Ptolemaios und die Erinnerung an Hephaistion

Abstract

Although Hephaestion launched a remarkable career under the reign of Alexander, as a historical person, he is rather obscure. The evidence on him is either biased or romanticized. Therefore, it is especially important to analyze his portrait in the fragments of the History of Alexander written by his fellow officer and presumable close friend Ptolemy. He treats Hephaestion in a different way than his other fellow officers. While he tends to be silent about the achievements of Antigonus, Lysimachus, and Seleucus, and does not treat Perdiccas favourably he memorizes Hephaestion and his role in Alexander’s empire trying to protect him against any reproaches. This paper examines Ptolemy’s image of Hephaestion and its probable background.