THE GLOBAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY
H I S T O R Y N O T E S
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ALEXANDER OF MACEDON AND CLIETUS THE BLACK
By ARTHUR LEWIN
Posted by RUNOKO RASHIDI
| DEDICATED TO DR. GEORGE G.M. JAMES |
THE GLOBAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY
H I S T O R Y N O T E S
Black man - ancient GreeceALEXANDER OF MACEDON AND CLIETUS THE BLACK
By ARTHUR LEWIN
Posted by RUNOKO RASHIDI
DEDICATED TO DR. GEORGE G.M. JAMES
Why is it that Alexander the Great is studied in history class, Aristotle is discussed separately in philosophy class, and no class even mentions Clietus the Black? Aristotle was Alexander’s personal tutor, and therein lies his real claim to fame. When Alexander and his army set out on their road to conquest, Aristotle’s nephew, and many of his other associates, went with them to collect, translate and transcribe the knowledge of the Egyptians, and the other peoples, they would encounter. For centuries, many Greeks had traveled individually to Egypt, as foreign students, to learn from the Egyptian priests. Now, having used much of the knowledge they’d gained to develop their weaponry and technology, they were coming not as students, but as conquerors to seize Egypt and much of the known world.
Clietus the Black, also known as Black Clietus, was the sister of Alexander’s nurse, Hellanice. In the first major battle of the campaign, the Battle at the Granicus River, Alexander foolishly charged out from his men and was soon enveloped by a swarm of the best Persian warriors. In the melee that ensued, he was struck on his helmet and nearly fell off his horse. A second enemy, sword upraised, closed in for the kill. However, Black Clietus, who had, by this time, fought his way to Alexander’s side, struck first and severed the man’s upraised arm. If he had not, the world today would be quite a different place. "Aristotelian knowledge" would never have gotten its start, and the Graeco-Roman tradition would've been stillborn.
Ten years after the Battle of the Granicus, Alexander’s men rebelled at the never-ending series of wars they were embarked upon. It was Black Clietus who gave voice to their concerns. In a drunken fit of fury, Alexander killed him on the spot. Alexander’s own men might have killed Alexander right then, if not for what Alexander did next. He took to his bed, refusing to eat for days and tore out his hair, all the while loudly lamenting that he could never face Hellanice (his nurse) again, after all her sons had died fighting under his banner, and he himself had killed her brother.
His men begged him to eat again, and declared that he was not to blame for what he had done in drunken anger. When Alexander "recovered" he led them once more, but he soon heeded Black Clietus’s call and turned his back on further conquest. He reversed his course, and headed for home, consolidating the conquests he had already made and the knowledge Aristotle’s scribe were amassing all along the way.... Ramsees7@yahoo.com
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