Michael Natale
Fri, September 25, 2026
Where Alexander the Great Learned to Conquer
DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI - Getty Images
This story is a collaboration with Biography.com.
Few men of history have fascinated scholars and laymen alike quite like Alexander the Great. Born to King Philip II of Macedon in 356 B.C.E., educated under Aristotle, and ascending to the throne at only 20 years of age, Alexander's keen mind and military might became the stuff of legend. It's a reputation that has only grown over the centuries, rather than lessened.
For example, some 300 years after Alexander's death, the writer Plutarch penned a treatise called On Tranquility of the Mind, which depicted an ambitious Alexander hearing a discourse by the philosopher Anaxarchus about an infinite number of worlds. Alexander began to weep, lamenting, "Is it not worthy of tears that, when the number of worlds is infinite, we have not yet become lords of a single one?" But over time, the popular version of the story inverted his grief—mourning what he'd already won rather than what remained unconquered. By the time you heard the reason for Alexander's tears in the 1988 film Die Hard, it had transformed into "there were no more worlds to conquer."
But where might Alexander have wept at Anaxarchus' words? On what ground did the young conqueror sit and receive his lessons from Aristotle, or hone his warrior reflexes? A new excavation near Naousa in northern Greece may have uncovered just where some of the events that shaped the life of Alexander the Great took place.
Since excavations began in 2024, Archaeology Magazine reports, "parts of a palaestra, a stadium, covered walkways, teaching rooms, and water systems" have been uncovered in a 30-acre stretch of ancient Mieza identified as the Royal Gymnasium, where Alexander studied alongside fellow future kings Ptolemy and Cassander.
This past year saw a focus on the gymnasium's eastern side, which featured the Didaskaleion, also known as the "teaching building." In addition to uncovering stone benches commonly used by audiences during lectures at the education facility, the excavation also discovered details of two rooms known as "andrones," spaces fitting roughly 20 people and used primarily for "drinking parties and social gatherings." Each of these rooms contained traces of ten "dining couches," but even more intriguingly, well-preserved mosaic floors.
The archaeological team found that the "quality and construction" of these mosaic floors bear a strong resemblance to the palace at Aigai, the largest structure from classical Greece that can still be visited today. Built during the reign of Alexander's father, Philip II, and possibly designed by Pytheos (of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus fame), the palace was the center of Macedonian royal life, and it endures today as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Comparing that site to the gymnasium at Mieza allows researchers to date the latter structure to the reign of Philip II—and in doing so, to bring the world where Alexander the Great was raised and educated into sharper focus.
The man that was Alexander the Great keeps getting lost in the mist of the myth. Discoveries like this one, which show us where he may have learned, and trained, and even drank and socialized, help illuminate the real history behind the Macedonian king...even if we keep on misquoting him.
This story is a collaboration with Biography.com.
Few men of history have fascinated scholars and laymen alike quite like Alexander the Great. Born to King Philip II of Macedon in 356 B.C.E., educated under Aristotle, and ascending to the throne at only 20 years of age, Alexander's keen mind and military might became the stuff of legend. It's a reputation that has only grown over the centuries, rather than lessened.
For example, some 300 years after Alexander's death, the writer Plutarch penned a treatise called On Tranquility of the Mind, which depicted an ambitious Alexander hearing a discourse by the philosopher Anaxarchus about an infinite number of worlds. Alexander began to weep, lamenting, "Is it not worthy of tears that, when the number of worlds is infinite, we have not yet become lords of a single one?" But over time, the popular version of the story inverted his grief—mourning what he'd already won rather than what remained unconquered. By the time you heard the reason for Alexander's tears in the 1988 film Die Hard, it had transformed into "there were no more worlds to conquer."
But where might Alexander have wept at Anaxarchus' words? On what ground did the young conqueror sit and receive his lessons from Aristotle, or hone his warrior reflexes? A new excavation near Naousa in northern Greece may have uncovered just where some of the events that shaped the life of Alexander the Great took place.
Since excavations began in 2024, Archaeology Magazine reports, "parts of a palaestra, a stadium, covered walkways, teaching rooms, and water systems" have been uncovered in a 30-acre stretch of ancient Mieza identified as the Royal Gymnasium, where Alexander studied alongside fellow future kings Ptolemy and Cassander.
This past year saw a focus on the gymnasium's eastern side, which featured the Didaskaleion, also known as the "teaching building." In addition to uncovering stone benches commonly used by audiences during lectures at the education facility, the excavation also discovered details of two rooms known as "andrones," spaces fitting roughly 20 people and used primarily for "drinking parties and social gatherings." Each of these rooms contained traces of ten "dining couches," but even more intriguingly, well-preserved mosaic floors.
The archaeological team found that the "quality and construction" of these mosaic floors bear a strong resemblance to the palace at Aigai, the largest structure from classical Greece that can still be visited today. Built during the reign of Alexander's father, Philip II, and possibly designed by Pytheos (of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus fame), the palace was the center of Macedonian royal life, and it endures today as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Comparing that site to the gymnasium at Mieza allows researchers to date the latter structure to the reign of Philip II—and in doing so, to bring the world where Alexander the Great was raised and educated into sharper focus.
