Alexander the Great had the best teachers of his day. Who better to teach morals and ethics than the wise man himself... Aristotle! Subsequently, in his conquering of the ancient world, Alexander showed that he may not have been paying full attention to Aristotle on some important topics such as genocide, debauchery, and lying. Today, we saw the spot where Aristotle delivered those lectures.. and the problem becomes immediately apparent. It's the most beautiful spot... large volumes of fresh water bubbling down the hillside... shaded valleys of Beech trees... a paradise even today. No wonder Alex had problems concentrating on the topic. Such beauty is distracting. The message didn't get through. The world could have been saved hundreds of thousands of war dead, if Aristotle had just given a little more thought to where he delivered his lectures. What's wrong with the old schoolroom back in Eddessa ?
To his credit, Alexander the Great knew how to bury his relatives. He buried his father (the famous Phillip II) and family under a great 'Tumulas' (hills of earth depicting Macedonian burial sites) in life size temples filled with treasures. Some of the temples were raided but when the site was thoroughly excavated in the 1980's they found a couple intact. In presenting the site, the museum left the temple doors in place and the tumulas in place. All the treasures are displayed outside the doors of the temple from which they were found. This is the best museum we have visited. It looks most unassuming from the outside... but once underground, it transports you back to the period of Alexander.
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