HEAD OF ALEXANDER

The Turkish and foreign visitors who visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museums are usually most concerned to see the Sarcophagus of Alexander and the Head of Alexander, both of which are made of marble. The Head of Alexander is the oldest and most famous bust of this famous king.

Alexander the Great, son of the Macedonian King Phillip II, was born in 356 EC. At the age of thirteen he became a pupil of Aristotle who tried to teach him philosophy, and politics, while Aristotle, like his father, showed interest only in the arts of war. He rode horses, shot arrows and learned to fight with a sword. Whenever he got news of a new victory of his father's he'd complain;

— My father doesn’t let me do anything. One day they brought a beautiful horse to the palace. When none of the king's best riders could mount this wild horse, Alexander came forward. He realized that the horse had been frightened of its own shadow. He turned its head towards the sun and jumped on his back. When King Phillip saw this he called out:

— My son, you will have to find yourself another kingdom. Macedonia is too small for you.

When King Phillip wag stabbed to death Alexander was only 20 years old. He was tall, blonde with a beard that had newly sprouted and large eyes. Astrologers told him that there was no one who could conquer him. He decided to march to Asia and conquer the Persian Empire to the east, the traditional enemy of .Macedonia. In the year 334 BC he crossed the Canakkale Straits to Troy with a well trained army of 30 thousand soldiers and 5 thousand cavalry, and a train of advisors. He had been brought up on the legends of the courage of Achilles of Troy, and learned the Iliad of Homer off by heart. He put on the amour of Achilles that was hidden in the temple at Troy. Anatolia was in the hands of the Persians, who could launch an attack on him at any time. The cities of Anatolia looked upon Alexander as their liberator. He entered the castle gates opened to him like a hero, and in every city appointed a trusted man to be its governor and lowered the taxes. When he was asked why he did not extort high taxes from these rich cities he replied:

— I despise the gardener who cuts the root of a plant whose leaves and fruit would be of use. From Ephesus he went to Miletus and from there to Bodrum. .In seven months he had the shores of the Aegean under his control. He went on to Antalya and took the cities of Perge and Side. From here he turned north to Burdurand Afyon and on a spring day arrived at King Midas' capital of Gordion near Polatli. In the temple was a knot around the yoke of an ox cart. According to legend whoever could undo this knot would become ruler of Asia. Alexander looked at the knot, realized that it could not be undone, pulled out his sword and cut through it. From Gordion he marched to Ankara and from there to the Taurus Mountains. He was in search of the Persian King Darius. He eventually found him near Toprakkale in the autumn of 333 EC. It was the first time that their two armies had met and they fought (desperately Alexander immediately attacked Darius, but the darkness saved Darius from being captured. Abandoning his treasure in his tent he escaped, and Alexander ate his dinner in Darius's tent. He distributed the treasure to his army, keeping a small gold box for himself in which he put the copy of the Iliad which he had hung round his neck. The road to Asia, had opened for Alexander at last, and his legendary journey across Asia began. He decided to go to India after Darius. He went and conquered the enemy but While still young, at the age of 33, he was to die in Babylon.

Now to return to the masterpieces that I mentioned Alexander had sculptors such as Lizipos and Pirgoteles who carved his bust and statue while he was still alive. Unfortunately these works have not survived to the present day. Only copies of them done at the time and later have survived. The Head of Alexander in Istanbul is the oldest of these copies, it was found in excavations at Bergama, and is 42 cm. high. According to experts it was made in the third century BC and most closely resembles the style of Lizipos and descriptions of Alexander. His eyes have a misty appearance and it is as if he is staring into the distance. His hair is like a lion's mane, his mouth is slightly open and his head bent slightly to the left. It is truly a work of art. Some say that it is more interesting than the portrait of Alexander in the Louver.

The Head of Alexander was exhibited at the exhibition of Turkish Art Treasures which was held in America between 1906 and 1967.