Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/2/2025, 10:02:36 PM
Added description
@philip_the_acarnanian:person {role: "physician to Alexander the Great"}
@dareius:person {role: "conspirator offering gifts and marriage to Philip"}
@letter:document {purpose: "warn Alexander of Philip's plot", author: @parmenio, recipient: @alexander_the_great}
@medicine:concept {prepared_by: @philip_the_acarnanian, intended_effect: "restore strength"}
@macedonia:place {region: "Ancient", modern_equivalent: @greece}
@alexander_medical_incident:event {description: "Alexander drinks medicine prepared by Philip, experiences swoon and loss of voice", when: @date_unknown, where: @macedonia, participants: [@alexander_the_great, @philip_the_acarnanian]}
@parmenio:person {role: "general of Alexander the Great"}
@parmenio -> sent -> @letter {to: @alexander_the_great, when: @date_unknown}
@philip_the_acarnanian -> prepared -> @medicine {purpose: "restore Alexander's strength"}
@philip_the_acarnanian -> offered -> @medicine -> to -> @alexander_the_great {method: "drink", context: "war preparation"}
@alexander_the_great -> received -> @letter {location: @pillow, hidden: true}
@alexander_the_great -> took -> @medicine {from: @philip_the_acarnanian, readiness: true, suspicion: false}
@alexander_the_great -> experienced -> @swoon:event {description: "voice failed, fell into swoon, almost unconscious", cause: @medicine}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @alexander_medical_incident:event {source: "Plutarch's Lives"}
@file_plutarch_lives_alexanderpage_277 -> contains -> @alexander_medical_incident:event {page: 277}Plutarch’s Lives Ἀκαρνὰν μοχθηρὰ μὲν ἑώρα τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν ὄντα, τῇ δὲ φιλίᾳ πιστεύων, καὶ δεινὸν ἡγούμενος εἰ κινδυνεύοντι μὴ συγκινδυνεύσει μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης πείρας βοηθῶν καὶ παραβαλλόμενος, ἐπεχείρησε φαρμακείᾳ καὶ συνέπεισεν αὐτὸν ὑπομεῖναι καὶ πιεῖν, σπεύδοντα ῥωσθῆναι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον. 3ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Παρμενίων ἔπεμψεν ἐπιστολὴν ἀπὸ στρατοπέδου, διακελευόμενος αὐτῷ φυλάξασθαι τὸν Φίλιππον ὡς ὑπὸ Δαρείου πεπεισμένον ἐπὶ δωρεαῖς μεγάλαις καὶ γάμῳ θυγατρὸς ἀνελεῖν675 Ἀλέξανδρον. ὁ δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγνοὺς καὶ μηδενὶ δείξας τῶν φίλων ὑπὸ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον ὑπέθηκεν. ὡς δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ παρόντος εἰσῆλθε μετὰ τῶν ἑταίρων ὁ Φίλιππος τὸ φάρμακον ἐν κύλικι κομίζων, ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἐπέδωκε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ φάρμακον ἐδέξατο προθύμως καὶ 4ἀνυπόπτως, ὥστε θαυμαστὴν καὶ θεατρικὴν τὴν ὄψιν εἶναι, τοῦ μὲν ἀναγινώσκοντος, τοῦ δὲ πίνοντος, εἶτα ἅμα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀποβλεπόντων οὐχ ὁμοίως, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν Ἀλεξάνδρου φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ διακεχυμένῳ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον εὐμένειαν καὶ πίστιν ἀποφαίνοντος, ἐκείνου δὲ πρὸς τὴν διαβολὴν ἐξισταμένου καὶ ποτὲ μὲν θεοκλυτοῦντος καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνοντος τὰς χεῖρας, ποτὲ δὲ τῇ κλίνῃ περιπίπτοντος καὶ παρακαλοῦντος τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον 5εὐθυμεῖν καὶ προσέχειν αὐτῷ. τὸ γὰρ φάρμακον ἐν ἀρχῇ κρατῆσαν τοῦ σώματος οἷον ἀπέωσε καὶ κατέδυσεν εἰς βάθος τὴν δύναμιν, ὥστε καὶ φωνὴν ἐπιλιπεῖν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἀσαφῆ καὶ μικρὰ κομιδῆ γενέσθαι, λιποθυμίας ἐπιπεσούσης. 276Alexander, xix. but Philip the Acarnanian, who saw that the king was in an evil plight, put confidence in his friendship, and thinking it a shameful thing not to share his peril by exhausting the resources of art in trying to help him even at great risk, prepared a medicine and persuaded him to drink it boldly, if he was anxious to regain his strength for the war. Meanwhile, however, Parmenio sent a letter to Alexander from the camp, urging him to be on his guard against Philip, for the reason that he had been persuaded by Dareius, with the promise of large gifts and a marriage with his daughter, to kill Alexander. Alexander read the letter and placed it under his pillow, without showing it to any one of his friends. When the time appointed was at hand, and Philip came in with the king’s companions, carrying the medicine in a cup, Alexander handed him the letter, while he himself took the medicine from him with readiness and no sign of suspicion. It was an amazing sight, then, and one well worthy of the stage,—the one reading the letter, the other drinking the medicine, and then both together turning their eyes upon one another, but not with the same expression; for Alexander, by his glad and open countenance, showed his good will towards Philip and his trust in him, while Philip was beside himself at the calumny, now lifting up his hands towards heaven and calling upon the gods to witness his innocence, and now falling upon the couch on which Alexander lay and beseeching him to be of good courage and obey his physician. For at first the medicine mastered the patient, and as it were drove back and buried deep his bodily powers, so that his voice failed, he fell into a swoon, and became almost wholly unconscious. However, he 277
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