Mystery of Alexander the Great's death solved?

[neoptolemos]

Mystery of Alexander the Great's death solved? Ruler was 'killed by toxic wine' claim scientists

A leading toxicologist has said that Alexander the Great may have died after drinking wine made from a poisonous plant that would have cause a slow and painful death

Alexander the Great may have been killed by toxic wine made from a poisonous but harmless-looking plant, scientists have claimed.

The mystery of why the Greek King of Macedon, ruler of the largest empire in the ancient world, died at just 32 has baffled historians and scientists for over 2000 years.
Some argue that he passed due to natural causes while others believe he was secretly murdered using poison at a celebratory banquet.
His death in 323BCE came at the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon after he developed a fever and soon became unable to speak and walk. He was ill for 12 days.
Dr Leo Schep, a toxicologist from New Zealand’s National Poisons Centre says it is impossible that poisons such as arsenic were to blame - as cited in some theories - as death would have come too fast.
Instead, in his new research, Dr Schep argues that the most likely culprit was Veratrum album, a poisonous plant from the lily family also known as white or false hellebore.
Often fermented by the Greeks as a herbal treatment for inducing vomiting, importantly, it could account for the 12 days it took for the leader to die.
It would also match an account of Alexander the Great’s death written by ancient Greek historian Diodorus, who said he was struck with pain after drinking a large bowl of unmixed wine in honour of Hercules.
“Veratrum poisoning is heralded by the sudden onset of epigastric and substernal pain, which may also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, followed by bradycardia and hypotension with severe muscular weakness. Alexander suffered similar features for the duration of his illness,” the research, printed in the medical journal Clinical Toxicology says.
Dr Schep has been working on the mystery for over 10 years after he was approached by a team for a BBC documentary in 2003.
“They asked me to look into it for them and I said, 'Oh yeah, I'll give it a go, I like a challenge' - thinking I wasn't going to find anything. And to my utter surprise, and their surprise, we found something that could fit the bill,” he told The New Zealand Herald.
Dr Shep does however caution that despite his theory, the actual cause of death cannot be proven: “We'll never know really,” he says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...s-9054625.html

thoughts?

[andry18]

it's a theory like another. the real cause of his dead? unfortunately difficult to say, unless we discover the body

[Condottiere 40K]

CSI: Alexandria

[Prince Regent George]

To be honest, simple similarities between the symptoms isn't very convincing (at least, for me), but I recognize that the theory has some merit.
However, I would point you to another theory, more "Agatha Christish".

As you know, the possibility of murder had not been totally rejected, in the Antiquity (even Olympias, the admittedly a bit paranoid mother of Alexander III, had dishonoured the remains of Iolaus, the suspected murderer of Alexander).
Let's begin with the murder of Philip II of Macedon.
Nowdays, almost nobody doubts that Olympias had encourage Pausanias to murder the king and it's rather probable that Alexander was also involved, considering that from an isolated son, he became the undisputed ruler of the Kingdom, killing all the potential opponents. However, the support of the two, politically powerful generals, Parmenio and Antipater was essentlial for the success of the coup. Facing a de facto situation, as well as the offers of Alexander, both of them quickly supported him. As a result, Antipater was appointed governor of Macedon, commanding several housands of soldiers, while Parmenio was the second-in-command during the Persian campaign.

After the defeat of Darius III, Alexander, not being afraid of any other enemy, managed to assasinate Parmenio in Ecbatana, but he couldn't do the same thing to Antipater, considering the aforementioned soldiers he (Antipater) had with him. However, after the Indian campaign, his army's strength and popularity easily surpassed the ones of Antipater, so he sent Craterus having ordered him to replace Antipater with thousands of veterans, in order to discourage Antipater from resisting.

Surprisingly, Cassander, son of Antipater, comes to Alexander, with the failed intention to clear his father's fame. Even more surprisingly, when Craterus reaches Asia Minor, Alexander dies (Iolaus, the main suspect, was the second son of Antipater), so Antipater never leaves the office. I'm aware that what I've written is almost entirely based on assumptions, but I still consider it as a valid theory. It may have been a coincidence, it may not...

