Andy'S Draft

I. A MULTIPERSPECTIVAL PRESENTATION OF THE MANY FACES OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT: PRINCE, SOLDIER, WARRIOR

II. Abstract
I am exploring the historical interpretations of Alexander the Great in an attempt to determine how ancient historians, and writers throughout the centuries, have interpreted this to form a comprehensive picture of the man. The written word will be an integral part of this project, but Alexander will also be seen through the eyes of the sculptors, painters, and artists who have tried to form the visual images of this enigmatic man. The primary goal of this work is to aid the reader in attaining a comprehensive understanding of one of the most dynamic leaders in world history accomplished what he did and how he and his actions were later seen. Recent work in the field of Alexandrian studies will be included which calls into question many of the ancient sources and their interpretation of certain aspects of his life, i.e. his mother, Olympias, and her influence on his subsequent undertakings, the burning of the Persian royal palace of Persepolis, and others. I want to produce a muti-perspectival project aimed at the academic reader (or any serious lover of history) that will examine several events in the life of Alexander as interpreted by a few sources. Alexandrian studies are a paradox because nothing can truly be known about the man himself to a certainty, despite the corpus of works concerning him. Many of the sources disagree; what I would attempt to do is allow a participant to physically see where the disagreements occur and how little moments of disharmony add up over the course of the main narratives.

III. Description
This will take the form of experiential documentary where the user can explore material on Alexander during a series of events. The focus of the project would center on answering what we, as scholars, can truly know about Alexander, and then view the many ways he has been reinterpreted throughout the years based on various findings that continue to come to light. At the moment, I believe two examples that bear intense scrutiny are the Battle of Gaugamela and the Revolt at the Hydaspes, each of which center upon different facets of Alexander’s life and career. Can we only know, as most academics believe, that all we can take from the histories are what the author says Alexander did, or, can we say with any degree of certainty that he actually acted in that manner? The modern scholarship that does exist about Alexander is quite fascinating and is worth contemplating alongside the ancient scholarship as well. There is one particularly fascinating book that was recently published by Elizabeth Carney in which she completely rejects every negative interpretation of Olympias, Alexander’s mother, in the secondary sources as a misrepresentation of a strong and powerful woman who lived in a brutal time. I feel that the modern scholarship will give the project the extra component that will aid the viewer in appreciating how many ways something can be reinterpreted, which is a major portion of what I am attempting to do.
I find that most people can’t make their way through the ancient corpus of works about Alexander, much less make the distinctions among the different traditions that they hail - even academics find actively keeping this information organized in their mind to be a challenge. Trying to guide most people through the visual representations is easier. There is a rich and varied body of visual interpretation including incredible sculpted busts of the man, both as warrior and civilian, ancient statues, coinage, medieval illuminations, and a host of art from the Renaissance through the 19th centuries. The addition of visual illustration to the written work will bolster interest in the subject. By making the sources obvious via tabs or citations of some sort, people could literally see the similarities as well as the discrepancies side by side. I haven’t decided beyond the historically accepted artistic representations of Alexander if any cinematic projects deserve to be spliced into the project proper, but some (such as certain portions of Oliver Stone’s Alexander) do capture certain moments that are in concordance between sources. I truly believe that this could be a fascinating experience wherein the viewer could learn in one place about the many aspects of the man. Keep in mind, though, that this knowledge would not be presented as “this is what Alexander did”; it would be “this is what Arrian or Curtius said Alexander did”. From that basis, and after experiencing the project, I would allow the participant to make his own decision as to whether the source serves a more literary purpose (Callisthenes says Alexander did this and there remains some degree of suspicion as to its historical veracity) or a more historical purpose (Alexander did this and Ptolemy reported it). This needs to be done in a multimedia format because of the efficiency in assimilation and presentation of the information. I would attempt to arrange the project in such a way that the person experiencing it would be able to guide their learning in fields that interest them.
This would take shape as a DVD which would engross the participant with information and various interpretations of the man, the world he lived in, what drove him to undertake what he did, how he was seen then, now, and the position he assumes in recorded history. Ultimately, this will force people to see how the sources are not in concordance and how even the simplest facts cannot be agreed upon. Moreover, while experiencing the project, the viewer will learn what various scholars (ancient and modern) claim regarding Alexander, because, in the final analysis, all that can be known about one of the most dynamic leaders in history is what we can glean from several contradictory authors.

IV. Timeline
August-October Research Alexander
October-November Create Structure and begin editing clips
December-January Bulk of Work
February-May Polishing and Editing based on Initial Reactions
May 8th Finished Project

V. Budget
Although I don’t foresee this project costing anything more than materials, I’ll tentatively say that it will cost anywhere from $20-$200.

VI. Advisors
Vincent Farenga PhD. Classics

VII. Presentation/Distribution Venues
DVD

VIII. Production Resources
AfterEffects
FinalCutPro
Flash
Korsakow
DVDs

IX. Prior Related Work
After extensive research, nothing along these lines has even been attempted in the field of Classical Studies.

X. Research Bibliography
Arrian trans. Selincourt, Aubrey. The Campaigns of Alexander. London: Penguin, 1971.
Briant, Pierre trans. Daniels, Peter. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Paris: Eisenbraus, 2002.
Cartledge, Paul. Alexander the Great. New York: Random House, 2004.
Curtius trans. Yardlet, John. The History of Alexander. London: Penguin, 2004.
Worthing, Ian ed. Alexander the Great: A Reader. London: Routledge, 2003.