Ahuramazda: the "wise lord", the supreme god of the ancient Iranians, whose cult was propagated by the legendary prophet Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism.Zarathustra's teachings: the Gâthâs
…
Aigospotamoi: the final battle of the Peloponnesian War (431-404). In September 405, the Athenians were decisively defeated by the Spartans and lost their navy. As a result, the siege and fall of Athens became inevitable.The Battle of Aigospotamoi (405 BCE)
…
Ailana (Greek Αἴλανα): ancient port on the Red Sea, modern Akaba in southern Jordan. There are several related names for this town, all derived from Semitic ayil, "palm tree".Early History
…
Alabanda (Greek Ἀλáβανδα): town in Caria, modern Doğanyurt.History
Alabanda, theater
Alabanda, seven kilometers west of modern Çine, on the banks of the…
Alacahöyük: Prehistoric and Hittite town in Central Anatolia; its ancient name is unknown.
Royal tombs
Alacahöyük has been occupied since the Neolithic…
Alara (first half eighth century BCE): name of a Nubian king.Relatives
Wife: Kasaqa, probably his sister
Daughter: Tabiry, wife of Piye
Life
First known ruler of this dynasty
Succeeded by Kashta, who may have been his brother
Buildings
Tomb at El-Kurru
Literature
T.G.H. James, "Egypt. The Twenty-Fifth and Twenty-Sixth…
Alcibiades (450-404/403): Athenian politician who played an important role in the Peloponnesian War.
Alcibiades
Alcibiades, the son of Cleinias and an Alcmeonid…
Alcmeonids (Greek Ἀλκμαιωνίδαι): noble family from Athens.
Delphi, Alcmeonid temple of Apollo, Western acroterion
The Alcmeonids were a wealthy, aristocratic ("Eupatrid") family in…
Siege of Alesia (52 BCE): one of the most important battles during Caesar's conquest of Gaul. After he had taken the Gallic town, only mopping-up operations remained.War in Gaul
…
Alexander the Great (*356; r. 336-323): the Macedonian king who defeated his Persian colleague Darius III Codomannus and conquered the Achaemenid Empire. During his campaigns, Alexander visited a.o. Egypt, Babylonia, Persis, Media, Bactria, the Punjab, and the valley of the Indus. In the second half of his reign, he had to…
Alexander and Prometheus: an episode from the reign of Alexander the Great, who saw what he believed to be the cave of Prometheus in the Hindu Kush Mountains.
…