The ancient city of Troy was just as famous to the ancient Greeks as it is to us today. For this reason, people sometimes liked to visit the city. Alexander the Great is one of the figures on record as having visited Troy. When did this visit happen, and what did Alexander do while he was there?
When Alexander the Great visited the city of Troy
In 334 BCE, Alexander the Great engaged in a war campaign against the mighty Persian Empire. To do so, he first invaded Anatolia, the closest region of the Persian Empire to Greece.
Alexander crossed the Hellespont, thus stepping from Europe into Asia. Upon doing so, he arrived in Troad, the region surrounding the city of Troy. Despite the fact that he was on a monumental military campaign, Alexander the Great decided to take the time to visit Troy.
This was not a mere glance at the city. Rather, Alexander spent an extended period of time in Troy, visiting a variety of key locations in the city itself and the surrounding area. Based on documentary evidence, what exactly did Alexander do while there?
Visiting the tombs of the heroes
One of the main things that Alexander the Great reportedly did while on this visit to Troy was visit the tombs of the heroes. These heroes were the ones mentioned in the Iliad, composed by Homer in the seventh century BCE.
Just as is the case today, the Iliad was very famous among the ancient Greeks. Therefore, it makes sense that Alexander would have wanted to visit the final resting places of the most famous characters in that story. According to Diodorus Siculus:
“He visited the tombs of the heroes Achilles, Ajax, and the rest and honored them with offerings and other appropriate marks of respect.”
The traditional tomb of Achilles is not in Troy itself, but in Achilleion, another settlement in the Troad, while the traditional tomb of Ajax was in yet another settlement, Rhoiteion. Hence, Alexander the Great’s visit involved more than just visiting the city of Troy itself.
Alexander the Great visits the Temple of Athena in Troy
Another thing which Alexander the Great did while in Troy was visit the Temple of Athena. This was a famous temple and features in Homer’s Iliad. Once again, this shows why it was logical for Alexander to want to visit it.
Plutarch merely says that Alexander made a sacrifice to Athena while there. Diodorus provides us with some background to this, explaining that Alexander’s sacrifices were motivated by more than just a respect for the history behind the Iliad.
According to Diodorus, one of Alexander’s men noticed several omens in the area and then informed the king that he would be victorious in his exploits, as Athena would support him. Thus, Alexander decided to make sacrifices to her.
Not only did he offer sacrifices to her, but Diodorus states that he also dedicated his own armor to Athena. He then tells us that Alexander took the finest panoply, or suit of armor, that had been deposited at the temple and used it in his first battle, during which he achieved a resounding victory.
Thus, Alexander the Great’s visit to Troy apparently ended up being beneficial for him and was not undertaken merely to satisfy his curiosity.
