ABSTRACT
In ancient times, this sort of thing did not happen. I doubt if anyone ever said to Alexander the Great, 'Oh, are you the son of the distinguished King Philip?' Certainly if anyone ever did, Alexander must have killed him on the spot. The influence of the father in this case is psychologically interesting because emulation was combined with hatred. While Philip lived, Alexander feared that his father's victories would leave nothing for him to conquer. When Alexander was twenty, King Philip was assassinated, probably with the connivance of Alexander's mother, whom Alexander loved dearly. When he died at the age of thirty-two, he had conquered all Asia up to and including the Punjab, which left him in no doubt of having eclipsed his father's fame. Aristotle at intervals wrote him professorial letters saying 'Oh fie!' and telling him it was vulgar to take so much interest in barbarians, but Alexander only replied by sending him specimens of the flora of the Indus Valley, together with some elementary geographical information.
