====== Alexander & Megalomania ======

This work (by https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki), identified by Frank Redmond, is free of known copyright restrictions.

==== Authored by Frank Redmond, 2012 ==== ''I knew all the time that you, Philip, son of Amyntas, were my father. I only accepted the statement of the oracle because I thought it was good policy.'' I have a hard time believing this statement coming from Alexander in the [[http://lucianofsamosata.info/DialoguesOfTheDead.html|Dialogues of the Dead]]. I've just finished reading the Alexander chapter of the great overview book [[http://www.amazon.com/Egypt-Greece-Rome-Civilizations-ebook/dp/B002BWPWNK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327165225&sr=8-3|Egypt, Greece, and Rome]]. I can't help but think that once Alexander tasted unlimited power, he couldn't help but become a complete megalomanical tyrant. Some of the stories of forced hardship for his troops and over-the-top drinking parties makes him seem incredibly self-absorbed. People were dying left and right due to his instability. He makes other tyrants like Xerxes I seem much more controlled and mild. That's why this quote from Lucian seems so incredible to me. There is no way Alexander believed it was "good policy" to be considered a god. He relished the idea of being a god. Just like the oriental despots he deposed.