Alexander the Great's accomplishments and legacy have been preserved and depicted in many ways. Alexander has figured in works of bothhigh culture andpopular culture from his own era to the modern day. Some of these are highly fictionalized accounts, such as theAlexander Romance.
Alexander andAugustus depicted in aByzantine style painting from 1568. Written on the left is 'Alexander, King of the Hellenes' and 'Augustus, Emperor of the Romans' on the right. From the Katholikon of Docheiariou Monastery,Mt. Athos, Greece.
Daniel 8:5–8 and 21–22 states that a King of Greece will conquer the Medes and Persians but then die at the height of his power and have his kingdom broken into four kingdoms. This is sometimes taken as a reference to Alexander.
Alexander was briefly mentioned in thefirst Book of the Maccabees. All of Chapter 1, verses 1–7 was about Alexander and this serves as an introduction of the book. This explains how the Greek influence reached theLand of Israel at that time.
They say that, once upon a time, the pious Zartosht made the religion, which he had received, current in the world; and till the completion of 300 years, the religion was in purity, and men were without doubts. But afterward, the accursed evil spirit, the wicked one, in order to made men doubtful of this religion, instigated the accursed Alexander, the Roman, who was dwelling in Egypt, so that he came to the country of Iran with severe cruelty and war and devastation; he also slew the ruler of Iran, (6) and destroyed the metropolis and empire, and made them desolate.
Alexander in the Qur'an often is identified in Islamic traditions asDhul-Qarnayn, Arabic for the "Two-Horned One", possibly a reference to the appearance of a horn-headed figure that appears minted during his rule and later imitated in ancient Middle Eastern coinage.[citation needed] Accounts of Dhul-Qarnayn in theQur'an, and so may refer to Alexander. Noteworthy is the fact that his favorite horse was named Bucephalus, which means "ram's head", alluding to the shape of a horned ram at its forehead.
TheShahnameh ofFerdowsi, one of the oldest books written inNew Persian, has a chapter about Alexander. It is a book ofepic poetry written around 1000 AD, and is believed to have played an important role in the survival of the Persian language in the face ofArabic influence. It starts with a mythical history of Iran and then gives a story of Alexander, followed by a brief mention of theArsacids. The accounts after that, still in epic poetry, portray historical figures. Alexander is described as a child of a Persian king, Daraaye Darab (the last in the list of kings in the book whose names do not match historical kings), and a daughter of Philip, a king. However, due to problems in the relationship between the Persian king and Philip's daughter, she is sent back to Rome. Alexander is born to her afterwards, but Philip claims him as his own son and keeps the true identity of the child secret.
He is known asal-Iskandar al-Makduni al-Yunani[4] ("Alexander the Macedonian Greek") inArabic, אלכסנדר מוקדון,Alexander Mokdon inHebrew, andTre-Qarnayia inAramaic (the two-horned one, apparently due to an image oncoins minted during his rule that seemingly depicted him with the two ram's horns of the Egyptian godAmmon), الاسكندر الاكبر,al-Iskandar al-Akbar ("Alexander the Great") inArabic, سکندر اعظم,Skandar inPashto.
Alexander is one of the two principals in most versions of theDiogenes and Alexander anecdote.
The Italian city ofAlessandria is not named for Alexander the Great but forPope Alexander III. However, the Medieval choice of this name was likely influenced by the example of the above cities.
By selecting the right angle of the streets, Alexander made the city breathe with the etesian winds [the northwestern winds that blow during the summer months], so that as these blow across a great expanse of sea, they cool the air of the town, and so he provided its inhabitants with a moderate climate and good health. Alexander also laid out the walls so that they were at once exceedingly large and marvelously strong.
Alexander the Great conquering the air. Jean Wauquelin,Les faits et conquêtes d'Alexandre le Grand, Flander, 1448-1449.
Dante talks well about him in the Convivio and De Monarchia; the position of Alexander in theDivine Comedy, though, is more uncertain, for though there is a reference toan Alexander being punished in the Circle of the Violent (Canto XII), it is not explicit as to whether this is in fact Alexander the Great himself. Alexander, however, is notably absent from Dante's depiction of virtuous pagans (Canto IV).
