Military Propaganda in the Campaigns of Alexander the Great

Jenn Finn

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Chapter 16 Military Propaganda in the Campaigns of Alexander the Great

In: Brill's Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great

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Jenn Finn

Jenn Finn
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 392–428

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004715066_018

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Abstract

This chapter will focus on the ways in which Alexander propagated the ideological, economic, and political advantages of his campaign both to its combatants and to a wider Mediterranean audience. The first section of the chapter will examine propagandistic statements meant to resonate with Alexander’s Macedonian troops. In that context, I will discuss Alexander’s frequent appeals to Greco-Macedonian history, specifically the achievements of his father Philip II, as well as the professed affinities of his campaign with the Trojan War. Further discussion in this section will focus on motivational mythological references employed during the campaign, namely the well-known narratives associated with the travels of the gods Dionysus and Heracles. A second section of the chapter will focus on advertising the campaign to local constituencies. Alexander’s inconsistent messaging to the Greeks—from the Council of Corinth to the murder of Greek mercenaries and, in particular, his use of a belligerent Sparta as a negative example—will be examined in the context of his war effort. Additionally, this section will determine the nature of programmatic propaganda about the war to native Eastern populations, including the Babylonians, and later, populations in and near India; I will examine the ways in which Alexander presented himself as a benevolent ruler, painting himself as revolutionary but also as a leader in a continuous line with previous traditions. Finally, I will introduce a category of “universal messaging,” that is, propaganda about his campaign meant to appeal to a global audience. Here, I will underline two major strategies of Alexander’s publicity efforts, the annihilation of cities (which included Thebes and Tyre), and symbolic-ideological excursions to places like Gordion and the Egyptian oracle of Ammon in the Siwa oasis.

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Brill's Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great

Series: Brill's Companions to Classical Studies, Volume: 10 and Brill's Companions to Classical Studies: Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World, Volume: 10

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004715066

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 13 Dec 2024

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Front Matter

Part 1 The Combat and Campaigns of Philip and Alexander

Part 2 The Combatants

Part 3 Organization and Structure

Part 4 Maintenance

Part 5 The Psychology of War

Part 6 Nature of Command

Part 7 The Human Cost of War

Part 8 In Closing

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Chapter 16 Military Propaganda in the Campaigns of Alexander the Great

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Brill's Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great

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