Fortuna, virtù e divinità nel caso di Alessandro il Grande

This paper looks at the partial apotheosis of Alexander the Great, providing a survey of his posthumous reception in Macedonia and Greece. Another key piece of evidence is Alexander's funeral organized in Egypt by Ptolemy son of Lagus. The main focus of the paper, however, is on what we know of Alexander's own behaviour and what we can conclude from it about the persona he sought to cultivate and convey. The author also aims to offer answers to some basic questions: firstly whether, towards the end of his life, Alexander deliberately acted in ways which suggested godhood, with careful consideration of his behaviour at Hephaistion's funeral; and, secondly, whether he took steps to establish an official apotheosis, with an analysis of the ancient very scanty tradition.