In 1868Tchaikovsky contemplated writing anopera featuring Alexander the Great, taking place in Greece and Babylon and centering on the relations between Hebrews and Greeks. The plot would have featured a Jewish woman falling in love with Alexander and for his sake leaving her Jewish lover, who eventually becomes a prophet. However, though surviving Tchaikovsky letters include details of this planned opera, its plot and characters, he finally abandoned this plan and chose instead for an opera with a Russian background.[10]
Dutch writerLouis Couperus'Iskander. De roman van Alexander den Groote (1920) is a historical novel about Alexander after his invasion of Asia. Largely based on the Alexander historiansQuintus Curtius Rufus,Arrian, andPlutarch, the novel thematises Alexander's psychological condition during the last years of his life.[12]
Lord Dunsany's playAlexander (1925) is a dramatization of Alexander's life, with fantastic elements. In this work Alexander encounters the godApollo and the Queen of theAmazons.[13]
Robert Payne published a novel in 1954 about Alexander's life,Alexander the God (not to be confused with the Druon novel, below).[16][undue weight? –discuss]
In 1958,Maurice Druon wrote a novel about Alexander,Alexandre le Grand (1958). It was translated into English asAlexander the God (1960) by Humphrey Hare.[17]
Science fiction writerPoul Anderson wrote analternate history story, "Eutopia" (1967), featuring a timeline where Alexander the Great lived to an old age and established a stable empire that endured to modern times as an enlightened, peaceful and advanced Greek-speaking world culture.[19] Similar "Alexandrian timelines" also appear in several other alternate histories by various writers.
Ivan Efremov wrote a historical novelThais of Athens about the life ofhetairaThaïs, as she follows Alexander in his campaigns. Alexander and Thaïs have a love relationship in the novel.[20]
French writerRoger Peyrefitte wrote a trilogy about Alexander the great which is regarded as a masterpiece of erudition:La Jeunesse d'Alexandre,Les Conquêtes d'Alexandre andAlexandre le Grand.[21]
InAlan Moore'sWatchmen, one of the main characters,Ozymandias, goes into detail about how he followed in Alexander the Great's footsteps in order to achieve enlightenment.[22]
Judith Tarr's historical fantasy novelLord of the Two Lands (1993) is about the relationship between Alexander and an Egyptian priestess.[25]
Steven Pressfield's 2004 bookThe Virtues of War is told from thefirst-personperspective of Alexander. Pressfield's novelThe Afghan Campaign is told from the point of view of a soldier in Alexander's army. Alexander makes several brief appearances in the novel.[26]
InFate/Zero, thelight novel authored byGen Urobuchi, Alexander (going by the name Iskandar) appears as the ServantRider, and is referred to as the King of Conquerors.[27]
InNicholas Nicastro's 2004 historical novelEmpire of Ashes, Alexander's career is described from the perspective of a skeptical Athenian soldier/historian who must debunk Alexander's official divinity to save himself from a charge of sacrilege.[28]
"Eye of Ossiris", a sixth season episode ofMacGyver, is centered around the search for Alexander's tomb and the treasure contained within.
Alexander Senki (1997), known asReign: The Conqueror orAlexander in other territories, is ananime TV series, starringToshihiko Seki as Alexander, directed by Yoshinori Kanemori, and with character designs byPeter Chung. The series is based on the novelAlexander Senki byHiroshi Aramata, and fictionalizes the life of Alexander.[33]
The middle episodes ofChanakya, a 1991 Indian TV series based onChanakya, depicts Alexander's invasion of northwestern India, his death, and the rebellion led by native Indian kingdoms under the leadership ofMaurya Empire founderChandragupta Maurya against Alexander's successors in India.
In theSmallville season 1 episode "Rogue",Lex Luthor showsClark Kent the armor that Alexander the Great wore in battle. The breastplate is gold, with red and blue diamonds (the colors that representSuperman), and a snake shaped like the letter S.
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1998), mini-series, hosted byMichael Wood, directed by David Wallace.[34]
In the miniseriesYu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters, Alexander the Great was the main villain in the Capsule Monster World.
Alexander was occasionally featured onHisteria!, depicted as a somewhat egotistical man who liked to make it clear that "I'm great! Ha ha!" The first episode to feature him was "Really Really Oldies But Goodies", which featured a sketch about his habit of naming cities after himself, which leads to a scene where World's Oldest Woman gives Toast multiple directions to different cities called Alexandria. In "A Blast in the Past", Alexander consultsSigmund Freud about his past, fretting about the fact that his father always considered him "pretty good" rather than "great". Finally, in "When Time Collides!", Alexander is shown as the reigning champion on aJeopardy! parody, because all of the correct responses to the answers are centered on him. He even finds a way to win when Charity Bazaar gives the correct response.
The second season of Spike TV'sDeadliest Warrior, which features computer simulated battles between historical warriors, pitted Alexander the Great (portrayed byJason Faunt) againstAttila the Hun, with Attila emerging victorious, with 59.6% of the wins.
Chandragupta Maurya, a 2011-2012 Indian TV series based onMaurya Empire founderChandragupta Maurya, depicts Alexander's invasion of northwestern India, his encounter with a young Chandragupta, and Chandragupta's subsequent rivalry with Alexander's successorSeleucus I Nicator.
