World History
I read today an interesting article titled Alexander the Great's relationship with alcohol which is from the Addiction, 2003 May;98(5):561-7. It was written by J. A. Liappas, J. Lascaratos, S. Fafouti & G. N. Christodoulou. I could find no online version of this article but an abstract can be found at PubMed.
The article aimed to clarify:
? Whether Alexander indulged pathologically in alcohol.
? If, on the basis of the existing historical evidence, the diagnosis of alcohol abuse, consumption causing harm to health with resulting dependency, or pathological intoxication, as defined by the diagnostic criteria DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association 1992) and ICD-10 (World Health Organization 1992), can be established.
? The social and political context of alcohol use in Alexander?s time and during his military campaigns.
? The probable accuracy of the attribution of alcohol as Alexander?s cause of death.
Was Alexander the Great an alcoholic? The study did not reach a conclusion. It noted, "In conclusion, it appears that Alexander was indeed involved with alcohol. However, bearing in mind the existing historical evidence, the national, social and cultural conditions of the historical period during which Alexander lived, it appears likely that Alexander periodically consumed large amounts of alcohol which resulted in instances of alcoholic or pathological intoxication. The diagnostic criteria of ICD-10 and DCM-IV seem to prove useful in our endeavour to evaluate the involvement of Alexander the Great in the use of alcohol. On the basis of the currently existing phychiatric classification systems, the existing evidence does not support convincingly the idea that Alexander would be ?diagnosed? a posteriori as suffering from either dependence on or abuse of alcohol" (p. 567).
The article has lots of medical jargon but it is understandable. If you are interested in ancient history, this article is worth hunting down in paper.
- Drunkus Maximus: The Power And Purpose Of Alcohol In Ancient Rome.
Drunkus Maximus: The Power and Purpose of Alcohol in Ancient Rome. I found this article at the new issue of Modern Drunkard Magazine online. The author is someone writing under the name Rich English which I think is a pseudonym. While not perfect, and...
- Darius Iii Codomannus
Darius III Codomannus - A tribute to the Persian king defeated by Alexander the Great at Gaugamela in 331 BC. This site includes images, biographical and analytical articles, and links to ancient Persian Web resources. From the site: In 331 BC the Persian...
- Alexander The Great History Project
Alexander the Great History Project - Site provides information about Alexander the Great, his life, his family, his conquests, and his battles, including links to various Alexander the Great sites and resources on the Web. I was prompted to look for...
- Alexander The Not So Great: Through Persian Eyes
He destroyed the great capital of Persepolis and the temples and emblems of the ancient Zoroastrian religion. So, unlike Westerners who tend to see Alexander as a great conqueror and military genius, Iranians do not see him as so great. In an fascinating...
- Alexander The Not So Great: History Through Persian Eyes
Interesting story about how differently Alexander the Great is perceived in Iran than in Greek influenced Western history books. "Indeed," the author argues, "reading some Western history books one might be forgiven for thinking that the Persians existed...
World History
Alexander the Great's relationship with alcohol
I read today an interesting article titled Alexander the Great's relationship with alcohol which is from the Addiction, 2003 May;98(5):561-7. It was written by J. A. Liappas, J. Lascaratos, S. Fafouti & G. N. Christodoulou. I could find no online version of this article but an abstract can be found at PubMed.
The article aimed to clarify:
? Whether Alexander indulged pathologically in alcohol.
? If, on the basis of the existing historical evidence, the diagnosis of alcohol abuse, consumption causing harm to health with resulting dependency, or pathological intoxication, as defined by the diagnostic criteria DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association 1992) and ICD-10 (World Health Organization 1992), can be established.
? The social and political context of alcohol use in Alexander?s time and during his military campaigns.
? The probable accuracy of the attribution of alcohol as Alexander?s cause of death.
Was Alexander the Great an alcoholic? The study did not reach a conclusion. It noted, "In conclusion, it appears that Alexander was indeed involved with alcohol. However, bearing in mind the existing historical evidence, the national, social and cultural conditions of the historical period during which Alexander lived, it appears likely that Alexander periodically consumed large amounts of alcohol which resulted in instances of alcoholic or pathological intoxication. The diagnostic criteria of ICD-10 and DCM-IV seem to prove useful in our endeavour to evaluate the involvement of Alexander the Great in the use of alcohol. On the basis of the currently existing phychiatric classification systems, the existing evidence does not support convincingly the idea that Alexander would be ?diagnosed? a posteriori as suffering from either dependence on or abuse of alcohol" (p. 567).
The article has lots of medical jargon but it is understandable. If you are interested in ancient history, this article is worth hunting down in paper.
- Drunkus Maximus: The Power And Purpose Of Alcohol In Ancient Rome.
Drunkus Maximus: The Power and Purpose of Alcohol in Ancient Rome. I found this article at the new issue of Modern Drunkard Magazine online. The author is someone writing under the name Rich English which I think is a pseudonym. While not perfect, and...
- Darius Iii Codomannus
Darius III Codomannus - A tribute to the Persian king defeated by Alexander the Great at Gaugamela in 331 BC. This site includes images, biographical and analytical articles, and links to ancient Persian Web resources. From the site: In 331 BC the Persian...
- Alexander The Great History Project
Alexander the Great History Project - Site provides information about Alexander the Great, his life, his family, his conquests, and his battles, including links to various Alexander the Great sites and resources on the Web. I was prompted to look for...
- Alexander The Not So Great: Through Persian Eyes
He destroyed the great capital of Persepolis and the temples and emblems of the ancient Zoroastrian religion. So, unlike Westerners who tend to see Alexander as a great conqueror and military genius, Iranians do not see him as so great. In an fascinating...
- Alexander The Not So Great: History Through Persian Eyes
Interesting story about how differently Alexander the Great is perceived in Iran than in Greek influenced Western history books. "Indeed," the author argues, "reading some Western history books one might be forgiven for thinking that the Persians existed...