Hay 1

Ian Hay

Alec Thomson

Ancient World History

21 March 2017

Bucephalus

The story of Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus is a rather interesting one.

According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, Bucephalus was Alexander the Greats horse and is

considered by some to be the most famous horse in history.

Bucephalus was originally meant to be King Phillip II horse, but the kind didnt want the

horse because it was known to be very wild and previous owners had trouble trying to control the

horse and ride it. When King Phillip saw the behavior of the horse, he sent it away. Phillips son,

Alexander, was in the crowd watching everything happen. He saw the horse and thought it was a

magnificent horse. According to Plutarchs biography of Alexander, Alexander called out What

as excellent horse do they lose for want of address and boldness to manage him. Alexander was

challenging his father. He claimed that he would be able to tame the horse when everyone else

failed. His father answered back by saying Do you approach those who are older than yourself,

as if you were better able to manage him than they. Alexander put out a challenge, he claimed

that he would be able to mount the horse with ease. If he failed, he would buy the horse.

Alexander was a wise boy, when he was young he was tutored by the great Aristotle.

Aristotle helped Alexander gain a great deal of knowledge about the world. This sense of

knowledge showed when Alexander attempted to tame the horse. Ancient World History stated
 Hay 2

He (Alexander) had realized something the others had not the horse was afraid of its own

shadow. Due to this discovery, Alexander put the horse in a position towards the sun where the

horse was no longer able to see its shadow. To everyones amazement, the horse remained calm

while Alexander rose on to the horses back. Alexanders father was greatly impressed with the

boys courage and saw how strong he was. Phillip said. O my son look thee out a kingdom

equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee (Ancient World History).

Alexander named the horse Bucephalus because the horses head seemed as broad as a

bulls (Alexander-the-Great.co.uk). Alexander grew very close to the horse until the two became

inseparable. According to Ancient World Encyclopedia, Alexander was the only one that could

ride Bucephalus. Alexander the Great rode his magnificent horse into every battle. Alexander

loved his horse very much. There is a story that was recorded that shows just how much

Alexander loved and cared for his horse.

After a victory against King Darius, Alexander was out traveling on personal affairs.

While he was away on this trip his horse, Bucephalus, was kidnapped. When Alexander returned

home he was told of the news and he was filled with rage. Alexander promised to fell every

tree, lay the countryside to waste, and slaughter every inhabitant in the region. The horse was

soon returned along with a plea for mercy. (Ancient World Encyclopedia).

While Alexander the Great was traveling across Asia Minor, he conquered many cities

and kingdoms. While in India, he destroyed a city and named it after his horse Bucephalus. He

loved his horse so much that he thought it would honor his horse to name a city after it.

There are many theories as to how Bucephalus died. Some people claim that the horse

grew old and weary from all the battles it had rode in and died of old age. Others claim that
 Hay 3

Bucephalus sustained injuries over time from each war that slowly killed him. There is no way to

tell for sure which way the horse died. It all happened so long ago and there is no known record

of what happened. The only account that was ever found on the death of Bucephalus was one

that many found to be unreliable. The account claimed that Bucephalus died after the battle of

Hydaspes in 326 BC. There are also two account that contain the location of the burial of the

horse. One account states that the horse was buried in Jalapar Sharif. The other account claims

that Bucephalus was buried in a small town called Phalia.

 Hay 4

Works Cited

"Bucephalus ." Alexader-the-Great.co.uk, www.alexander-the-great.co.uk/bucephalus.htm.

Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

"Bucephalus ." Wikipedia , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucephalus. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Wasson, Donald L. "Bucephalus ." Ancient History Encyclopedia , 6 Oct. 2011,

www.ancient.eu/Bucephalus/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.