Porus, a 2017 Indian TV series based on the life ofPorus, depicts his battle with Alexander, played byRohit Purohit.
In theMarvel Studios miniseriesMoon Knight, Alexander's tomb is discovered, and it is revealed that Alexander was the last avatar of goddessAmmit.
Alexander: The Making of a God, a 2024 British docudrama, on the life and conquests of Alexander, released byNetflix. Greek minister of cultureLina Mendoni criticized the series as "Low quality and historically inaccurate".[35]
StarringColin Farrell as Alexander, directed byOliver Stone. Based on the biographyAlexander the Great (ISBN0-14-008878-4) by Robin Lane Fox. It was released on November 24, 2004.
StarringSam Heughan as Alexander, directed byJalal Merhi. The coming of age of young Alexander, future world conqueror, from his boyhood in Macedonia to his assumption of Regent of the Land. A direct-to-video feature.
Baz Luhrmann had been planning to make a film about Alexander, starringLeonardo DiCaprio, but the release of Stone's film eventually persuaded him to abandon the project.[37]
This Dutch prog band dedicated a full album to the story of Alexander. Track titles include 'Alexander', 'Dareios The Emperor', 'Bagoas', 'Roxane' and 'Babylon'.
Alexander is a leader of the Greeks in five of six games of theSid Meier's Civilization series, and the leader ofMacedon inCivilization VI. He is a lone Greek leader in theoriginal,third andfifth games, a male leader in thesecond game (theAmazonian queenHippolyta being the Greek female leader), and the lone leader of the Greek civilization in thefourth game (untilPericles joins him in an expansion pack) and has the leader traits Aggressive and Philosophical.
In the secondRome: Total War expansion pack,Alexander, Alexander the Great's conquests are chronicled in a campaign and the six battles in the 'Historical Battles' campaign are modeled on Alexander's battles.
Almost all the battles fought by Alexander appear and are playable in the game Ancient Battle: Alexander, the player can also choose to play against Alexander.[38]
In Stainless Steel Studios' 2001 gameEmpire Earth, several of the levels in the Greek campaign revolve around Alexander's conquests. He is also depicted on the game's cover.
In the Chicago level ofTony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, a barber shop is called Alexander the Great Barber shop.
In the 'Fate' series, Alexander the Great is called the Iskander, King of Conquerors. His spirit is resurrected and becomes a Rider-Class servant used to fight for the prize of the Holy Grail. Iskandar is briefly mentioned in the firstvisual novel game and anime seriesFate/stay night as an example of the Rider-class Servant. It was hinted that he was the most powerful of the characters, but died in a two-versus-one battle. He is detailed in full asRider in the prequel,Fate/Zero. He is summonable in the gameFate/Grand Order as both Iskander and Alexander (the latter of which represents Alexander as a boy, also a Rider-class Servant).
InAssassin's Creed II, it is said that a deceased Assassin, Iltani, poisoned Alexander the Great.
InBioShock 2, a now hideously mutated and clinically insane researcher, Gil Alexander, who was a part ofBig Daddy production refers to himself as Alex the Great.
InDante's Inferno, "the great Alexander" is mentioned as being one that had previously tried to battle his way through Hell.
In the fashion ofMike Tyson, many of the enemies in the gameGod Hand will taunt the main character, Gene, by saying "I'm Alexander the Great!" and "You're not Alexander!"
Several games in theFinal Fantasy series feature a being called Alexander that can be summoned in battle and appears as a moving fortress with holy-elemental attacks. While most of these appearances do not seem to be related to the historical Alexander, theMMORPGFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in which he appears as an entire raid dungeon of his own, has made more direct references to Alexander the Great by naming two partitions of the dungeon afterGordias andMidas. An area within Alexander where the player attempts to disable his engine is referred to as theGordian Knot.
Alexander is a playable character in the Mobile/PC GameRise of Kingdoms.
Alexander is the titular protagonist of theChronicles: Alexander the Great expansion ofAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition. He is also mentioned in the campaign based onIsmail I, who calls himself "zamana ahlining Iskandar" in old Oghuz (Turki-yi Ajami), meaning "Alexander of (my) contemporaries".
^Hauben, Hans. "DIVINE MISSION AND HUMAN DESTINY: MAURICE DRUON'S ALEXANDER ROMANCE FIFTY YEARS LATER." Ancient Society 39 (2009): 261-81. Accessed April 11, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/44079927.
^Mendelsohn, Daniel. "Moral conqueror: Mary Renault in the grip of Alexander the Great."TLS. Times Literary Supplement, no. 5774, 29 Nov. 2013, pp. 17+.Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A674625647/AONE Accessed 14 July 2025.
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Death-Bed of Alexander the Great. in 1835,[6] which was followed by