Wine-Dark Sea

How Alexander the Great Became a God: The Oracle of Siwa | A Tale from Ancient Egypt


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Alexander the Great takes a detour from his war against the Persian Empire, trekking into Egypt and becoming its new pharaoh. In search of an ancient temple of the supreme god Zeus-Ammon in the desert oasis of Siwa, Alexander receives a transformative prophecy from the god's oracle: the truth of his divine lineage from Zeus-Ammon himself.  

A story from the ancient Mediterranean world (332 BC), based on Quintus Curtius Rufus' Histories of Alexander the Great (4.7) and Plutarch's Life of Alexander (27)

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CREDITS: Music by Kevin MacLeod

Episode Thumbnail Images: Coin of Alexander with the ram horns of Zeus-Ammon, minted 3rd century BC / Egyptian hieroglyphs from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera

WDS Logo Image: Kylix with Apollo playing the lyre and pouring a libation (c. 470 BC, Delphi Archeological Museum)

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