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

Come one guys, it was pretty clearly the Jews who did it. It's always the Jews.

[Cyclops]

Come one guys, it was pretty clearly the Jews who did it. It's always the Jews.

Hah, thats what the Illuminati want you to think!

I will explain it all clearly but I just have to answer that knock on the door....

[thump]

[KEA]

Often fermented by the Greeks as a herbal treatment for inducing vomiting

Could have been accidently as an overdosage in the attempt to make him vomit the, probably lethal, mass of un-watered wine.

[neoptolemos]

Could have been accidently as an overdosage in the attempt to make him vomit the, probably lethal, mass of un-watered wine.

That's actually a very good assumption.

[Kitsunegari]

I posted a link to this website a while back, Antipater seems a likely culprit: http://www.grahamphillips.net/alexander/alexander_2.htm

[Dago Red]

Could have been accidently as an overdosage in the attempt to make him vomit the, probably lethal, mass of un-watered wine.

Obviously you do not drink wine. There is no lethal dose of this nectar from the Gods.....

It's an interesting theory. The best evidence -- other than actually finding his body -- is to find more written accounts of the ordeal and the players involved. Ptolemy must have written something... somewhere.

[Admiral Piett]

Alexander and Hephaestion both died in eerily similar ways. You'd think if he were suffering from malaria or west nile as was suggested in India, that this would have more clearly shown in his campaigns. But he played an active role in the wars along the Indus River, nearly costing his own life. Typhoid usually doesn't kill that quickly.

[Holger Danske]

Ptolemy must have written something... somewhere.

And unfortunately I believe the truth about Alexander's death (and much of his life) was lost with the Royal Library of Alexandria. Needless to say I'm a fan of the murder theory as a man with as much accumulated power would naturally be surrounded by enemies, even among his own ranks.

[conon394]

And unfortunately I believe the truth about Alexander's death (and much of his life) was lost with the Royal Library of Alexandria. Needless to say I'm a fan of the murder theory as a man with as much accumulated power would naturally be surrounded by enemies, even among his own ranks.

But lets not forget the man suffered a lot serious wounds, lived hard and drank even harder...

http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/visu...-the-great.php

Acute wound care looks good in his army but illness not so much

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454194

So its difficult to rule out 'natural' causes. If we poisoned there is no good way to how, but I was going to pick a culprit I not finger Antipater

He was the most secure - He had his own victory and ruled Macedonia in the traditional way - no Persian fusion crap. Alexander was a distant memory to the locals. He was being summoned to see Alexander and that had recently been a death sentence more often than not. Especially to those who had been Philips's close advisers and warlords. In addition he a ready set of allies in rebellion with or without A's death. The Greeks who rose in the Lamian war would almost certainly have joined a rebellion or defense of Greece with Antipater vs Alexander's kingdom and his demands. Craterus' return looks very much like an arrest. Its also hard to understand how Athens was allowed to collect and pay thousands of mercenaries under a veteran Athenian general in southern Sparta (and given the known political view of the men leading Athens) if Antipater was not collecting allies and assets (the Democracy was true its words open - top secret was almost impossible one day in port would likely have showed who was paying to keep unemployed mercenaries 'unemployed'. Antipater looks more like he was aiming to fight not assassinate, especialy since that would leave him isolated from the decision making after since he could not be johnny on the spot.

[AqD]

But lets not forget the man suffered a lot serious wounds, lived hard and drank even harder...

http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/visu...-the-great.php

How could anyone in classical era ever survive an arrow through lung?

[neoptolemos]

How could anyone in classical era ever survive an arrow through lung?

If he was extremely lucky and he had a considerable wound care, he could survive.
Remember that there were people who survived skull trepanism...

[Petrucci]

I thought this thread would be about possible place of his grave...