Leonidas


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Alexander the Great's first tutor as a young man, Leonidas was a relative of Olympias. He instilled in Alexander his ascetic nature which became famous during his future campaigns, where he lived simply, in Spartan way, eating and sleeping together with his troops. He also provides the most entertaining anecdote concerning Alexander The Not-So-Great. In his masterly history, Alexander the Great (now out of print - see Alexander of Macedon), Peter Green writes:

Alexander did not forget his old bear of a tutor... Once when the young prince was offering sacrifice, with would-be royal lavishness he scooped up two whole fistfuls of incense to cast on the altar-fire. This brought down a stinging rebuke on his head from his tutor. 'When you've conquered the spice-bearing regions,' Leonidas said, with ... elaborate sarcasm..., 'you can throw away all the incense you like. Till then, don't waste it.'

Years later, Alexander captured Gaza, the main spice entrepot for the whole Middle East. As always, he sent presents home to his mother and his sister. But this time there was one for Leonidas as well. A consignment of no less than eighteen tons of frankincense and myrrh was delivered to the old man, 'in remembrance of the hope with which that teacher had inspired his boyhood' -- together with an admonition not to be parsimonious towards the gods.

Leonidas was stern and controlling, and was in the habit of searching Alexander's things to insure that Olympias had not smuggled any luxuries to her son when he was young

We like him.

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