Is it True Alexander The Great May have been Gay?

Answer 1

May have been? He was! That is why they hate talking about in school!

Answer 2

He was most probably bi, but we can't know for sure since no existing records state that he ever had sexual relations with a man, the Egyptian and Ptolemaic histories are lost, although Arian makes reference to them in his "Life of Alexander". We do know that Alexander and Hephaestion sacrificed together at the tombs of Achilles and Patroclus, and that this was a common way for lovers of the time to express their devotion to each other. We also know that he kept the Persian eunuch Bagoas as his constant companion, and tent mate in the later years of his life.
Spirit Walker: I don't know where you heard that Alexander was an alcoholic, but accounts of his life show no indications of the kind of physical degeneration that would have resulted from a death by cirrhosis, he was alert and active right up till the end, that he died right after a drinking party suggests poison, not chronic liver disease. Other suggestions have been malaria, which we know he'd had before, typhoid, or viral encephalitis.
Jon X: Alexander actually had three wives, all political marriages, Roxana of Bactria, Statira (daughter of Darius III), and Parystatis (daughter of Ochus), as well as one concubine, Barsine (daughter of Artabazus, satrap of Phrygia). He fathered sons by Barsine (Heracles, his first born) and Roxana (Alexander IV).

Answer 3

As a historian I can honestly say that Alexander The Great was gay and that he also encouraged the behavior in his men. Why? He had this idea that if a soldier had a "lover" that they would fight side by side til the death thus ensuring that his army would win any battle.

Answer 4

"May" have been gay, sorry Tracer, there's no 'may' about it, he WAS gay, actually bi-sexual although he had more male lovers and only one wife. Check the Histories written by Herodotus, or Ptolemy, or even the Egyptian texts of the 3rd Dynasty. Most contain explicit details of his love, both physical and emotional, for men.

Additional: With respect Randy, I'm afraid you are incorrect on the statement that anal sex was forbidden in Rome or Greece, it wasn't however some may have prefered the more platonic form. Remember in Ancient Rome and Greece it was acceptable to even marry men.

Answer 5

Not may babe he was! read the persian boy

Alexander's homosexuality is widely accepted. For most of his life, Alexander's closest friend and colleague was Hephaestion, although there is no clear proof that their relationship was sexual. It is detailed in the book Fire From Heaven, by Mary Renault. Alexander and his friend/lover Hephaestion died three months apart in 323 B.C. Alexander's sexual relationship with the young eunuch Bagoas is more clearly documented, and served as the basis for Mary Renault's engaging novel "The Persian Boy".

Answer 6

Yeah, he was gay. Queer to say the least. I think it was VERY common back then, although I KNOW it is MUCH more common today than society in a greater sense would like to admit. People can deny, and people can put thier heads in the sand, but MANY, many men and women are having sex with people of the same sex. Married, and attached people and singles and whatever.

Answer 7

Yes, Alexander was Gay/Bi-Sexual, engaged in sexual activities with Males. However, this was not deemed abnormal in these times and sexual engagement with the same sex was not considered abnormal until more organized religious groups became active and began a dominant prescence in society.

Answer 8

Alexander the Great was not only gay (bi-sexual), he was also by today's definition a paedophile, because he had sex with a multitude of young boys.

Answer 9

he was bisexual but prefered men esspecially hephastion his best friend and lover. lets not forget he did marry a woman and was trying to produce a child to take the throne.

it also shouldnt matter if he was gay or not. fact is he was the worlds greates conquerer and leader.

Answer 10

Yes. Greek culture did not consider homosexuals to be anything less than "normal"; in fact, it was considered commonplace for adult men to have much younger men as lovers.

Answer 11

Ancient People(Greeks), thought it was normal to be gay. It was culturally accepted that people were sometime gay and sometimes not.