When Alexander the Great Met Diogenes the Cynic
Depictions of the two minds colliding
The year is 336 B.C. The place is the Greek city-state of Corinth in the suburb of Craneion and the sun was shining bright when Alexander III of Macedon met Diogenes the Cynic. Their interaction would spawn numerous paintings and philosophical and literary reinterpretations. Let’s introduce these two figures of antiquity.
Alexander III of Macedon
In one corner, Alexander III of Macedonia. This was the year that his father, King Phillip II, was assassinated, and he ascended as ruler of the Macedonian empire.
He is twenty years old and already a formidable military figure. Standing at an average Ancient Greek height of 5 feet, he is stocky and has a fair complexion and medium-length hair. He is average-looking physically, but well-built and dressed not only as a king with a cape but in the armor of a conqueror.
Alexander is going on a tour of city-states, accepting oaths of fealty and has reached Corinth. He is already the most powerful man in Greece and is in the process of unleashing a tidal wave of conquest that will envelop much of the Middle East.
Alexander and his procession are marching down the streets of Corinth. Statesmen, philosophers, and common…
