Tag: Alexander the Great

Citanda: Backpacking to Babylon

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

One of my spiders just dragged this back to my laptop … seems one Theodore May is retracing Alexander’s journey and is documenting his trip in a blog (along with associated tweets) called Backpacking to Babylon. Here’s a bit from the ‘about’ page:

Backpacking to Babylon represents several years of dreaming and planning. This project aims to chronicle Alexander’s long march to Babylon and his legendary rivalry with Darius, and where possible place his exploits in a modern-day context. In viewing the present through the prism of the past, I hope to enrich our understanding of both. Along the way, I hope to share with you many untold stories as well.
In order to do this, I am walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great through seven countries/territories, over eight months, covering 2,000-plus miles, arriving ultimately in the capital of ancient Babylonia, Babylon, the remains of which are found 50-odd miles south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Some readers may quickly reference the Biblical hymn Psalm 137, while others may be more familiar with a popular “modern” interpretation by German disco band Boney M.

This project also aims to explore the limits of new media. Trekking through out-of-the-way places is nothing new — witness the exploits of explorers through the centuries. However, only in the past several years has it become possible for the rest of us at home to come along for the ride.

Check it out at:

Alexander the Great’s Tunnel?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Interesting question over at Ask MetaFilter:

I can’t find much info about it online, the only information I can find is that he supposedly tunneled through Rosh Hanikra after having conquered Tyre, and the tunnel was large enough for him to march his entire army through.

But why is it that can no one find the tunnel? Rosh Hanikra’s site isn’t that sprawling, so wouldn’t there be some sign of it? There were apparently three tunnels that were dug centuries (and millennia later,) but if there was already an existing tunnel, why would anyone need to make new ones? (I’m obviously missing something here– could Alexander’s tunnel have filled up with debris or eroded into nothingness?)

Also where was this event first referenced as having happened?

via Alexander the Great’s lost tunnel | Ask MetaFilter.

… a couple of the responses at MetaFilter suggest they’ve never heard of this purported tunnel, and I haven’t either; links to assorted websites mentioned aren’t really useful either. Have any of rogueclassicism’s learned readers heard of this thing?

Richard Stoneman on Alexander the Great

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Richard Stoneman is the guest in a podcastish sort of thing from Australia’s ABC … not sure what the shelf life of it is:

The Little Mermaid — The Greek Version

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ 1 Comment
DSC00545, Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark....
Image by lyng883 via Flickr

Folks might be aware that the ‘Little Mermaid’ from Copenhagen’s harbour is temporarily residing at the Shanghai World Expo. Some press coverage includes this little tidbit:

“Different cultures have different interpretations of the Mermaid. We have another story of the Mermaid,” said Flora Kotzia, a visitor from Greece.

According to the Greek story, the Mermaid was the sister of Alexander the Great. She was broken-hearted when Alexander died and killed herself by throwing herself into the sea. The gods pitied her and give her life again, but made her half woman and half fish. So she lived in the water and since then she had searched for her brother, asking the crews of passing ships, “Have you seen Alexander the Great?”

via The Little Mermaid — To travel is to live | Xinhua.