Statue of Alexander the Great riding Bucephalus, Thessaloniki, Greece

For the branding mark anciently used on horses, see Bucephalus (brand).

Bucephalus (Ancient Greek: Βουκεφάλας, from βούς bous, "ox" and κεφαλή kephalē, "head" meaning "ox-head") (ca. 355 BC? – June, 326 BC) was Alexander the Great's horse and arguably the most famous horse of antiquity. Ancient accounts state Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC in what is now modern Pakistan and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside of Jhelum, Pakistan. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 237 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Alexander the Great ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 237 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Alexander the Great ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Thessaloniki or Salonica (Greek: ) is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of Macedonia, the largest Region of Greece. ... Bucephalus (Gr ox-headed, from , ox, and , head) was a type of branding mark anciently used on horses. ... Beginning of Homers Odyssey The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage of the Greek language[1] as it existed during the Archaic (9th–6th centuries BC) and Classical (5th–4th centuries BC) periods in Ancient Greece. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC - 350s BC - 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 360 BC 359 BC 358 BC 357 BC 356 BC 355 BC 354 BC 353 BC 352... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC - 320s BC - 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 331 BC 330 BC 329 BC 328 BC 327 BC - 326 BC - 325 BC 324 BC 323... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... The battle of the Hydaspes River was a battle fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against the Indian king Purushotthama (better known as Porus) on the Hydaspes River (now the Jhelum) in present-day Pakistan. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC - 320s BC - 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 331 BC 330 BC 329 BC 328 BC 327 BC - 326 BC - 325 BC 324 BC 323... Mosque in Jhelum Cantt Jhelum or Jehlum (Urdu: جہلم) is a city in northern Punjab Province in Pakistan. ...

The taming of Bucephalus

Bucephalus was described as having a black coat with a large white star on his forehead. He was supposed to have a "wall," or blue eye, and his breeding was that of the "best Thessalonian strain." Plutarch tells the story of how in 344 BC, a 10-year-old Alexander won the horse (although other sources put Alexander's age at 12).^[1] Philonicus the Thessalian, a horse dealer, offered the horse to King Philip II for the sum of 13 talents. Since no one could tame the animal, Philip was not interested, but his son Alexander was, and promised to pay for the horse personally should he fail to tame it. Alexander was allowed to try and surprised everyone by subduing it. Alexander spoke soothingly and turned the horse away so that the horse did not see its own shadow, which seemed to distress it, and so tamed the horse. Plutarch says the incident so impressed Alexander's father that he told the boy "O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee."^[1] Mestrius Plutarchus (Greek: Πλούταρχος; 46 - 127), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC - 340s BC - 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 349 BC 348 BC 347 BC 346 BC 345 BC - 344 BC - 343 BC 342 BC 341... Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ... A talent is an ancient unit of mass. ...

The Alexander Romance presents a mythic variant of Bucephalus' origin. In this tale, Bucephalus — a colt whose heroic attributes surpassed even those of Pegasus — was bred and presented to Philip on his own estates. The mythic attributes of the animal are further reinforced by the Delphic Oracle, who tells Philip that the destined king of the world will be the one who rides Bucephalus, a horse with the mark of the ox's head on his haunch. The Alexander Romance is any of several collections of legends concerning the mythical exploits of Alexander the Great. ... For other uses, see Pegasus (disambiguation). ... The word Sibyl comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. ...

In the 2004 film Alexander, Bucephalus was portrayed by a Friesian. Alexander is a 2004 epic film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. ... Friesian horse The Friesian (also Frisian) horse is a breed of horse from Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. ...

Alexander and Bucephalus

Alexander and Bucephalus in combat at the battle of Issus portrayed in the Alexander Mosaic.

As one of his chargers, Bucephalus served Alexander in many battles. The legend of Alexander's magnificent horse fired many an artist's imagination, from the ancient to the modern world. Paintings of Labrum's Alexanderine subjects, including Bucephalus, survive in the Louvre Museum. One in particular, The Passage of the Granicus, depicts the warhorse battling the difficulties of the steep muddy river banks, biting and kicking all foes. Image File history File links BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1. ... Image File history File links BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1. ... For other uses, see Battle of Issus (disambiguation). ... The Alexander Mosaic, dating from approx. ... This article is about the museum. ...

Like his hero and supposed ancestor Achilles, Alexander stated his horses were: For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ...

...known to excel all others — for they are immortal. Poseidon gave them to my father Peleus, who in his turn gave them to myself. Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ... Peleus consigns Achilles to Chirons care, white-ground lekythos by the Edinburgh Painter, ca. ...

