• Reames, Jeanne. Hephaestion's exact age is not known. The third level showed a hunting scene, and the fourth a battle of centaurs, all done in gold. Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Alexandros III of Macedon | Alexander the Great/Hephaistion of Macedon; Summary. Plutarch wrote. A disagreement erupted between Philip and Alexander, a dispute fueled by his friends. Because of this unique closeness, many officers grew extremely jealous. Hephaestion was a member of Alexander the Great's personal bodyguard and the Macedonian king's closest and lifelong friend and advisor. Hephaestion's friendship with Alexander would eventually enable him to be appointed chiliarch or second-in-command. On that occasion superb teamwork would have been of paramount importance. Hephaestion took part in a notable cavalry charge at the battle of the Hydaspes river (326 BC). Diss. It was often said that Craterus was a friend of the king, but Hephaestion was a friend of Alexander. "[65], However, what was the case in Athens was not necessarily the case in Macedon. Hephaestion (Ancient Greek: Ἡφαιστίων Hephaistíon; c. 356 BC  –  October 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. Curtius states that Hephaestion was the sharer of all his secrets;[46] and Plutarch describes an occasion when Alexander had a controversial change to impose and implies that Hephaestion was the one with whom Alexander discussed it and who arranged for the change to be implemented. He employed Stasicrates, "as this artist was famous for his innovations, which combined an exceptional degree of magnificence, audacity and ostentation", to design the pyre for Hephaestion. [84][85] The general Eumenes suggested that divine honors be given to Hephaestion, this was later done. His meal, however, seems to have caused a relapse that led to his rapid death. Plutarch says that "Alexander's grief was uncontrollable" and adds that he ordered many signs of mourning, notably that the manes and tails of all horses should be shorn, the demolition of the battlements of the neighbouring cities and the banning of flutes and every other kind of music. The Ancient History Bulletin. After Issus, Hephaestion was placed in charge of Alexander's naval reinforcements, ordered to follow the army's progress along the Mediterranean coast from Gaza to the city Pelusium on the Egyptian delta - the latter's governor surrendered both the city and its entire treasury without a fight. When the reply came saying he might be worshipped not as a god, but as a divine hero, Alexander was pleased and "from that day forward saw that his friend was honoured with a hero's rites". [99] It is possible that the pyre was not burnt, but that it was actually intended as a tomb or lasting memorial; if so, it is likely that it was never completed, as there are references to expensive, uncompleted projects at the time of Alexander's own death. One evening in Babylon Alexander noticed a high-born woman obliged to dance as part of the entertainment. It is a measure of how high feelings were running over this contentious issue that such a thing should have happened and also an indication of how closely Hephaestion identified Alexander's wishes with his own. It was Hephaestion, along with Craterus and Coenus, who insisted on, and actually carried out, the customary torture. On the day of the funeral, he gave orders that the sacred flame in the temple should be extinguished. [72], Among Alexander's other officers, it is possible that Hephaestion was closest to Perdiccas, because it was with Perdiccas that he went on the mission to take Peuceolatis and bridge the Indus. His first taste of military action was probably the campaign against the Thracians while Alexander was regent, followed by Philip II's Danube campaign (342 BC) and the battle of Chaeronea (338 BC) while he was still in his teens. Hephaestion had been by Alexander’s side since boyhood, and was an obvious target for anyone who wanted to hurt the Great King. Precisely why this should have happened is not known. [94][95], Hephaestion was given a magnificent funeral. Tags. This would have led to internal bleeding, though it would be unusual in that case for death to follow quite as swiftly as it seems to have done here. Hiding behind his guards! [71] The many and varied ways, both spontaneous and planned, by which Alexander poured out his grief are detailed below. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. World History Encyclopedia. Alexander himself named him "Philalexandros"--friend of Alexander--in contrast to his great rival, Craterus (Krateros), who was merely "Philobasileus"--friend of the king. [40] Arrian says that Alexander, after Hephaestion's death, described him as "the friend I valued as my own life". "[15], It is likely, though not certain, that it was Hephaestion who led the advance army from Egypt to bridge the Euphrates river. [53] The ancient sources generally name Hephaestion only as a good and loyal friend of Alexander's. Oddly enough, this jealousy was not limited to the staff for Olympias, Alexander's overly-protective mother, also resented the relationship. In 330 BCE Hephaestion, along with Craterus, spoke against Philotas, the suspected ringleader of the plot, convincing the king that he and the other