The Tragic Death of Alexander The Great

Alexander was a ruler and conqueror of many lands. He ruled much of the Middle East. Unfortunately, he died at a relatively young age, it is speculated that bacteria cause illness or worsening acute pancreatitis resulted in his last days. There is some doubt, however, that his death was natural. Some sources say and evidence supports that he was murdered, possibly by one of his closest generals.

Alexander the Great was murdered by one of his generals. “It is starting to think that Ptolemy or Rhoxane, two people normally regarded as dependent on and devoted to Alexander, may have wanted him dead…”1 Ptolemy possibly covered up Alexander’s murder. Antipater had the motive to kill Alexander because he had removed him from his post at Macedonian and sent him to Babylon. According to many sources Antipater sent his son Cassander in his place. He sent his son with a drought of toxic water from the river Styx. It was given to Iollas who was Alexander’s wine-pourer who slipped the toxin in his drink3. Shortly after his death, his generals had an important decision to make, what to do with the lands he had conquered. Alexander never appointed an aire to his throne. Alexander’s top generals began to divide the empire amongst themselves.

Towards the end of his campaign, he made his army and even closest generals fearful of him. One of his closest friends became drunk at a banquet and began to criticize Alexander. He lost control and stabbed him to death with a spear. His soldiers began to fear the king even more5. Someone could have taken his life out of fear. “With these two close friends of Alexander dead, the entire army feared the wrath of their commander.”

Ptolemy informs his scholars to write at the end of Alexander’s days. The document is known as the Royal Journals. The scholars were two Greek writers belonging to the Roman Empire. They endorsed the Royal Journals as the most reliable account of Alexander’s final days. Some scholars believed the Royal Journals were falsified to make his death appear natural. Others disagree saying they were just a day-by-day account of what was recorded7. The accounts state that “he felt a stabbing sensation in the back shortly after finishing the cup.”8, which contained wine. Scholars have different accounts of what happened after he fell ill. The Royal Journals claim he came down with a fever after drinking at a friend's house, he later died 10 or 12 days after9. Other sources say he did not feel any initial effects until later that evening, “But around mid-evening, he was seized with intense pain and collapsed. He was taken to his bedchamber where, after days of agony, high fever convulsions and delirium, he fell into a coma and died.”8 However, “Probably all reports of Alexander’s symptoms were spun one way or the other and none can be trusted absolutely.”9 Alexander’s symptoms were alarming even before his death but can stem from many different causes.

Ancient bacteria could have caused symptoms of those experienced by Alexander and may have resulted in natural death. Dr. Katherine Hall is a senior lecturer at the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago, New Zealand, she believes “... he may have contracted the disorder from an infection of campylobacter pylori, a common bacterium at the time.”10 Dr. Hall argues that the disorder would cause paralysis but allow the body to remain alive. As Alexander’s physical state shut down, as his oxygen needs were decreasing, and so did his breathing. Doctors in ancient times relied on breathing not a patient's pulse. It is possible that Alexander was still alive while presumed dead. This would explain why his body did not start decomposing until six days after his death, and as a result, could prove Alexander died of a natural cause.

He was most likely poisoned through alcohol. Alexander loved to party, as a result, he liked to consume alcohol. He was “... struck in the middle of a drinking party, he had just finished a huge cup of wine.”12 He often became depressed nearing the end of his campaign, he turned to drinking, “... his life now consumed by excessive drunkenness.”13 According to historical accounts, Alexander’s body failed to show signs of decay for six days after death. If Alexander had been poisoned with a lethal substance it could have preserved the corpse#. Alexander’s drinking was a solution to his problems; however, it could have made it easier for the attacker to take his life.

Some plants fermented into wine can become deadly14. “... found the most plausible culprit was Vertium album, known as white hellebore. The white-flowered plant, which can be fermented into a poisonous wine…”15 The plant symptoms would match those of Alexander’s over a 12 day period16. “Recent research conducted by Dr. Leo Schep from the National Poisons center in New Zealand suggests that Alexander died from drinking wine from an innocuous-looking planet that when fermented, is incredibly deadly.”17 Some scholars disagree and speculate that the cause of fever was typhoid or malaria, not caused by a substance he consumed18. It was once believed that water from the river of Styx was used to poison Alexander. However, this idea has been debunked due to modern-day testing. It was concluded that the river identified as Styx contains no toxins19. The story of the Styx water-poisoning could have been nothing more than a political smear designed to harm Antipater and Cassander, both were contestants for power after Alexander’s death.

The medical world seems to think that the symptoms described by Alexander were untreated medical conditions. Many modern-day doctors believe that he experienced acute pancreatitis or a form of indigestion. The description of symptoms could bring to mind the possibility of dyspepsia or, in the case of Alexander, either perforated gastric or duodenal ulcer, or acute pancreatitis20. Indigestion commonly produces “heartburn”, a pain below or behind the breastbone, the pain can travel through the chest and cause a stabbing feeling between the shoulder blades just as Alexander experienced. Acute pancreatitis in a young individual often occurs with relatively high alcohol intake. Pancreatitis carries a high mortality rate. The pain is usually described as radiating through your back21. The symptoms include fever, peritonitis and circulatory shock, which can cause the individual to lapse into a coma. The evidence supports the theory that Alexander was killed by one of his leading generals. Despite the evidence disproving this idea, I believe that there are plausible reasons as to why one of his generals took his life. His generals simply wanted his power for themselves.