Little from the

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...

written by and to

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

is preserved today, and much of what purports to be his correspondence is in fact fictitious. The

autograph manuscript An autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author's or composer's hand. The meaning of autograph as a document penned entirely by the author of its content, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist o ...

s are all lost. Only a few official letters addressed to the Greek cities survive because they were inscribed on stone, although some of these are official instructions (

writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

s) and not true letters. The content of others is sometimes reported in historical sources, such as

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. ''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...

and

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

, but only occasionally do these sources seem to quote such letters. Only a small fraction of Alexander's correspondence is thus accessible today, and even less of his actual words.

Lionel I. C. Pearson Lionel I. C. Pearson (30 January 1908 – 18 September 1988) was a British classical scholar. Career Lionel Ignatius Cusack Pearson was born in London on 30 January 1908, the son of Arthur Anselm and Ellen Cusack Pearson. He is a graduate of Tr ...

(1955), "The Diary and the Letters of Alexander the Great", ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'' 3(4): 429–455, at 443–450. An archive of correspondence was maintained at Alexander's headquarters. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but Plutarch reports in his biography of

Eumenes Eumenes (; grc-gre, Εὐμένης; c. 362316 BC) was a Greek general and satrap. He participated in the Wars of Alexander the Great, serving as both Alexander's personal secretary and as a battlefield commander. He later was a participant in t ...

that after Alexander burned down Eumenes' tent, "he wrote to the satraps and strategoi .e., governorseverywhere telling them to send copies of the destroyed documents and ordered Eumenes to take them all in." The letters of Alexander to

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...

and Priene are preserved on stone. Plutarch cites 31 letters written by or to Alexander. He accepts them as genuine, but modern scholarship is divided. The general opinion has been to assess the purported letters on a case-by-case basis, recognizing that some are forged.

Elizabeth Carney Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

(2006), ''Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great'' (Routledge), pp. 3, 131. The several letters attributed to Alexander in the '' Alexander Romance'' cannot be taken at face value and certainly do not represent the original form or words of any actual letters that might lie behind them. Among the literary creations of the ''Romance'' are Alexander's correspondence with his mother,

Olympias Olympias ( grc-gre, Ὀλυμπιάς; c. 375–316 BC) was a Greek princess of the Molossians, and the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip II, the king of Macedonia a ...

; the Persian king,

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

; his tutor,

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

; the city of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

; the

Kandake Kandake, kadake or kentake ( Meroitic: 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 ''kdke''),Kirsty Rowan"Revising the Sound Value of Meroitic D: A Phonological Approach,"''Beitrage zur Sudanforschung'' 10 (2009). often Latinised as Candace ( grc, Κανδάκη, ''Kandak� ...

, an African queen; and the legendary

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...

.Krzysztof Nawotka (2017), ''The Alexander Romance by Ps.-Callisthenes: A Historical Commentary'' (Brill), pp. 7–9. A letter to Olympias, corresponding to that in the ''Romance'', is also mentioned in Arrian. The apocryphal letter to Aristotle on India circulated independently and widely, being translated into many languages and accepted as authentic throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

.Faustina Doufikar-Aerts (2010), "A Letter in Bits and Pieces: The Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem Arabica. A First Edition with Translation Based on Four 16th–18th-century Manuscripts", in R. Kerr and T. Milo (eds.), ''Writings and Writing from Another World and Another Era in Honour of J. J. Witkam'' (Archetype), p. 91.

References

Further reading