LXXVII.  Most of the above is copied, word for word, from Alexander’s household diary.  No one had any suspicion of poison at the time; but it is said that six years after there appeared clear proof that he was poisoned, and that Olympias put many men to death, and caused the ashes of Iolas, who had died in the mean time, to be cast to the winds, as though he had administered the poison to Alexander.

Some writers say that Antipater was advised by Aristotle to poison Alexander, and inform us that one Hagnothemis declared that he had been told as much by Antipater; and that the poison was as cold as ice, and was gathered like dew, from a certain rock near the city of Nonakris, and preserved in the hoof of an ass:  for no other vessel could contain it, because it is so exceedingly cold and piercing.  Most historians, however, think that the whole story of Alexander’s being poisoned was a fiction; and this view is strongly supported by the fact, that as Alexander’s generals began to fight one another immediately after his death, his body lay for many days unheeded, in hot and close rooms, and yet showed no signs of decay, but remained sweet and fresh.  Roxana, who was pregnant, was regarded with great respect by the Macedonians, and being jealous of Statira, she sent her a forged letter, purporting to come from Alexander and asking her to come to him.  When Statira came, Roxana killed both her and her sister, cast their bodies down a well, and filled up the well with earth.  Her accomplice in this crime was Perdikkas, who on the death of Alexander at once became a very powerful man.  He sheltered his authority under the name of Arrhidaeus, who became the nominal, while Perdikkas was the virtual king of Macedonia.  This Arrhidaeus was the son of Philip by a low and disreputable woman named Philinna, and was half-witted in consequence of some bodily disorder with which he was afflicted.  This disease was not congenital nor produced by natural causes, for he had been a fine boy and showed considerable ability, but Olympias endeavoured to poison him, and destroyed his intellect by her drugs.

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 394:  On the subject of serpent worship, see in Smith’s ‘Dictionary of the Bible,’ art.:  ‘Serpent,’ and ‘Brazen Serpent.’]

[Footnote 395:  The Greek month Hekatombaeon answers to the last half of our July and the first half of August.]

[Footnote 396:  Cf.  Horace, Carm. iii. 22.]

[Footnote 397:  Reciters of epic poems, the cantos of which were called ‘rhapsodies.’]

[Footnote 398:  The same indifference to athletic sports, as practised in Greece, is mentioned in the Life of Philopoemen.  The pankratium is sometimes called the pentathlum, and consisted of five contests, the foot-race, leaping, throwing the quoit, hurling the javelin, and wrestling.  No one received the prize unless he was winner in all.  In earlier times boxing was part of the pentathlum, but hurling the javelin was afterwards substituted for it.]