Hephaestion: Friend and lover of Alexander.
Heracles: Alexander’s ancestor; Roman name was Hercules
hegemon: The supreme political leader in Greece and the Corinthian League. Philip first held this title, then Alexander.
Hindu Kush: The high mountain range in eastern Persia (Bactria).
hypaspists: Military unit created to protect the phalanx flank; also to maintain contact with Alexander’s cavalry.
Illyria: The extreme northwestern territory in Philip and Alexander’s homeland empire. The coastal region toward today’s Adriatic.
Iolaus: Alexander’s food and wine taster
Ishtar: Beautiful gate at the end of the Processional Way in Babylon. Remnants and a reproduction of the Gate are now in Berlin at the Pergamum Museum.
Issus: Site of Alexander’s second victory over Persian Great King Darius
kantharos: A Macedonian, two-handed drinking cup.
Lampsacus: Persian city near the Hellespont.
Laomedon: Young officer who served Alexander; He had estates near Amphipolis and spoke Persian.
Leonidas: Leader of the Spartans at Thermopylae.
Leonnatus: Alexander’s boyhood friend and Macedonian aristocrat from Orestis. He helped save Alexander’s life in India.
Lesbos: Island off the coast of Aegean Persia (today off Turkey).
Lycia: Persian region immediately north of the Mediterranean Sea; northwest of the island of Cyprus
Lyncestis: Western and northwestern region in the highlands of Macedonia
larnax: An ornate burial chest for cremated bones.
Magi: Persian astrologers and priestly caste
Maimakterion: Attic Greek month (roughly equivalent to modern November)
Marathus: Persian seaport east of the island of Cyprus
Mazaeus: Persian satrap of Babylon
Medius: Thessalian friend of Alexander; hosted drinking party where Alexander was stricken
Meleager: Alexander’s trusted companion and battalion commander
Memnon: Greek soldier of fortune and mercenary who fought for Persian King Darius; husband of Barsine until his death
Mieza: Location of Aristotle’s Royal Pages School in western Macedonia. It was in the eastern foothills of the Bermius mountain range, near the ancient Gardens of Midas. Today, near the northern Greek city of Naoussa. The region is famous for its red wine today.
Miletus: Persian seaport on the Aegean Sea; north of Halicarnassus
Mosul: Persian city on the Tigris River, north of Babylon/Baghdad
Nabarzanes: Persian heavy cavalry commander
Naghsh-e-Rostam: Traditional, rock-faced burial site of Persian Great Kings
Nearchus: Alexander’s boyhood friend and later, his admiral
Nicanor: The second of Parmenio’s sons who commanded a guards’ brigade. He fell ill and died.
Ochus (Artaxerxes) Persian Great King prior to Darius
Olympias: Wife of Philip of Macedon; mother of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra.
Oncestus: Greek city-state near Thebes
Orestis: Western, highland region in central Macedonia
Orontobates: Persian commander of Halicarnassus
Osiris: Egyptian deity
Ossa: Mountain in central Greece. Alexander cut steps up the seaward side of Mt. Ossa. These steps can still be seen today and are known as Alexander’s Ladder.
Oxyartes: Provincial official of the Soghdian Rock; father of Roxane; later supporter of Alexander
Paeonians: Primitive region north of Pella; near the River Vardar
Paiko: A small Macedonian city a half day’s travel from Pella. It was the site where Olympias established a religious convent and a school for young girls.
Pamphylia: Persian region immediately north of the Mediterranean Sea; northwest of the island of Cyprus
Pangaeus: Mountain mining site in Thrace, east of Macedonia; source of King Philip’s silver and gold. The mines were nearly depleted when Alexander became king.
Parmenio: King Philip’s leading general. Father of Philotas; Alexander’s second in command until his death.
Parsa: Persian name for Persepolis
Pasargadae: The old Persian capitol, fifty miles north of Persepolis
Patroclus: Lover of Achilles. Alexander visited both of their tombs when the Persian invasion began.
