ABSTRACT
As it is demonstrated in this chapter, age is one of the factors that matter in the reception of Alexander and his status as both an exemplary and a paradigmatic young man. In the first subchapter, the reception of Alexander as a boy and his childhood are examined. The boy Alexander behaves in the texts as aristocratic males were expected to when they would be able to exercise power. In addition, self-controlled masculinity and competitive spirit as ideals are also visible in the presentation of Alexander's childhood. In the second subchapter, it is stated that the Greek and Roman intellectual elite characterised youth as a mixture of positive and negative features. Some of the authors wrote about the king as an exceptional young male whose accomplishments are magnified given his young age. The third subchapter examines the critical approach to Alexander's age and the image of an immature and unbalanced young man. When this approach is taken, his shortcomings are explained by his age. Both the positive and critical presentation of Alexander as neos or iuvenis underlined the importance of self-controlled masculinity – a feature that passionate youth normally lacked.
