{"id":45462,"date":"2024-02-07T16:21:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T15:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1987850"},"modified":"2024-02-07T20:26:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T19:26:53","slug":"how-did-alexander-the-great-die-fate-of-making-of-a-god-historical-icon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/how-did-alexander-the-great-die-fate-of-making-of-a-god-historical-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"How did Alexander the Great die? Fate of Making of a God historical icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 323 BCE, Alexander died mysteriously at the age of 32, and historians have debated his cause of death with theories ranging from malaria to assassination. <\/p>

By Grace Henry\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 07 February 2024 at 15:21 PM<\/p>

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Netflix are looking at the incredible story of the King of Macedon, Alexander the Great, in their brand new documentary series, Alexander: The Making of a God.<\/p>\n

Featuring interviews with experts and captivating re-enactments, the six-part series will take viewers on a journey to depict the life and conquests of the famous conqueror.<\/p>\n

Born 356 BCE, Alexander the Great became the king of Macedonia at the age of 20, after a political rival assassinated<\/span>\u00a0his father.<\/p>\n

During his 13-year reign, he overthrew the Persian empire, carried Macedonian arms to\u00a0India, and laid the foundations for the\u00a0Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms.<\/p>\n

In 323 BCE, Alexander died mysteriously at the age of 32. Historians have since debated his cause of death, with theories ranging from malaria to assassination.<\/p>\n

So, how did Alexander the Great die?<\/p>\n

Read on for everything you need to know about the character at the centre of the Netflix<\/a> documentary.<\/p>\n

How did Alexander the Great die?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Dino\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Dino Kelly as Ptolemy, Buck Braithwaite as Alexander the Great, and Will Stevens as Hephaestion.<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

There have been many explanations for Alexander\u2019s death, including alcoholic liver disease and strychnine poisoning, however, there is little information to support this as the cause of his death. Some historians have even suggested that he could have died by assassination from one of his rivals.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s most likely that he died from malaria or typhoid fever, which were both widespread in ancient Babylon. The description of his final illness from the royal diaries is consistent with typhoid fever or malaria, but is most characteristic of typhoid fever.<\/p>\n

In one theory, a scholar and practicing clinician suggests that Alexander may have suffered from the neurological disorder Guillain-Barr\u00e9 Syndrome (GBS), which caused his death. She also argues that people might not have noticed any immediate signs of decomposition on the body for one simple reason \u2013 because Alexander wasn\u2019t dead yet.<\/p>

While historians have long speculated over what exactly killed Alexander, Dr Katherine Hall, a senior lecturer at the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago, New Zealand, has debated over the timing of his death, suggesting he might not even have died when people thought he did.<\/p>\n

During those times, doctors relied on the presence or absence of breath, rather than a pulse, to determine whether a patient was alive or dead. Hall believes Alexander might have been falsely declared dead before he actually died.<\/p>\n

In a statement from the University of Otago<\/a>, she said: \u201cI wanted to stimulate new debate and discussion and possibly rewrite the history books by arguing Alexander\u2019s real death was six days later than previously accepted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis death may be the most famous case of pseudothanatos, or false diagnosis of death, ever recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n