MMW 11 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Megasthenes, Seleucus I Nicator, Adapa

• School: UCSD
• Department: Making of the Modern World
• Course: MMW 11
• Professor: Matthew Herbst

Document Summary

The only way to achieve true knowledge is by giving things true definitions. Didn"t provide any concrete philosophy but tore down any and all dogma. Drank unmixed wine and drank to excess. Reformed the army so that they could actually hold their own in war. Had a group of companions (hetairoi) that were his bodyguards/assistants. Promised the greeks liberation from the persians if they joined (there were some dependent cities in anatolia) Took up the greek phalanx and improved upon it. Assassinated at the wedding of his daughter by one of his companions. He was the father of alexander the great. Tried to send people to the pan-hellenic games where you could only enter if you were greek and could prove it. They invented a genealogy that made them greek (said they were descended from heraclitus) Only the elite may have spoken greek. Many think and thought that alexander ordered the hit on his father.