Jaakkojuhani Peltonen

Kleopatra on yksi maailman tunnetuimmista ja samalla mystisimmistä historiallisista henkilöistä. Hän on kiehtova yhdistelmä valtaa, kauneutta ja strategista nerokkuutta, ja hänet on usein kuvattu juonikkaana ja nautintoihin antautuvana viettelijättärenä. Kahden vuosituhannen kuluessa hänestä on muotoutunut myös vahvan ja itsevarman naisen arkkityyppi, joka ei alistu objektiksi miesten hallinnoimassa maailmassa. Kuinka paljon jälkimaailman vaalimilla mielikuvilla on ollut pohjaa suhteessa todelliseen Egyptin valtiattareen? Kleopatra - viimeisen faaraon myytti kertoo uusimman tietämyksen valossa, millainen oli Egyptin kuningatar Kleopatra VII:n (69-30 eKr.) elämä ja miten hän vaikutti Rooman valtakunnan politiikkaan ja Egyptin kohtaloon. Se selvittää, millä tavoin hänen tarinansa on inspiroinut ihmisiä antiikista nykyaikaan ja kuinka hänet on esitetty taiteessa ja populaarikulttuurissa. Näin Kleopatran hahmo toisaalta avaa antiikin maailman arvoituksia mutta tarjoaa myös ikkunan naisen asemaan, sukupuolirooleihin ja identiteetteihin eri aikojen yhteiskunnissa.

The life of Alexander the Great began to be retold from the moment of his death. The Greco-Roman authors used these stories as exemplars in a variety of ways. This book is concerned with the various stories of Alexander and how they were used in antiquity to promote certain policies, religious views, and value systems. The book is an original contribution to the study of the history and reception of Alexander, analysing the writings of over 70 classical and post-classical authors during a period of over 700 years. Drawing on this extensive range and quantity of material, the study plots the continuity and change of ideas from the early Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages.

From premodern societies onward, humans have constructed and produced images of ideal masculinity to define the roles available for boys to grow into and images for adult men to imitate. The figure of Alexander the Great has fascinated people both within and outside academia. As a historical character, military commander, cultural figure and representative of the male gender, Alexander’s popularity is beyond dispute. Almost from the moment of his death, Alexander’s deeds have had a paradigmatic aspect: for over 2300 years, he has been represented as a paragon of manhood – an example to be followed by other men – and through his myth, people have negotiated assumptions about masculinity. This work breaks new ground by considering the ancient and medieval reception of Alexander the Great from a gender studies perspective. It explores the masculine ideals of the Greco-Roman and medieval pasts through the figure of Alexander the Great, analysing the gendered views of masculinities in those periods and relating them to the ways in which Alexander’s masculinity was presented. It does this by investigating Alexander’s appearance and its relation to definitions of masculinity, the way his childhood and adulthood are presented, his martial performance and skill, proper and improper sexual behaviour, and finally through his emotions and mental attributes. Masculine Ideals and Alexander the Great will appeal to students and scholars alike, as well as to those more generally interested in the portrayal of masculinity and gender, particularly in relation to Alexander the Great and his image throughout history. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

From premodern societies onward, humans have constructed and produced images of ideal masculinity to define the roles available for boys to grow into and images for adult men to imitate. The figure of Alexander the Great has fascinated people both within and outside academia. As a historical character, military commander, cultural figure and representative of the male gender, Alexander’s popularity is beyond dispute. Almost from the moment of his death, Alexander’s deeds have had a paradigmatic aspect: for over 2300 years, he has been represented as a paragon of manhood – an example to be followed by other men – and through his myth, people have negotiated assumptions about masculinity. This work breaks new ground by considering the ancient and medieval reception of Alexander the Great from a gender studies perspective. It explores the masculine ideals of the Greco-Roman and medieval pasts through the figure of Alexander the Great, analysing the gendered views of masculinities in those periods and relating them to the ways in which Alexander’s masculinity was presented. It does this by investigating Alexander’s appearance and its relation to definitions of masculinity, the way his childhood and adulthood are presented, his martial performance and skill, proper and improper sexual behaviour, and finally through his emotions and mental attributes. Masculine Ideals and Alexander the Great will appeal to students and scholars alike, as well as to those more generally interested in the portrayal of masculinity and gender, particularly in relation to Alexander the Great and his image throughout history. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

Mitä yhteistä on Julius Caesarilla, William Shakespearella, kuningatar Kristiinalla ja Jim Morrisonilla? Aleksanteri Suuri, yksi historian tunnetuimmista henkilöistä, on inspiroinut heitä kaikkia. Makedonian kuningas ehti lyhyen valtakautensa aikana johtaa armeijansa tunnetun maailman ääriin asti, ja hänen myyttinsä on säilynyt tähän päivään saakka. Aleksanteri Suuri - sankari ja myytti esittelee, millä tavoin legendaarista soturia on vuosituhansien ajan hyödynnetty moninaisten poliittisten, moraalisten ja ideologisten tarkoitusperien ajamiseen. Aleksanteria on pidetty niin Zeuksen kuin Egyptin viimeisen faaraonkin poikana, ja esimerkiksi profeetta Danielin näkyjen nelipäisen leopardin ja Koraanin Kaksisarvisen on tulkittu viittaavan häneen. Aleksanteri on myös innoittanut taiteentekijöitä. Keskiajalla Aleksanterista kertovaa kirjallisuutta julkaistiin Skandinaviaa ja Kaakkois-Aasiaa myöten, ja sittemmin hän on löytänyt paikkansa muun muassa Bollywood-elokuvien ja japanilaisen animaation kuvastossa.

The life of Alexander the Great began to be retold from the moment of his death. The Greco-Roman authors used these stories as exemplars in a variety of ways. This book is concerned with the various stories of Alexander and how they were used in antiquity to promote certain policies, religious views, and value systems. The book is an original contribution to the study of the history and reception of Alexander, analysing the writings of over 70 classical and post-classical authors during a period of over 700 years. Drawing on this extensive range and quantity of material, the study plots the continuity and change of ideas from the early Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages.