Why did Caesar the Great admire Alexander the Great?

After 323 BC, almost all ancient figures in the Mediterranean world worshiped Alexander. I am only exaggerating.

Alexander as depicted in the Alexander Mosaic. Of all the depictions of Alexander the Great - and there are many, spanning many different cultures - the one found in Pompeii is the most famous.

How Caesar worshiped Alexander is actually a question of how the world worshiped Alexander, so we must start from this question.

Fans of the Alexander Movement

In Caesar's time, people had a deep respect for Alexander. In early Hellenistic times, generals and companions who fought for the Macedonian Empire gained prestige by emulating him, especially in battle. When they founded their kingdom, they even depicted him on their coinage.

Coins issued by Lysimachus, the king of Diadox ("successor") who ruled Thrace. The obverse shows Alexander with horns, as he is usually depicted on coins. The horns symbolized his status as the son of Zeus-Ammonite, which was confirmed by the oracle of Siwa. The reverse shows Athena.

Shortly after Alexander's death, legends began to spread, some of which may have been suggested by the Diadokhoi themselves. These stories inspired generations of conquerors and statesmen.

By the first century BC, Alexander had achieved legendary status, and many, such as the diadokhoi, considered him a figure worth emulating.

The Romans and Alexander

Alexander’s legacy was not lost in the hearts of the Romans. They read about Polybius in his history and had access to memoirs and stories about his exploits.

Statue of the Greek historian Polybius who was imprisoned by the Romans. He wrote an account of the history of the Mediterranean world, including Alexander the Great.

Roman statesmen sometimes mentioned Alexander in their rhetoric. According to Plutarch, when Crassus announced his plan to invade the Parthians, he said he would overtake Alexander by conquering the east as far as the Indus.

Obviously, he didn't mean it literally. Mentioning Alexander's conquests was a way of emphasizing a great undertaking, somewhat like the work of Hercules. This is why Alexander became a legend.

Think again, maybe Crassus should not have participated in that battle in the first place...

The Romans who admired Alexander the most were themselves conquerors and wanted to be conquerors. It's not a coincidence either. Pompey was a successful Roman general and rival of Caesar who sported Alexander's famous haircut and called himself Magnus, or "The Great," an apparent callback to Alexander's nickname.

Bust of Pompey the Great. Although the painting dates from the 1st century AD, it is based on works from the Pompeii era.

All this shows that Caesar was not the only one who worshiped Alexander the Great, as everyone worshiped Alexander the Great, especially someone as ambitious as Caesar or Pompey.

It is no wonder that Caesar respects him particularly. Alexander had grown larger than ordinary people while he was still alive. The legacy he left after his death was almost the same as that of Hercules. Caesar, a man with great ambitions, would definitely aspire to be like him.

Caesar weeps before the statue of Alexander. There is a story that Caesar cried when he saw the statue because he felt he had not accomplished much compared to Alexander.