Why did King Alexander of Macedonia die?

In the second half of the 4th century BC, King Alexander of Macedonia led an army of 30,000-40,000 people to March eastward, conquered a vast area from Asia Minor to northwest India, and established a huge empire across Europe, Asia and Africa. But it didn't last long. In the summer of 323 BC, when Alexander was actively planning another new expedition in Babylon, he suddenly fell ill and died. Historians have been divided about what kind of disease Alexander died of, and it is still a question that people explore.

Alexander (356 ~ 323 BC) was born in the son of King Philip II, a royal family in the emerging Macedonian country. When I was young, I received the education of advanced Greek culture and was taught by the famous philosopher Aristotle. He loves Homer very much and is obsessed with being an Ashley hero. From the age of 16, I went out with my father to resist the Thracian invasion, participated in the battle of Coronha, and learned a lot of combat techniques and military knowledge. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 20, and successively put down the civil strife in the imperial court, the northern national rebellion and the anti-Macedonian movement in Greek States. In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander entrusted Antipat, the minister, to act as the agent of state affairs, and led the Macedonian-Greek Coalition forces (including 30,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry and 160 warships) to cross the Hellers Strait (now Daniil) and launch an expedition to the Persian Empire.

In 334 BC, Alexander defeated the Persian army for the first time near the Ku River in grani, and even occupied the cities on the west coast of Asia Minor. In 333 BC, near the city of Isu in Silesia, he defeated Darius Iii again, broke into the military camp and captured his mother, wife and two daughters. Alexander was very surprised and full of praise when he saw such a luxurious camp and all kinds of precious decorations. "This is like an emperor!" "In 332 BC, he continued to invade Syria, and many cities in Phoenicia surrendered without a fight. Only Tyre went to the loyal opposition and besieged the city in July. Residents were massacred and 30,000 people were sold as slaves. During the siege of Tyre, King Darius Iii of Persia sent envoys to make peace with Alexander, on condition that he ceded the land for compensation and betrothed his daughter, but Alexander flatly refused. Then, Alexander successfully marched into Egypt and was regarded as the "son of Amon" and the legal heir of the Egyptian Pharaoh when he visited the temple of Amon. Shiva's trip painted a mysterious color on Alexander, which was later rendered into a legend. He also established a city in the Nile Delta and named it Alexandria after himself. In 33 1 year BC, he entered the two river basins and defeated the Persian army at Goga Milla Tree near Nineveh. Darius Iii was shot head-on by Macedonian archers who were ambushing in advance, so he did the same thing again and led the beaten army to escape to Medea. Then, Alexander continued eastward, occupied Babylon, Susa and Persepolis, gained countless treasures of gold and silver, and set fire to the palace. Darius Iii was killed by the Governor of bakht, Bezos, when he escaped. The Ahmenid dynasty of Persian Empire perished, and Alexander became the supreme ruler of Persian Empire. In 329 BC, Alexander went north to Central Asia, invaded Parthia, bakht and Sogdia, and met with stubborn resistance from local people. In the summer of 327 BC, Alexander took advantage of the contradictions among Indian countries, led troops across khyber pass, invaded the Indus Valley, and occupied and conquered several kingdoms in northwest India. Later, due to the resistance of the aborigines, coupled with the hot rain and plague in summer, the soldiers were tired of fighting and were forced to withdraw. In 324 BC, Alexander's army returned to Babylon by sea and land. At this point, the exploration activities that lasted nearly 10 years came to an end.

In the summer of 323 BC, while Alexander was actively planning and preparing a new expedition to the eastern and southern Mediterranean in Babylon, he suddenly fell ill and died. Historians have different opinions about what disease Alexander died of.

Salgues Ye Fu, a scholar of the former Soviet Union, disclosed in the History of Ancient Greece: "Alexander died of falciparum malaria." American scholars Edward McNoel Burns and Li Bili Ralph also wrote in the History of World Civilization: "In 323 BC, he was infected with Babylonian malaria at the age of 32." Another American scholar, General Fuller, further believes in Alexander's new biography that this may be because he was infected with falciparum malaria after fighting barbarians in swamp areas for a long time. At sunset on June 13, he closed his eyes forever. He didn't leave a will, and he didn't designate an heir ... Professor Wu Yuxi, a historian in China, holds the same view.

However, American scholar Duran Will wrote in the History of World Civilization: "After Alexander returned to Babylon, he became addicted to wine day by day. At a banquet, he drank all the wine in a large glass that could hold 6 quarts of wine. The next night, he drank again. That night, the weather suddenly turned bad and cold. He caught a cold, so he was ill in bed 10 days. During this 10 day, Alexander continued to command his army and navy. He died on 1 1 day. When the generals asked him who to give this empire to, he said, "to the strongest." The article "Alexander III" in the Encyclopedia Britannica also holds that "after a long banquet, he suddenly fell ill and died 10 days later, that is, 13 BC." Japanese scholar Omuda Zhang described it in more detail in the book Alexander according to the accounts of ancient Greek historians: "Maybe he drank too much, and Alexander felt feverish all over. The doctor told him to rest at ease, but Alexander couldn't stand the loneliness in the hospital bed. He couldn't help but be tempted by the rich wine, delicious food and intoxicating atmosphere and was addicted to drinking and having fun. Because he refused to take good care of it, he died in just eight days. "Hector Joe Wells, a famous American historian, also said in the Outline of World History:" Alexander was as drunk as a fiddler in Babylon, suddenly fell ill with a high fever and died. "

In addition, Arian, an ancient Greek historian, described in The Expedition of Alexander that Alexander had been drinking and having fun for several days, which led to a cold and fever and finally died. He also described other plots, saying that Antipater gave Alexander a medicine and he died after taking it. He also said that Aristotle made this medicine for Antipat. The medicine was put in the hoof shell of a mule and given to Alexander by Cassander, the son of Antipat. Cassandre's younger brother, Mr Eulas, is Alexander's royal retinue. Not long ago, Alexander wronged him and made him very angry. Others said that the media intervened in this matter, and the media hinted at binge drinking. It is said that Alexander felt a sharp pain after drinking that glass of wine in one gulp, which is also the reason why he left at that time. Plutarch, an ancient Greek historian, has a similar description. He said that no one doubted that Alexander was poisoned at that time, but due to some circumstances six years later, some people thought that Aristotle persuaded Antipat and he also got poison for Antipat. Poison is distilled from the rocks of Nona Kris, and water like ice is contained in the hooves of mules. He said Hagonotis could testify. He had heard about it from Macedonian Wang Antik. However, most people think that this is just a fictional story.

Historians have different opinions on the cause of Alexander's death, and what is the reason remains to be further explored.