Alexander the Great...

[fajrdrako]

I went to a video-party at Tasia's place to see In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great.

Now, usually when I watch televised documentaries about history, they drive me nuts. They make unsupported statements, they try to be sensational but they don't back up their facts with sources, and I'm usually frustrated by the whole thing.

Michael Wood's miniseries are a big exception. This was terrific. It made it so clear how far Alexander the Great went, and with what difficulties - and we got to see Michael Wood's difficiulties, too. It was shocking to see the state of Kabul; dramatic to see the Indus Valley. I learned of some cultures I'd never heard of before. The history of Alexander was very plain and clear - much easier to understand than it was in the Oliver Stone movie. There were details left out - nothing about Bagoas, alas! Though Hephaestion was covered.

The first ten minutes of the four-hour series already got us past the Battle of Issus. There was a lot of travel to pack into four hours. A few visuals particularly interested me:

• A tiny miniature of Alexander's head, twin to one of Philip, which is the only representation of Alexander from his lifetime. He looked young - but he would have been, it must have been sculpted before his father's death.


• A relief on a wall in Luxor, showing Alexander as an Egyptian pharaoh in the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt - I would never have recognized him. He is pouring a libation on the penis of the god Amun. I can only find a tiny picture of it online, here - ironically, on a kids' history site.


• A group of people celebrating a wedding somewhere in northern Pakistan, in the present, dressed in clothing that looks Balkan. I didn't quite catch the name of the cultural group (and I want to track it down), but they have Greek influence in their language and their religion relates to the Greek pagan pantheon. I'm not sure how different this would be from the modern Hindu pantheon. Differnt names? Different attributes for similar gods? I am not assuming that Greek and Hindu gods are necessarily cognate on a one-on-one basis by any means, but I know there are similarities and historically shared origins. Presumably these people's gods are particularly Greek, beyond the others.

The most heartbreaking moment was seeing the rubble of the interior of the Kabul museum, where the unique and priceless Greco-Indian artifacts had once been a treasure. I remember reading an article about the heroic efforts of the curators to preserve their artifacts.

And now I am particularly intrigued by Greco-Indian history. Tasia is urging me to write about it for the apa. I found a few online sources:

• Wikipedia


• bibliopgraphic reference to W. Tarn, The Greeks in Bactria and India 1951


• Dards


• Coins and Indo-Greek Kingdoms


• Oneness Commitment - what's this? Article links, anyway.


• male torso


• nations


• more bibliography


• Slider encycloedia reference


• Indo-Greek Dynasty


• DBA resource page


• Apollodotus


• Punjab history


• Timeline


• Altar of Alexander


• Ancient Greeks in Afghanistan

Comments

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

I love Michael Wood's work. In Search of the Trojan War is my all-time favorite documentary. However, I found myself snoozing during the Alexander one. It just didn't hold my interest. Maybe I was preoccupied, and should give it another try some day.

BTW, I found that email, tidied it up yesterday, and will send it on to you with the fic drafts tonight! Sorry it's taking so long.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

In Search of the Trojan War is my all-time favorite documentary.

I'm now quite eager to see it.

I found myself snoozing during the Alexander one. It just didn't hold my interest.

Really? Amazing! You must have slept through the good bits. I found it riveting. Mind you, having the company of eight to ten interested and intelligent people to toss comments around with may have helped. I also ate too much while watching. Uh-oh.

BTW, I found that email, ... Sorry it's taking so long.

No problem!

[msilverstar]

I highly recommend Gillian Bradshaw's novel The Horses of Heaven, set in Afghanistan around 140 BC, that is, just bit after Alexander. She's fabulous and it's wonderful stuff.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the recommendation. It sounds like just what I'm looking for - and I recall Bradshaw as a good writer, though I don't recall what I read by her. My library has a copy, so I've ordered it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_ming/]

i've yet to see his documentary all the way through, but you've really inspired me to track it down! thanks for all the lovely links and insights.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think it's worth looking for - I'm thinking of buying a copy of my own. There's some amazing art - and geography, too. I am always amazed how much of the planet is dry, or desserts, and what vast expanses they cover.

And there's art of various sorts, like seeing the clothing on people, or watching old Iranian storytellers practicing their craft.

[arysteia.livejournal.com]

Is the tribe you're talking about the Kalash? They claim to be descended from Alexander's army, and are culturally quite distinct from those around them. There's an ancient scratchy video documentary on them somewhere - fascinating - that I don't think is out on dvd.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Kalash - yes! That was the name. I wasn't sure from the DVD how it was written. According to Michael Wood, there's linguistic and cultural evidence to back up their claim. I must do some hunting - for books, or articles, or the documentary.

I have this unshakeable belief that anything I want to see ought to be out on DVD - purely an optimistic delusion!

[arysteia.livejournal.com]

I can't *promise*, but I can use my evil powers new HD recorder to transfer tape to dvd. So *if* it's still where I think it is, and *if* I can then upload it... I will. :-D

If you do find any interesting articles, link me.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So *if* it's still where I think it is, and *if* I can then upload it... I will.

Oooh - wonderful! I live in hope. And I will certainly keep you in mind when I'm searching for articles.

Love your multiple Lexes icon.