Upcoming

The immortal Alexander the Great

The myth, the reality, his journey, his legacy

18 September 2010 - 18 March 2011

No ruler in antiquity appeals to the imagination as much as Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC, king from 336 BC). From his youth he inspired the people around him. During his campaigns in the East, Alexander went in search of the origins of Dionysus, who, according to the ancient Greeks, came from the exotic East, possibly India. Alexander followed in Dionysus’s footsteps and reached many countries: Egypt, Syria, Bactria, Persia, India and Mongolia. Everywhere he founded new capitals and named them all Alexandria. He left behind a legacy of Greek culture in the form of Hellenism.

His fame lived on, long after antiquity. He was an example to many European, Russian and Islamic rulers. Paintings, tapestries and decorative art depicted Alexander’s life and history. The exhibition covers all these aspects, with objects from classical antiquity to the modern age, of Western and non-Western origins.

Alexander hunting a wild boar, cameo, sardonyx, Italy, 1st century AD; dimensions: 2 x 2.2 cm. Collection State Hermitage Museum, inv no Zh.18

For more information:

Hermitage Amsterdam

Press Office
Pom Verhoeff, Kim van Niftrik