First, a tiny bit of history:
Alexander III of Macedon succeeded his father at the young age of 20, becoming the King of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Alexander was ambitious. He spent most of his years as king conducting military campaigns and acquiring new territories to add to his empire. By the age of 30, his territories stretched from Greece to northwestern India. Many historians consider him to be one of the most successful military commanders in history.
There are dozens of images of Alexander that can be viewed all around the world, including coinage, busts and full-bodied statues. Despite the wealth of imagery we have today, most are assumed to be later copies of lost originals. It’s clear that depictions of him were idealized in the Greek style.
So what would he look like if he were to appear in front of us today? Firstly, Alexander was what we would now think of as a modern Greek man. He was born in Pella, Macedonia, which is near the top of the modern-day Greek peninsula to parents who were both from Greek kingdoms. Descriptions of him from his lifetime mostly agree that he had blonde or golden hair, fair skin that may have been a bit red, and a handsome face with a prominent forehead. He was also stocky and muscular, and may have only been just over five feet tall. An interesting fact about his appearance is that he may have had heterochromia, a condition where the eyes are two different colors, or a speckled combination of both. I’ve given him a brown spot in his right eye to reflect this engaging narrative.
There are bookmarks and prints of this depiction available in the Etsy store! Etsy.com/shop/RoyaltyNow.
Left: Bust of Alexander the Great from Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Taken by Richard Mortel, Wikimedia Commons. Right base: iStock photo.
What did Alexander the Great Look Like? Video
