Whats more interesting is that nobody knows who wrote the love letter to Antigonos..
No matter which period a love story or a love letter belongs to, its not tough to connect to it for many humans– especially if it has an impassioned appeal. The letter that you are going to check out today is also rather special since it was composed to Antigonos I, an army commander who worked under Alexander the Great and later ended up being a king himself.
Ancient Greek texts engraved on a stone. Image credits: ROMAN ODINTSOV/Pexels
Whats there in the love letter?
Here is the English translation of the ancient text inscribed on the sarcophagus of Antigonos,:.
” I, the unfortunate Arete, cry out with all body and soul from the tomb of Antigonos. I pull my hair out from grief and I express myself by sobbing. This ill luck, the death, has actually captured me instead of emancipating this valuable guy.”.
The letter was written to Antigonos after his death and was discovered engraved on his stone coffin. In a full disclaimer, ZME Science does not like to check out or expose other peoples love letters– its 100 percent bad manners. You must likewise never ever do it..
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great passed away leaving a huge territory behind him. At the time of his death, the Macedonian kingdom had 5.17 square km of area (two million square miles) spread throughout three continents, under its rule. Soon this kingdom was divided into three parts and Antigonos became the king of Phrygia, Pamphylia, and Lycia (areas in modern-day Turkey)..
The legacy of the inscribed love letter.
Antigonus I Monophthalmus (also called Antigonos I or the “One-Eyed”) was a nobleman and warrior who served both Philip II and his child Alexander the Great. During the latters rule, he first became the leader of the Greek infantry forces, and later he was appointed as the satrap (guv) of Phrygia. Antigonos played an essential role in Alexanders conquest of the Persian Empire by winning numerous fights against the Persian forces in Phrygia.
The letter describes the grief, pain, and trauma a person went through after Antigonos death. After reading this, if you think “Arete” is the one who wrote this letter, please keep it to yourself and do not dare to share your ideas with the archaeologists who equated the inscribed text.
It is possible the love letter engraved on Antigonos tomb was from her better half Stratonice however currently, there is no proof to show this theory..
He established the Antigonid Empire, and in the years that followed, he and his boy combated several battles against kings who ruled other parts of Alexanders kingdom. In 301 BC, the 80-year-old one-eyed warrior Antigonos passed away while fighting opponent forces in the Battle of Ipsus. The Antigonid dynasty managed to continue their rule even 20 years after his death.
This particular letter is an important memento of the ancient Macedonia kingdom. Plus, its indirectly related to Alexander the Great and more significantly, for the sake of Greek history students do not you believe all of us deserve to understand whats written there? Sure, we do..
The letter was written to Antigonos after his death and was found inscribed on his stone coffin. In a complete disclaimer, ZME Science does not like to read or expose other peoples love letters– its 100 percent bad manners. The letter describes the grief, discomfort, and injury a person went through after Antigonos death. After reading this, if you think “Arete” is the one who composed this letter, please keep it to yourself and dont dare to share your ideas with the archaeologists who translated the inscribed text. The word does not refer to any person called Arete in the inscribed letter.
A sarcophagus in Iznik Museum. Image Credits: IHA.