Book contents
- A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture
- A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Alexander and Alexandria in Life and Legend
- 3 The Image of Alexander in Ancient Art
- 4 Alexander, Philosophy and Rome
- 5 Christianising Alexander Traditions in Late Antiquity
- 6 Alexander in Ancient Jewish Literature
- 7 The Medieval Alexander
- 8 Alexander the Great and the Crusades
- 9 The Slavic Alexander
- 10 Alexander the Great in Byzantine Tradition, AD 330–1453
- 11 The Spanish Alexander
- 12 The Persian Alexander (1)
- 13 The Persian Alexander (2)
- 14 Alexander in Medieval Arab Minds
- 15 Alexander in the Age of Shakespeare
- 16 Alexander the Great in Opera
- 17 Alexander in the Long Eighteenth Century (c.1660–1830)
- 18 Images of Alexander in Germany
- 19 Alexander the Gay and the Gloryhole That Was Greece
- Index
- References
12 - The Persian Alexander (1)
The Royal Alexander
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2022
Edited by
Book contents
- A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture
- A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Alexander and Alexandria in Life and Legend
- 3 The Image of Alexander in Ancient Art
- 4 Alexander, Philosophy and Rome
- 5 Christianising Alexander Traditions in Late Antiquity
- 6 Alexander in Ancient Jewish Literature
- 7 The Medieval Alexander
- 8 Alexander the Great and the Crusades
- 9 The Slavic Alexander
- 10 Alexander the Great in Byzantine Tradition, AD 330–1453
- 11 The Spanish Alexander
- 12 The Persian Alexander (1)
- 13 The Persian Alexander (2)
- 14 Alexander in Medieval Arab Minds
- 15 Alexander in the Age of Shakespeare
- 16 Alexander the Great in Opera
- 17 Alexander in the Long Eighteenth Century (c.1660–1830)
- 18 Images of Alexander in Germany
- 19 Alexander the Gay and the Gloryhole That Was Greece
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter endeavours to highlight some characteristics of the Persian tradition concerning the heroic aspect of Alexander the Great. Firstly, it states that the royal Alexander was modelled on Kay Khosrow/Cyrus the Great, fitting him within a heroic structure which emphasised an ideal kingship. As a conqueror who became a ‘legitimate Persian king’, Alexander embodies values the Iranians had already brought into their own ideologies of kingship. Therefore, other monarchs during Iranian history tried to link themselves to Alexander, legitimising the transfer of political power and the use of the past in the construction of their image. Secondly, this chapter studies some thematic elements of Alexander’s adventures which were transferred to the other heroes, especially those of the Sistāni cycle of epic. It claims that the influence of the Alexander Romance on this genre goes further than the versions dedicated to Alexander’s adventures, making him as an exemplum, a model of a hero-king.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture , pp. 271 - 287Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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