fortified cities in the ancient world. My agent extraordinaire, Marlene Stringer, gave me the encouragement I needed when she insisted that readers want to read about ancient history’s infamous women. Thank you also to Jenn Fischer, for ushering this book through the final hurdles toward publication. And a seaside palace should be erected in honor of Ellen Edwards, my exceptional editor, who once pondered whether I’d consider writing a book about Persian women. (I just happened to throw in a few Greeks for fun!)

Finally, I am forever indebted to my friends and family, without whom this whole business of writing books would be a long and lonely enterprise. To the usual suspects—Cindy Davis, Eugenia Merrifield, Kristi Senden, Claire Torbensen, and Megan Williams—for insisting that I get out to run and hike instead of living with my laptop. To my parents, Tim and Daine Crowley, for being the best and most persistent cheerleaders a girl could ask for, and to my sister, Hollie Dunn, for always asking about my latest book.

Most of all, to Stephen and Isabella, who scarcely bat an eye anymore as I drag drafts and revisions to Hawaii, Peru, Disneyland, and everywhere in between. I’d rename Alexandria after both of you, but seeing as I lack that power (and StephenIsabellia is quite a mouthful), I’ll settle for saying thank you.

And I love you.

FURTHER READING ON THE EMPIRE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT

NONFICTION

Arrian.
The Campaigns of Alexander.
Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 1958.

Carney, Elizabeth Donnelly.
Women and Monarchy in Macedonia.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.

Dalby, Andrew, and Sally Grainger.
The Classical Cookbook
. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996.

Foreman, Laura.
Alexander the Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King.
Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004.

Fox, Robin Lane.
Alexander the Great.
New York: Penguin, 1973.

Mayor, Adrienne.
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World.
New York: Overlook Press, 2003.

Plutarch.
The Life of Alexander the Great.
Translated by John Dryden. New York: Modern Library Paperback Edition, 2004.

Sappho.
The Poems of Sappho.
Translated by John Myers O’Hara. Portland, ME: Smith and Sale, 1910.

Stoneman, Richard, translator.
The Greek Alexander Romance.
London: Penguin Classics, 1991.

Wood, Michael.
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.

FICTION

Renault, Mary.
Fire from Heaven.
New York: Vintage, 1969.

———.
Funeral Games.
New York: Vintage, 1981.

———.
The Persian Boy.
New York: Vintage, 1972

A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHANIE THORNTON

Q. In your previous three novels, you’ve written about many forgotten women of ancient history. What inspired you to turn to the women associated with Alexander the Great?

A. I had just finished writing
The Tiger Queens
, a novel about Genghis Khan’s wife and daughters, when my editor suggested that I might focus next on an ancient Persian woman. I stumbled upon Roxana while I was researching and discovered that, as with Genghis Khan, incredibly strong women also supported Alexander. It was a natural jump to go from writing about one conqueror’s women to the next!

Q. Alexander was highly educated for the time—by the great Aristotle no less—yet he chose a path of violent conquest that included the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of people. As a Macedonian, did he have an unconscious need to prove his superiority to the Greeks, who tended to think very highly of themselves? What do you think drove his quest for power and heroic stature?

A. Alexander’s driving force for his conquests was quite likely his father’s earlier subjugation of Greece. Philip II of Macedon consolidated his rule over virtually the entire Peloponnese, to the point where Alexander once commented that there would be nothing left for him to conquer. Of course, Alexander wouldn’t tolerate the many rebellions in Greece after Philip’s death, and seeking to subdue the Achaemenid Empire was likely a natural inclination after the Persian War. From there it’s no great leap to consider vanquishing India and thus becoming the conqueror of the largest empire the world had ever known.

Q. You suggest that many of Alexander’s military tactics were truly inventive. Can you tell us more about that?

A. It’s impossible to argue that Alexander wasn’t a tactical genius. He inherited a well-trained army from his father, but shaped them into a truly formidable, and creative, fighting machine. For example, Alexander really did order the building of a mile-long mole, or causeway, in order to better position his siege weaponry at Tyre and he also scaled what was believed to be an impassable wall in order to reach Sogdian Rock. (Which may well have been to spite the commander of the fortress after he taunted Alexander that he’d need men with wings to take the rock.) He was often willing to chance the impossible, and was rewarded for his daring.

Q. You also suggest that Hephaestion played an essential role in both assisting Alexander’s conquests and tempering his excesses. What does the historical record tell us about Hephaestion and their relationship?

A. Hephaestion served as Alexander’s second-in-command, and both ancient and modern sources compare the men’s relationship to that of Achilles and Patroclus during the Trojan War. Their closeness seems to have been public knowledge, considering that Aristotle claimed they shared one soul abiding in two bodies and the historian Curtius wrote that Hephaestion was Alexander’s “sharer of secrets.” Most telling is perhaps Alexander’s reaction to Hephaestion’s death, in which he flung himself on the body and ordered a period of mourning for the entire empire. The temple’s sacred fire was extinguished and a massive funeral pyre built, followed by an extravagant show of funeral games. One modern estimate places the cost of Hephaestion’s funeral at more than two billion dollars by today’s standards. I’d say that means Alexander and Hephaestion were fairly close!