Was Alexander the Great an Alcoholic?

Over the centuries, humans have always been fascinated by the vices and virtues of history’s most consequential figures. As one of the towering figures of history, Alexander the Great often attracts some of the closest scrutiny in this regard.

At the time of his death in 323 BCE, Alexander the Great had conquered a vast empire that stretched across three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. His conquests had a profound impact on the ancient world and left a lasting legacy.

One of Alexander’s worst vices may have been his relationship with alcohol. His biographers chronicled several sessions of especially heavy drinking enjoyed by the Macedonian king. During one such evening of drunken revelry, Alexander murdered a close friend – an act that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

The murder of Cleitus the Black

Cleitus the Black was appointed as a commander of the Greek Cavalry by Philip II, and he held this position throughout the reign of Alexander the Great.

During the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC, Cleitus displayed remarkable valor when he intervened to defend Alexander from the simultaneous attacks of Rhosaces and Spithridates. Cleitus managed to cut off Spithridates’s arm, preventing the Persian satrap from striking Alexander and thus saving the leader’s life.

Following the trial and subsequent execution of Philotas, Cleitus earned further recognition and was subsequently promoted to co-commander of the companion cavalry, one of the most prestigious positions within the military hierarchy.

In 328 BC, Cleitus was appointed to the satrapy of Bactria by Alexander the Great. However, during a banquet held in honor of Dionysus at the satrapial palace in Maracanda (now Samarkand), a dispute erupted between Cleitus and Alexander. Inebriated from the feast, Alexander proclaimed a reorganization of commands, assigning Cleitus the task of leading defeated Greek mercenaries against steppe nomads in Central Asia. Feeling overlooked and resentful, Cleitus openly expressed his dissatisfaction, criticizing Alexander’s accomplishments and legitimacy as king, and attributing his success to his father, Phillip II.

As tensions escalated, Alexander threw an apple at Cleitus and called for a dagger or spear, but others intervened to separate them. Eventually, Cleitus returned to the room to voice further grievances, and in a moment of rage, Alexander hurled a javelin through Cleitus’s heart, resulting in his death.

Cleitus’s motives for the quarrel have been debated, with some suggesting his anger may have stemmed from Alexander’s growing adoption of Persian customs, including the acceptance of practices like proskynesis that were considered degrading by many in the Macedonian army.

When Alexander became sober he was struck with grief. Having murdered his friend, he isolated himself within his tent and refused to eat or drink for three days.

Study questions whether Alexander the Great was an alcoholic

Evidently, Alexander, the Great’s drunken behavior was, to put it mildly, extreme. Nevertheless, this is not enough to ascribe the medical condition of alcoholism.

In 2003, researchers endeavored to discover whether “Alexander the Great indulged pathologically in alcohol and whether it contributed to his death.”

The researchers studied the texts of Diodorus of Sicily, Plutarch, Arrian, Curtius Rufus, Athenaeus, Aelian, and Justin. In particular, they examined references to alcohol consumption by Alexander and the officers in his army.

Ultimately, the researchers concluded that “Alexander consumed large quantities of undiluted wine periodically, reaching pathological intoxication. However, the existing data do not provide convincing evidence that Alexander the Great manifested abuse of or dependence on alcohol according to DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria, and it seems unlikely that alcohol was involved in his untimely death”