ABSTRACT
In 329 bce, Alexander the Great’s rival for the Persian throne, the “pretender” Artaxerxes V, also known as Bessos, satrap of Bactria, was captured and executed, consequently removing the last legitimate threat to Alexander’s succession of Darius III. In Arrian’s account (and primarily in Arrian’s account), Ptolemy plays a major role in the capture of the “pretender.” This paper asks (1) “Why Ptolemy” and (2) “Why the Pretender?” To find the answers, Howe sifts through the early Alexander sources’ historical contexts in the age of the Diadochoi, in much the same way as other scholars have done for the Roman period. By sifting through the different sources, Howe traces not only the evolution of the Bessos story but also its implications for understanding the court of the historical King Ptolemy and its use of the historiographical King Alexander. Howe brings a new perspective to both the Bessos story and Ptolemy’s own royal aspirations and agendas.
