Héphaestion

Héphaestion or Héphaistion (in Greek old Ἡφαιστίων / Hêphaistíôn ), born with Peeled in 356 av. J. - C., died with Ecbatane in 324, is a general Macedonian, second and favorite of Alexandre Large the.

Biography

Career near Alexandre

Wire of the Amyntas aristocrat, it is high at Alexandre, who was born the same year, and receives to him also the teaching of Aristote. Officer in the cavalry of the Companions, it orders the squadron of the royal guard. On arrival in Asia in 334 av. J. - C., it deposits with Alexandre a crown on the tombs of Achille and Patrocle close to Troy. Élien explains thus that Héphaestion “thus let hear that he was the lover of Alexandre, as Patrocle had been that of Achilles”. Following the battle of Issos in 333, the royal family Persian is captured. According to the Vulgate of Alexandre, Sisygambis, the mother of Darius III, would then have confused Héphaestion, which “carried it by the size and the beauty”, with Alexandre, who magnanime would have rétorqué: “Also is to Him Alexandre”. This fable would come from the historian Clitarque, knowing that the topic of the vestimentary resemblance between Alexandre and Héphaestion is common to Alexandria at the end of fourth century BC Arrien regards this episode as an invention. The scene inspired with Paul Véronèse table the Family of Darius in front of Alexandre .

In 332 av. J. - C., it obtains the title of Sômatophylaque (bodyguard) among seven companions of Alexandre. It is several times wounded as a combatant at Alexandre, in particular with the battle of Gaugamèles (331). It takes part in the interrogation and the torment of Philotas and benefits from its death to go up in rank. In 330, it is named Hipparque (chief of one of the hipparchies of riders), then little before the conquest of the India towards 327, it is named Chiliarque (chief of the cavalry of the Companions and equivalent of the Vizier Achéménide), which makes of it the second in the hierarchy Macedonian. At the time of the weddings of Suse in February 324, he marries Dryptéis, the girl junior by Darius III. In addition, Héphaestion supports Alexandre in his attempt to link at the court the Greek and Persian uses as the episode testifies some to the proskynèse (prostration), very disputed among the officers Macedonians.

The nomination of Héphaestion at the station of chiliarque causes a sharp competition with the chancellor Eumène de Cardia who has authority on the royal correspondences and the intendance of the army; several disagreements of a financial and protocolar nature oppose them. But its larger rival is Cratère, principal ordering phalange. The two men come from there to fight during the forwarding of India. So in particular moving away the two rivals, Alexandre orders in Cratère to turn over to Macedonia to the head of a troop of veterans. Diodore of Sicily makes say to Alexandre: “Crater, certainly, loved its king, but that Héphaestion loved Alexandre”. Lastly, Olympias, by jealousy, would have also testified a certain hostility towards the favorite.

Funeral and heroisation

Héphaestion falls ill, following excesses of food and drink, and dies the November 10th 324 av. J. - C. with Ecbatane, probably of the Typhoid fever. Alexandre would have remained to cry one day whole over the body of his late favorite, like Achille in front of Patrocle, and orders that the doctor of Héphaestion is carried out. Always in the honor of his favorite, Alexandre would have made shave the acropolis and the ramparts of Ecbatane. Élien affirms that as a sign of mourning:

“threw weapons in its roughing-hew, dissolved of gold and the money with death and put on in fire this famous dress Grand King considered as very invaluable at Persians. He cut his loops to the manner of the Homeric heroes, gesture by which he imitated Achilles of the Poet”.

Alexandre immediately imposes the heroisation of Héphaestion within the Asian empire and the Greek cities of Europe of which Athens. Alexandre orders, the time of the mourning, which one extinguishes through the empire the crowned fires maintained by the Magi, as the Perses have habit to make with dead Large King. The oracle of Amen - Zeus with Siwa, usually consulted for the funerary worships, prescribed to sacrifice to the “Héphaestion god”. Lastly, Alexandre requests from the satrap Egypt which one raises with Alexandria and on the island of Pharos two hérôa and that one registers the name of the favorite on the official contracts. Initially honoured as hero, Héphaestion is the object with died of Alexandre of a divine worship in Alexandria where its popularity is large.

Under the influence of Eumène de Cardia, the skilful chancellor, all the officers contribute to construction in Babylon of a majestic tomb, of pyramidal or cubic form according to the sources. The sumptuous ceremonies planned for Héphaestion (they would have cost the considerable sum of: 12000 talents) are useful in fact, later, with the funeral of Alexandre, dead the June 13rd 323 av. J. - C. Nombreux are the historians and commentators who bind the death of the conqueror to that of his favorite, occurred such one predicts eight month before.

Artistic posterity

Divinized hero, Héphaestion profits from a great popularity with Alexandria at the end of fourth century BC; he is associated with Alexandre in the local statuary as testifies to them two statuettes alexandrines formant groups which represent Alexandre and Héphaestion vêtus same costume (archaeological National museum of Athens). This popularity in Alexandria can explain the leading role which plays Héphaestion in the Vulgate of Alexandre resulting from Clitarque (via Diodore of Sicily, Fifth-Curce and Trogue-Pumped), historian at the court of Ptolémée I {{er}}.

Apart from Alexandria, one knows two busts of Alexandre and Héphaestion coming from Kymé d' Eolide (Villa Getty). It is also known that Lysippe, the appointed portraitist of Alexandre, carved a portrait of Héphaestion. Finally the statue dating from the 4th front century J. - C. known under the name of “stone lion” ( Blood-E-Shir in Persan), that one can still see with Hamadan (old Ecbatane), would be perhaps a present fact by Alexandre to commemorate Héphaestion.

Catalog of films

In the film Alexandre of Oliver Stone (2004), Héphaestion is incarnated by Jared Leto. Advised by the historian Robin Lane Fox, Oliver Stone draws up the portrait of erased Héphaestion, attentive and faithful to Alexandre. The intimacy which links them is underlined while the sexual aspect of this relation is suggested without being put at the screen. Like the realizer itself off specifies it in documentary the The Death Alexander of Sean Stone, the film defends the idea that Alexandre survives thanks to the love of Héphaestion.

Random links: