Alexander the Great meets Darius’ captured family after the Battle of Issus. The meeting is immediately awkward.

>On the morning after the battle, [Alexander](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Alexander_the_Great_mosaic.jpg), accompanied by his *alter ego** [Hephaestion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Hephaestion_Cropped.jpg), went to visit [Darius](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Darius_III_of_Persia.jpg)’ womenfolk himself. Both men wore plain Macedonian tunics; Hephaestion was the taller and more handsome of the two. The queen mother, Sisygambis, naturally enough mistook him for Alexander, and threw herself at his feet in supplication. When her error was pointed out to her by an attendant, she was covered with confusion, but nevertheless gamely ‘made a new start and did obeisance to Alexander’. >The king brushed aside her apologies, saying: ‘Never mind, Mother; you didn’t make a mistake. He is Alexander too.’ __________________________ **Source:** Green, Peter. “Intimations of Immortality.” Alexander of Macedon: 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Univ. of California Press, 2005. 236-37. Print. __________________________ **Further Reading:** [Alexander III of Macedon / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Alexander the Great)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great) [Ἡφαιστίων (Hephaestion)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestion) [Artashata / Darius III / Codomannus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_III) [Sisygambis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisygambis) [Battle of Issus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Issus) ___________________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**