Alexander, Achilles, and the Thessalians

In the age of Alexander the figure of Achilles assumes an ideological role of considerable importance. It is in fact well known that the Macedonian had elected the hero to his own model and that he declared himself his descendant (Curtius Rufus IV, 6, 29). On the other hand, some literary, archaeological and numismatic testimonies allow us to glimpse a use of the myth of Achilles in a propagandistic and political key also in the area of Thessaly, especially by the city of Pharsalos. In this regard, particular attention deserves the dedication of a statuary group of Achilles and Patroclus performed by the city in the sanctuary of Delphi, mentioned by Pausanias, but unfortunately without any indication of the date. However, there are some indications that could support a dating of the Delphic anathema at this time. Interesting points of reflection are also obtained from some passages of Philostratos' Heroikos, a work of the second century. d.C., from which the political status of Pharsalos in the presence of Alexander seems to emerge in the region thanks also to the figure of Achilles. The contribution aims to collect and analyse these testimonies, discussing the problems of interpretation and chronology posed by each of them, with the aim of better focusing on the role played by the hero in the political relations between the city and the Macedonian kingdom.