Date:
Location:
The Standing Committee on Medieval Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Aga Khan Fund, & the Association for Central Asian Civilizations & Silk Road Studies
Dr. Michael Barry
Princeton University
When Alexander reached India in 326 BC, connecting Greek and Indian civilizations, austere Brahmins predicted his inevitable death despite all the king’s victories and attempts to be regarded as divine; by the time Alexander returned to Babylon where he died in 323 BC, Mesopotamian legends crystallizing around his person assimilated him to Gilgamesh: conquering hero, yet mortal fated to die; medieval Persian “Alexander Romances” and their exquisite illuminators all dwelt upon this tragic theme.
Sponsors: Standing Committee on Medieval Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Aga Khan Fund, Association for Central Asian Civilizations & Silk Road Studies (ACANSRS)
Contacts: Justine Landau, Sheida Dayani