conspirators should be tortured and executed - this execution also included Parmenio, Philotas' father and the long-time commander from the court of Philip. When he died suddenly at Ecbatana[4] around age thirty-two, Alexander was overwhelmed with grief. Hephaestion, son of Amyntor, was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Hephaestion/. He is eager to pass knowledge on to his students. Hammond sums up their public relationship as follows: "It is not surprising that Alexander was as closely attached to Hephaestion as Achilles was to Patroclus",[48] and "At the time of his death Hephaestion held the highest single command, that of the Companion Cavalry; and had been repeatedly second in command to Alexander in the hierarchy of the Asian court, holding the title of Chiliarch, which had been held by Nabarzanes [de] under Darius. One officer, Craterus, grew to deeply resent Hephaestion (the feeling was mutual), and Alexander had to separate the two on more than one occasion. [3] Theirs was a friendship which had been forged in boyhood. [102], (2) Satrap at Partition of Babylon; possibly Nicanor of Stageira Hephaestion's orders were to "take over either by force or agreement all places on their march and upon reaching the Indus to make suitable preparations for crossing". The pairing of Alexander the Great and Hephaistion is first and foremost Historical RPF.However, in exploring the relationship, fans often draw upon fictional adaptations as much as history. [86], Alexander ordered a period of mourning throughout the empire and "many of the Companions, out of respect for Alexander, dedicated themselves and their arms to the dead man". In the context of the nature of their relationship however, one stands out as remarkable. Great Alexander! Hephaestion’s exact age is not known. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. He quotes sources which suggest that Hephaestion had been approached by Aristion of Athens to effect a reconciliation between Alexander and Demosthenes and, certainly, Athens' inaction during the revolt of the Spartan king Agis would seem to support this idea. Yet given the factions and jealousies that arise in any court and that Hephaestion was supremely close to the greatest monarch the Western world had yet seen, it is remarkable how little enmity he inspired. [54], However, Arrian and Plutarch describe the occasion when Alexander and Hephaestion publicly identified themselves with the Homeric figures of Achilles and Patroclus. Thus Alexander honoured Hephaestion both as the closest of his friends and the most distinguished of his Field Marshals. Bookmark Notes: This is great; finally a story that depicts their relationship as I’d always imagined it: Hephaistion being the devote and possessive protector, and Alexander, with all his faults, being Hephaistion‘s lifelong treasure. [24] They were in unknown territory, whose political and geographical landscapes were unfamiliar, and Hephaestion would have had to make decisions on the spot and act accordingly. the Nature of Their Relationshipl (Jeanne R.eames-Zimmennan, Pennsylvania State University) M . Follow edited Jun 4 '19 at 14:17. answered Jun 4 '19 at 10:48. On the fifth level, also in gold, were lions and bulls, and on the sixth the arms of Macedon and Persia. Later, Plutarch said that the king brought the two together and made them friends again but gave each a warning - he would kill both of them if he ever found them quarrelling again. The subject matter suggests that this took place while they were in Egypt. "It was a remarkable tribute, uniquely paid, and it is also Hephaestion's first mention in Alexander's career. It endured through adolescence, through Alexander's becoming king, and through the hardships of campaigning and the flatteries of court life and their marriages. [33] Hephaestion crossed the Gedrosian desert with Alexander, sharing the torments of that journey and, when the army was safely back in Susa, he was decorated for bravery. Hephaestion was considered handsome by many, and Alexander's father, Philip II, regarded him an excellent influence on his son. [28] Some of the army, including Alexander himself, travelled in boats which had been provided by the sponsorship of leading courtiers. [91] The army, too, remembered him; Alexander did not appoint anyone to take Hephaestion's place as commander of the Companion cavalry; he "wished Hephaestion's name to be preserved always in connection with it, so Hephaestion's Regiment it continued to be called, and Hephaestion's image continued to be carried before it". As Mary Renault says, "This sudden crisis in a young, convalescent man is hard to account for. Map of Alexander the Great's Conquestsby US Military Academy (Public Domain). Next, Hephaestion led the fleet up the Nile River to the Egyptian capital of Memphis where he, Ptolemy, Craterus and Alexander studied Egyptian law and customs. His Own Half: Analyzing the Relationship Between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion Like many aspects of ancient history, the personal relationships of its … Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Aside from their strong personal bond, theirs was also a working partnership in that all that Alexander undertook, Hephaestion was at his side.