Patronius: Macedonian garrison commander killed at Thebes
Pausanius: Assassin who killed Philip II at Aegae
Peloponnese: Region of southernmost Greece
Pelusium: City in northern Egypt
Peneus: River in Thessaly, in central Greece
Perdiccas: Alexander friend & aristocrat from Orestis province in Macedonia; one of Alexander’s leading generals
Persepolis: Greek name for Parsa; Persian city that was burned by Alexander
Peucestas: Alexander’s Shield Bearer & Royal Bodyguard; saved Alexander’s life in India
Philotas: Parmenio’s son; brilliant Companion Cavalry commander
Philoxenus: Alexander officer; obtained surrender of Susa
Phrygia: Persian province
Pinarus: A small river separating the Macedonians/Greeks and Persians at the Battle of Issus
Pindar: Great Greek poet from Thebes
Polydamas: One of Alexander’s Royal Companions; delivered Parmenio’s death warrant
Ptolemy: The rumored bastard half-brother of Alexander and one of his leading officers. Ptolemy formed his own dynasty in Egypt after Alexander’s death. History’s famous Cleopatra was a distant descendent of Ptolemy’s line.
peplos: A robe made of cotton or wool; worn by Greek and Macedonian women.
peristyle courtyard: The heart of the Macedonian royal palace in Pella. The courtyard was surrounded by grand statuary.
polis: A Greek city-state (plural is poleis)
pothos: A mood or yearning to accomplish the difficult or impossible. The term was attributed uniquely to Alexander in ancient times
proskynesis: the Persian greeting gesture that entailed either prostrating oneself, kneeling before someone, bowing or blowing a kiss. The specific action was based on the social rank of the individuals greeting each other. Greeks and Macedonians abhorred the practice, a practice that Alexander tried to introduce into his court.
Rhodian: An inhabitant from the island of Rhodes
rhyton: An ornate container used to hold wine; it was often in the shape of an animal
sarissa: The variable length Macedonian infantry spear/pike used by the phalanx
satrap: A Persian provincial governor
Scythians: Inhabitants of a region where the River Danube empties into the Black Sea, far to the north of the Hellespont. Once subdued by King Philip, they became fierce fighters and archers in Alexander’s army.
Seistan: A large Persian lake
Seleucus: A general in Alexander’s inner circle. He ruled a great kingdom from Babylon after Alexander’s death
Sidon: Persian Mediterranean seaport north of Tyre
Sisygambis: Persian Queen Mother
Siwa: The oasis shrine in the great desert of western Egypt
Sogdain Rock: Mountain citadel of Oxyartes, father of Roxane.
Stateira: Wife & full sister of Persian Great King Darius Susa: One of the Persian Great King’s capitols
shabraque: (‘shabrak) A saddlecloth, often in the skin of an animal.
stadia: Unit of Greek/Macedonian distance measurement; one English mile = 8.33 stadia
Thapsacus: Persian city on the Euphrates River
Thermaic Gulf: Body of water in the northwest Aegean closest to Macedonia
Thermopylae (Hot Gates): Historic invasion route into central Greece
Thessaly: Greek region south of Macedonia
Triballians: Primitive people in the region north of Thrace, toward the Danube
Troad: The area in northwestern Asia Minor near the city of Troy. In Persian times, the area was known by its provincial name,
Phrygia.
Tyre: The powerful Mediterranean city/seaport located on an island during ancient times. Alexander besieged and eventually conquered the city. Tyre is in modern Lebanon today.
Vardar: River in Paeonia and Macedonia that flows south into the Thermaic Gulf.
Xanthos: Persian city and oracular site with an underground hot spring. A tablet there was inscribed with ancient symbols. Aristander, Alexander’s seer, used the tablet to prophesy that Greeks would destroy the Persian empire.
Xenophon: Greek invader of Persia before Alexander
Zagros: High mountain range lying between Susa in Persia and two provinces of Iran. The highest mountains in this range reach 15,000 feet.
ziggurat: Babylon’s Temple of the Foundation of Heaven on Earth; it was later called the Tower of Babel by the Jews in their holy book.
About the Author
Peter Messmore is a professor, teacher, poet, and author of historical fiction. He retired as a professor of higher education in 2004. He now devotes his time to teaching, consulting, writing, and travel.
His first work of historical fiction was Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon.
Alexander the King: The Sequel to Philip and Olympias is his second book about the ancient world at the time of Alexander the Great.
The author conducted research in many of the historic sites depicted in his historical novels. These sites include the modern day countries of Italy, Greece (Macedonia), Turkey, Israel, and Egypt.
Peter has six published books. All of them (both paperback and eBooks) are available on Amazon.com. View his paperbacks and eBooks at: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0049IGZ1W.
See the author’s personal website at: www.drpetermessmore.com. There, you can hear him read passages from each of his published books.
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