Póthos and muses. The yearning of Macedonian kings

Abstract

Traditionally póthos has been considered as a particular personality trait of Alexander the Great. Although the word is used by many authors, there is an idea widely accepted among scholars that the Macedonian always uses this term in different ways. An analysis of our sources confirms that there were differences in the use of this word by the king and his soldiers; while the former seems to give a romantic, or even mystic meaning, Macedonians use it only in order to reflect nostalgia for their home. Nevertheless, there is evidence, as in Thucydides, where póthos has a similar meaning in the context of Alexander. Given that he does not appear to have been an exception, it is entirely possible in our opinion that póthos could have been used by other members of the Macedonian royal house such as Alexander I, Archelaus, Eurydice, Philip II, Seleucus and Philip V. Likewise, this paper studies the relationship between Heracles and póthos, because he was an ancestor of the Macedonian royal house.