External event - The Many Faces of Alexander the Great
Friday 4 November, 5:30pm (refreshments from 5:00pm)
Online and in-person lecture at the Ancient India and Iran Trust
Legends about Alexander the Great began to circulate in his lifetime and continued to develop after his death until the present day. Over time Alexander was adapted by a range of cultures and faiths, each one re-interpreting him for their own needs. Based on the current exhibition at the British Library, Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth, this talk will explore some of the stories and legends that surround him. These legends found their way into epic poetry and drama across the globe. Seeking the outer limits of the world, he travelled through strange lands inhabited by giants, sirens and dragons on a mythical quest in search of new experiences and the key to immortality, which he never found.
Ursula Sims-Williams is Lead Curator of Persian collections at the British Library and a trustee of the Ancient India & Iran Trust. She has curated a number of exhibitions, including the current exhibition at the British Library, Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth; Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, British Library, 2012-2013; The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination, Brunei Gallery SOAS, 2013, and an expanded Everlasting Flame exhibited in collaboration with SOAS and the National Museum, New Delhi, 2016.