^{[citation needed]}

Arrian states Bucephalus died sometime between the ages of 28 to 30, a good age for a horse even today, in June of 326 BC, after being fatally wounded at the Battle of Hydaspes at which Alexander's army defeated that of the Indian King Porus. Alexander promptly founded a city in honour of the horse, Bucephala. The city lay on the west bank of the Hydaspes river (thought to be modern-day Jhelum in Pakistan). ^[2] The modern day town of Jalalpur Sharif outside of Jhelum is said to be where Bucephalus is buried. ^[3] Alexander the Great Lucius Flavius Arrianus Xenophon (c. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC - 320s BC - 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 331 BC 330 BC 329 BC 328 BC 327 BC - 326 BC - 325 BC 324 BC 323... The battle of the Hydaspes River was a battle fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against the Indian king Purushotthama (better known as Porus) on the Hydaspes River (now the Jhelum) in present-day Pakistan. ... King Porus (also Raja Puru), was the King of Pauravaa, The state falls with in the territory of Trigata Kingdom of Katoch Rulers i. ... Mosque in Jhelum Cantt Jhelum or Jehlum (Urdu: جہلم) is a city in northern Punjab Province in Pakistan. ... Mosque in Jhelum Cantt Jhelum or Jehlum (Urdu: جہلم) is a city in northern Punjab Province in Pakistan. ...

Bucephalus in popular culture

• In the 1988 Terry Gilliam movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the Baron's white stallion is named Bucephalus, and is capable of fantastic feats.
• One interpretation of the ancient statue group The Horse Tamers in the Piazza del Quirinale in Rome is "Alexander and Bucephalus".
• Electronic musician Aphex Twin released a track called Bucephalus Bouncing Ball on his 1997 EP, Come to Daddy.
• The Black Stallion is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series of classic young adult novels. In 1979, the original 1941 novel was adapted to a film (see: The Black Stallion (film)). In the beginning of the movie version, Alec's father describes a small figurine of a stallion as being a statue of Bucephalus, and told the tale of his taming, drawing a parallel between young Alec and Alexander the Great at the same age. The tale, of course, foreshadowed the boy Alec's taming of the wild Black Stallion, just as Alexander tamed Bucephalus.
• In the 1959 Francois Truffaut film Les Quatre Cents Coups, or The Four Hundred Blows, Rene points out a huge metal horse statue his father keeps in the house. Later, when the boys are playing in Rene's room and the horse has become bestrewn with clothing, the father enters and scolds, "Bucephalus is not a coat rack!"
• The writer Anthony Burgess had a pet turtle named Bucephalus.
• A book called 'I Am The Great Horse' tells the exploits of Alexander from Bucephalus' point of view.
• In 1934-1935, Fred Birchmore of Athens, GA rode around the world on a bicycle he named Bucephalus. Birchmore and Bucephalus traveled approximately 25,000 miles. Bucephalus is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Terrence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, animator, and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. ... The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville (as the Baron), Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams. ... A mid-18th century etching of the Palazzo del Quirinale by Giovanni Battista Piranesi: the colossal Horse Tamers are shadowed in the foreground, but the obelisk from the Mausoleum of Augustus (erected 1783 - 1786) has not yet been set up between them. ... The Quirinal Palace once housed popes, then kings, and now presidents. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Aphex Twin (born Richard David James on August 18, 1971 in Limerick, Ireland) is a Cornish electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid and drum and bass. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Come to Daddy is a 1997 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, commonly known as Aphex Twin. ... The Black Stallion, known as the Black or Shetan, is the title character from author Walter Farleys bestselling series about the wild stallion is his young friend Alec Ramsay. ... Walter Farley (b. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The Black Stallion is a 1979 film adapted by Melissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg and William D. Wittliff from the 1941 classic childrens novel by Walter Farley. ... A rare Dresden porcelain figurine 7th millennium BC anthropomorphized figurines found in modern-day Israel A figurine (a diminutive form of the word figure) is a statuette that represents a human, deity, or animal. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... This article is about the French film. ... This article is about the French film. ... Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 – November 22, 1993) was a British novelist, critic and composer. ... I am the Great Horse is a general fiction novel by Katherine Roberts, published in August, 2006 by The Chicken House and aimed at teens It is about the life of Alexander the Great, told from the point of view of his horse, Bucephalus. ...

References

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Bucephalus.

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... John Dryden John Dryden (August 19 {August 9 O.S.}, 1631 - May 12 {May 1 O.S.}, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright, who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles...

External links

• Bucephalus, the Conqueror's Horse