Death of Alexander the Great

The death of Alexander the Great happened long ago and has been talked about a lot. According to a record from ancient times called a Babylonian astronomical diary, Alexander passed away in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in a city called Babylon. This happened between the evening of 10 June and the evening of 11 June in the year 323 BC. He was only 32 years old.

When people in Macedonia and the local people heard about his death, they felt very sad. Some people from the Achaemenid empire showed their sadness in special ways. Even Sisygambis, the mother of a king named Darius III, became very sad after hearing the news.

Historians have different ideas about what caused Alexander’s death because the old records they study don’t always agree. This means people still wonder about what really happened to him.

Background

In February 323 BC, Alexander got his armies ready to travel to Babylon. After they crossed the Tigris River, he met Chaldeans, wise people who told him not to enter Babylon then. They said he should use a special gate to avoid bad luck, but the way was hard because of swampy ground.

A wise man named Calanus who had traveled with Alexander’s army decided to end his own life because he was too weak to keep going. Alexander tried to stop him, but Calanus would not change his mind. He was given a special fire, and before it began, he told Alexander, “We shall meet in Babylon,” which many thought was a sign that Alexander would also pass away there.

Causes

Alexander became very sick and passed away on June 10, 323 BC when he was 32 years old. He was ill for about two weeks with a fever. Many ideas exist about why he died. Some think it was an infection, like malaria or typhoid fever, because these sicknesses were common in Babylon at the time. Others have thought about poisoning, but there is not much proof for this.

Some believe Alexander might have had a sickness such as influenza or a problem with his spine. However, without seeing his body, it is hard to know the real reason he died. His body is said to have started changing six days after he passed away.

Body preservation

Long ago, people wanted to keep Alexander the Great's body safe for two years after he died. Some stories say his body was placed in a container of honey. Others say that special people from Egypt and Chaldea checked his body and said he still looked very lifelike. This was thought to be because of a sickness called typhoid fever.

Tomb

Main article: Tomb of Alexander the Great

After Alexander the Great died, his body was taken toward Macedonia. One of his generals, Ptolemy I Soter, met the cart carrying the body in Syria. He moved the body to Egypt where it was first buried. Later, the body was moved to Alexandria. Important leaders visited the tomb over the years. Some people said they saw the tomb in Alexandria long after. There are stories that the tomb might be hidden under an old church.