Plutarch's Lives: Excerpts on Alexander the Great

Version: 11 (current) | Updated: 12/3/2025, 3:18:20 AM

Added PINAX metadata

Description

Plutarch's Lives: Excerpts on Alexander the Great

Overview

This is a digital collection of Greek-language excerpts from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, focusing on Alexander III of Macedon. The material is assembled in the PINAX repository and is catalogued under the Alexander Institute. It comprises five text files (pages 275, 277, 279, 281, 283) that together present a narrative of Alexander’s campaigns, medical incidents, and interactions with Persian captives. The collection bears no explicit publication date; the source metadata records the creation date as “0000‑00‑00,” indicating a placeholder.

Background

Plutarch (c. 46–119 CE) was a Greek biographer and moralist whose Lives juxtaposed Greek and Roman figures. The excerpts in this collection draw from Plutarch’s account of Alexander’s eastern campaigns, particularly the Battle of Issus and subsequent events. The Alexander Institute, a modern scholarly organization, has digitised these passages for research purposes, and the collection is held in the PINAX digital archive. Copyright status is listed as “Unknown.”

Contents

The collection covers a range of key episodes:
  • Battle of Issus (333 BCE): Tactical details, personal exchanges, and the aftermath, including the capture of Persian spoils and the retreat of Darius III.
  • Medical Incident: Alexander’s consumption of a medicinal drink prepared by Philip the Acarnanian, followed by a swoon and a warning letter from General Parmenio about a potential plot.
  • Treatment of Captives: Alexander’s humane handling of Darius’s family—allowances, burial permissions, and the dispatch of a messenger to inform them that Darius was alive.
  • Geographic Context: References to Cilicia, Syria, Susa, Persia, Damascus, the Pinarus River, and Macedonia.
  • Supplementary Events: Brief mentions of Alexander’s illness in Cilicia and other ancillary incidents.

Scope

The material is confined to the late 4th‑century BCE, focusing on Alexander’s eastern campaigns and immediate interactions with Persian forces and captives. It does not include earlier or later battles, broader political developments of the Persian Empire, or the full biographies of either figure. The collection is strictly historical and biographical, presented in Koine Greek, and is intended for scholars of ancient history, military studies, and the history of medicine.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:metadata {id: "01KBGGZKAMGQZJA9Z13WYARK7K", title: "Plutarch's Lives: Excerpts on Alexander the Great", type: "Collection", creator: @plutarch, institution: @alexander_institute, created: @date_0000_00_00, language: "grc", rights: "Unknown", source: "PINAX", description: "A collection of excerpts from Plutarch's Lives detailing various aspects of Alexander the Great's life, including battles, medical incidents, and treatment of captives.", subjects: ["Alexander the Great","Darius III","Battle of Issus","Ancient Greece","Ancient Persia","Military History","Macedonian phalanx","Ancient Greek literature","Biography","Medicine","Historical events","Persian Empire","Ancient Rome"], place: ["Cilicia","Syria","Susa","Persia","Damascus","Pinarus River","Macedonia","Persian Empire","Ancient Greece","Ancient Rome"]}


@file_pinax -> documents -> @battle_of_issus:event


@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_275


@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_277


@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_279


@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_281


@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_283


@file_pinax -> subject -> @alexander


@file_pinax -> subject -> @darius


@file_pinax -> subject -> @battle_of_issus:event


@file_pinax -> subject -> @alexander_medical_incident:event


@file_pinax -> subject -> @alexander_captives_treatment:event


@alexander_experiences:concept {description: "Series of key events in Alexander the Great's life documented in the PINAX collection"} 


@alexander_experiences -> includes -> @battle_of_issus:event


@alexander_experiences -> includes -> @alexander_medical_incident:event


@alexander_experiences -> includes -> @alexander_captives_treatment:event


@medicine:concept {type: "poisoned drink", administered_by: @philip, prepared_by: @philip_the_acarnanian, intended_effect: "restore strength"}


@sickness:concept {cause: "bath in @cydnus_river", description: "sickness attributed to fatigue or cold water"}


@illness:concept {cause: "bath in @cydnus_river", description: "sickness attributed to fatigue or cold water"}


@sickness -> same_as -> @illness


@alexander -> experienced -> @alexander_medical_incident:event


@alexander -> fought -> @battle_of_issus:event


@alexander -> treated -> @alexander_captives_treatment:event

Metadata

Title
Plutarch's Lives: Excerpts on Alexander the Great
Type
Collection
Creator
Plutarch
Institution
Alexander Institute
Created
-0333
Language
grc
Subjects
Alexander the Great, Darius III, Battle of Issus, Ancient Greece, Ancient Persia, Military History, Macedonian phalanx, Ancient Greek literature, Biography, Medicine, Historical events, Persian Empire, Ancient Rome, Plutarch, Historical Narratives, Ancient Battles, Alexander the Great's campaigns, Alexander the Great's medical incidents, Alexander the Great's treatment of captives
Rights
Public Domain
Place
Cilicia, Syria, Susa, Persia, Damascus, Pinarus River, Macedonia, Persian Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Belus Temple
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v11 (current) · 12/3/2025, 3:18:20 AM
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v10 · 12/3/2025, 2:44:11 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v9 · 12/2/2025, 10:03:21 PM · View this version
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/2/2025, 9:59:13 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/2/2025, 9:55:01 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/2/2025, 9:50:03 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v5 · 12/2/2025, 9:50:01 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBGGPEMR197ZQ82GDES5BNN1"
  • v4 · 12/2/2025, 9:50:00 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBGGPDB3GT9WEPXZ33D7H7KN"
  • v3 · 12/2/2025, 9:49:58 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBGGPBRNVAD30B82JQ3BHA7F"
  • v2 · 12/2/2025, 9:49:57 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBGGPAJT7SNKZ2G6QBMA2FXQ"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The organizational strategy prioritizes thematic coherence by grouping files based on narrative content from Plutarch's 'Lives of Alexander.' Primary groups focus on military campaigns (battle narratives), specific opponent interactions (Darius), medical incidents, and treatment of captives. Overlap occurs where content spans multiple themes (e.g., battle narratives that also discuss Darius). All files are accounted for in logical groups without artificial single-group assignments.

## Groups Created

- **plutarch_lives_alexander_battle_narrative**: These files contain continuous narrative excerpts from Plutarch's 'Lives' focusing on Alexander's military campaigns and battles, particularly against Darius.
- **plutarch_lives_alexander_darius_interactions**: Files detailing specific interactions between Alexander and Darius, including battle strategies, dreams, and aftermath.
- **plutarch_lives_alexander_medical_incidents**: Files containing accounts of Alexander's illness and medical treatment, including the Philip incident.
- **plutarch_lives_alexander_captives_treatment**: Files describing Alexander's treatment of Darius's family members after their capture.

Parent

↑ 01KBGGMH5397ZAMYMQ4AWEESPV

Children (4)