Alexander Cut the knot (1767), Jean-Simon Bell Taylormi (right) / Alexander Mosaic (detailed), Animal House in Pompeii (left)
Alexander the Great ventured to Egypt in 332 BC after defeating the Persian king Darius III at the Battle of Issus and overpowering the powerful cities, Tyre and Gaza along the eastern Mediterranean coastline. At that time, a famous Persian governor (Mazaces) controlled Egypt. The Persians have ruled Egypt since their conquest of Egypt ten years ago (343 BC).
Although Egypt was controlled by the Persian nobility, he encountered no resistance when he reached Pelusium, the gateway to Egypt from the east. Instead, according to Cortius, when Alexander and his army arrived in Pelosim, a large group of Egyptians greeted them, seeing the Macedonian king as someone they had liberated from Persian hegemony. Mazaces chose not to resist the king and his battle-hardened army, and he welcomed Alexander as well. Without any resistance, Egypt fell into the hands of the Macedonians.
Soon after, Alexander the Great founded a city there, Alexander, in his name, and was proclaimed pharaoh by the Egyptian people. This is the story of Alexander the Great's invasion of ancient Egypt.
Alexander and Appis
Upon arrival in Pelosim, Alexander and his army marched upstream to Memphis, the seat of Satrapal in the Persian Egyptian province and the traditional capital of many native rulers who ruled this ancient land in the early centuries. To celebrate his arrival in this historic city, Alexander hosted a Hellenistic sports and music competition, with the most famous players from Greece venturing out to Memphis. However, that's not all.
Spekes of Memphis, 1950-1977
In addition to the competition, Alexander offered sacrifices to various Greek gods, worshipping only one traditional Egyptian deity: Abis, the great bull god. The worship of the Apis bull was particularly strong in Memphis; Its center is located near the monumental Serapium in Saqqara. Our sources do not mention it, but Alexander's special interest in this particular Egyptian deity may have led him to visit this sacred sanctuary.
However, it does begs the question: Why? Why did Alexander, of all the Egyptian gods, decide to sacrifice to Abis? To get the answer, you need to look at the actions of the Persians in Egypt ahead.
Destroy his ex
The Achaemenid Persian Empire invaded Egypt several times in its history. For example, in the late 6th century BC, the Persian king Cambyses conquered Egypt. Nearly 200 years later, King Artaxerxes III also succeeded in overpowering the ruling pharaoh and once again declared Egypt the Persian Empire. However, in both cases, the Persian kings showed complete contempt for the bull god Appis after arriving in Memphis. In fact, the two kings even killed the sacred bull (the embodiment of Abyss), a serious sign of the Persians' contempt for the Egyptian religion.
By sacrificing the bull god Abis, Alexander wanted to portray himself as the antithesis of Persia. This is a very cunning "ancient PR". This is Alexander, out of respect for Egyptian religion, which is in stark contrast to the previous Persian contempt for Egyptian religion. This was Alexander, who liberated the Egyptians from Persian rule. A figure content to respect and respect the local gods, albeit separate from the Greek gods.
Pharaoh Alexander
During his stay in Egypt, Alexander was proclaimed the new pharaoh. He received historic titles associated with the position, such as "Son of Ra/Lovers of Amun". However, it is debatable whether Alexander also underwent an elaborate coronation ceremony in Memphis. A well-planned coronation event feels unlikely; Neither Arian nor Curtis mentioned any such rituals, but mainly came to the romance of Alexandria.
Pharaoh statuette with Apile bull
Whether it was an elaborate coronation ceremony or not, Alexander was honored with the honor of pharaoh throughout Egypt. A striking depiction of Alexander in the name of the Egyptians continues to this day, inside the Temple of Luxor. There, in temples built for more than a thousand years before Alexander's time, Alexander, along with Amun, is depicted as a traditional Egyptian pharaoh. This testifies to the great power and prestige of ancient Egyptian culture over Alexander, his contemporaries, and eventually Ptolemaic successors.
Establishment of Alexandria
Alexander did not stay long in Memphis. He soon left the city and headed north up the Nile. In the canopy branch of the Nile and a place called Rhacotis on the Mediterranean coast, Alexander founded a new city. The city will be a great gem of the ancient Mediterranean Sea, and the city continues to this day: Alexander.
From there, Alexander marched west, along the coast to a settlement called Paraetonium, before he and his army traveled inland through the desert to the Temple of Amun in Siwa, Libya. In Alexander's eyes, Libyan Amun was a local expression of Zeus, so Alexander was keen to visit the desert sanctuary famous for the gods. Upon arrival in Siwa, Alexander was welcomed as the son of Amun, and the king consulted the oracle alone in the central sanctuary. According to Arian, Alexander was pleased with the response he received.
His last trip to the World Bank in Egypt
Alexander returned from Siwa to Egypt and Memphis. The route he retracted is controversial. Ptolemy had Alexander cross the desert directly, from Siwa to Memphis. More likely, Alexander returned via the route he took – through Paratonium and Alexander. Some believe that it was on Alexander's return journey that he founded Alexandria.
Alexend's death in Shahnam was painted in Tabriz around 1330 AD
When Alexander returned to Memphis, it was already spring 331 BC. He didn't linger there for long. In Memphis, Alexander gathered his troops and prepared to continue the campaign against Darius. In April 331 BC, Alexander and his army left Memphis. The king never returned to the city during his lifetime, or more broadly Egypt. But after his death, Alexander's body eventually returned to Memphis in 320 BC, one of the strangest robberies in history.
Source: https://www.historyhit.com/how-alexander-the-great-became-pharaoh-of-egypt/