Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great Quiz Essay
Historians have long argued that Alexander the Great exhibited signs of alcoholism, which impacted his otherwise solid and productive leadership and may have contributed to his early death. Yet the authors of the article “Alexander the Great’s Relationship with Alcohol,” argue (based on modern medical criteria) that Alexander did not exhibit the signs associated with alcohol dependency or abuse. Why? What are their key arguments? Also, what might we discern from the article about the social role of alcohol in ancient Greek/Macedonian society? How widespread was the use of alcohol and what were its social uses?
Although “Alexander The Great” was an avid drinker, from the article’s information it appears and is well known that consumption of undiluted wine was a custom at feasts between battles and at the official court. Most of the information researched from historians Athenaeus, Aelian, and Plutarch there seems no real evidence to support the idea that Alexander in the last days of his life had a ritual pattern of alcohol abuse leading in death. Some key arguments from this article were historical references stating against his alcohol abuse, nonpermanent symptoms of intoxication with diluted wine, and the duties he still attended to as a ruler of great nations.
Like many of Alexander’s relatives he was a lover of wine. It was customary and a sign of respect to drink in most all social occasions. Alcohol abuse would be a repetitive act in all situations and would make it difficult for him to fulfill his duties performed which he did and had been known to do so as king. The article goes to state that there is historical evidence that alcohol was a social problem in the ancient world, and that people who committed criminal acts such as excessive drinking (being drunk) were punished more strictly than some other crimes. There are references with the theory of alcohol abuse stating that Alexander was capable of carrying out his...

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