Hephaestion Amyntoros

[kizzikat]

Dear Jun,

I have finally finished this first part of the essay I promised you, and I’m sorry it took so long!  It started off being an essay on the early years of Hephaestion, but we know little for certain about Hephaestion’s early life other than the following:

• He lived in Pella and his father was called Amyntor
• He was educated with Alexander
• He

Comments

[fiona13]

Hello kizzicat, this is Fiona from Alexander's Army, I hope you do not mind me posting here, but I heard about your splendid essay and wanted to read it for myself. I've really enjoyed this first part and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. I think that's a good point that coevals could mean a year or two either way. It'd be interesting to know if Macedon graduated a group of 'ephebes' to manhood every year, like Athens did, or if it was more irregular. If it was more irregular, then that group would have been seen as coevals, and equals, even if they weren't exactly the same age, I suspect.
I love the idea of seeing the youthful Alexander and Hephaistion in Aristotle's comments on the young - it's lovely to think that they may have inspired his thoughts, isn't it?
I thought that was a very good and original point that Alexander's fondness for Aristotle implies that Hephaistion liked him too - I think you are surely right that Alexander would not have been likely to like a teacher so much, if his best friend hadn't liked him.
And I love your conclusion, that Hephaistion was likely as fervent in his ideals as Alexander - it gives such a vibrant picture of both of them.
Many thanks for this thoughtful and interesting piece,
Fiona

[kizzikat]

Thank you very much for taking the time to comment on this, and I'm always happy to discuss Alexander and Hephaestion with anyone.

I rather doubt there was a graduation ceremony, or celebration of reaching the age of majority. Athens appears to have had a greater 'cult' of the worship of youth than Macedon. Given the different rates at which youths develop, maybe some boys were big enough and strong enough to fight regularly in the agema before they were 18, and I doubt anyone would have stopped them for a technicality like age. I get the impression Macedonian society was much less strict than say Athens.

And I so believe in a Hephaestion who was every bit as alive and passionate as Alexander, and not a passive work of art. I doubt he would have held Alexander's attention for 20 years if he were not an interesting person!