The man that was Alexander the Great keeps getting lost in the mist of the myth. Discoveries like this one, which show us where he may have learned, and trained, and even drank and socialized, help illuminate the real history behind the Macedonian king...even if we keep on misquoting him.
A Bizarre Discovery Has Revealed the Secrets of the Roman Empire’s Most Shocking Spectacle
Tim Newcomb
Thu, September 17, 2026
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
The incredibly popular amphitheater animal hunts of the Roman empire, known as venationes, required careful planning.
Ancient Roman law documents show the emperor had a monopoly on lion usage to create the spectacles.
Efforts to circumvent the law with fraud were met with fines—in gold.
Romans flocked to amphitheaters throughout the empire—including the famous Colosseum—to witness "venationes," or staged animal hunts. The Roman army thrilled audiences as they went up against fearsome beasts, the highlight of which were lions. But ensuring that there were enough of those beasts to stage the brutal entertainment throughout the empire required the government to establish a monopoly on the kings of the jungle.
A group of researchers led by Rosa M. Carreño Sánchez of Carlos III University of Madrid analyzed ancient Roman law documents covering the capture, transport, and safety of animals used during the hunts—which were even more popular than gladiatorial combat. "These texts suggest the possible existence of an imperial monopoly on the capture of lions and reveal some of the practical problems arising from the organization of venatorial spectacles," the authors wrote in a study published in the Revista General de Derecho Romano.
Roman amphitheaters filled with crowds clamoring for the venationes—the hunt of exotic animals that sometimes featured a range of animals alongside lions. Getting the animals in place was a tricky process that required careful planning. In a statement, Carreño Sánchez explained that her team analyzed two imperial constitutions preserved in the Theodosian Code and later carried into the Justinian Code to understand how imperial power exercised strict control over the animals from capture to spectacle.
"In late antiquity, faced with the growing scarcity of big cats, a state monopoly on lions was established to guarantee the supply of animals for the emperor's spectacles and to prevent competition from private individuals," Carreño Sánchez added. "In other words, all lions belong to the emperor."
The staging of hunts lasted centuries longer than gladiatorial combats, which eventually came under fire from Christians hoping to promote the equality of all humans and eliminate the morally degrading contests. That shift didn't impact the venationes, however, with the animal-forward displays growing in popularity and spreading beyond Italy into Hispania. Italica, near modern Seville, had one of the empire's largest amphitheaters—built to host venationes and more—in a city of barely 8,000 people.
Ancient texts show that the Roman army assigned soldiers to track, capture, and guard wild beasts throughout the empire. Once captured, though, getting the lions to the shows proved problematic. The imperial government required its provinces to supply transport personnel out of their local budgets, and any delays could indicate that locals used the beasts for their own fraudulent and unauthorized spectacles. To discourage such acts, the imperial administration imposed severe fines—in gold, mind you—to any military commanders unable to meet the timeline.
"Unlike literary sources or films, which only show us the final outcome in the arena, an analysis of Roman law allows us to understand what went on behind the scenes," Carreño Sánchez said, "the management of resources, territorial conflicts, and the enormous logistical effort required by one of the most popular spectacles of antiquity."
Tim Newcomb
Thu, September 17, 2026
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
The incredibly popular amphitheater animal hunts of the Roman empire, known as venationes, required careful planning.
Ancient Roman law documents show the emperor had a monopoly on lion usage to create the spectacles.
Efforts to circumvent the law with fraud were met with fines—in gold.
Romans flocked to amphitheaters throughout the empire—including the famous Colosseum—to witness "venationes," or staged animal hunts. The Roman army thrilled audiences as they went up against fearsome beasts, the highlight of which were lions. But ensuring that there were enough of those beasts to stage the brutal entertainment throughout the empire required the government to establish a monopoly on the kings of the jungle.
A group of researchers led by Rosa M. Carreño Sánchez of Carlos III University of Madrid analyzed ancient Roman law documents covering the capture, transport, and safety of animals used during the hunts—which were even more popular than gladiatorial combat. "These texts suggest the possible existence of an imperial monopoly on the capture of lions and reveal some of the practical problems arising from the organization of venatorial spectacles," the authors wrote in a study published in the Revista General de Derecho Romano.
Roman amphitheaters filled with crowds clamoring for the venationes—the hunt of exotic animals that sometimes featured a range of animals alongside lions. Getting the animals in place was a tricky process that required careful planning. In a statement, Carreño Sánchez explained that her team analyzed two imperial constitutions preserved in the Theodosian Code and later carried into the Justinian Code to understand how imperial power exercised strict control over the animals from capture to spectacle.
"In late antiquity, faced with the growing scarcity of big cats, a state monopoly on lions was established to guarantee the supply of animals for the emperor's spectacles and to prevent competition from private individuals," Carreño Sánchez added. "In other words, all lions belong to the emperor."
The staging of hunts lasted centuries longer than gladiatorial combats, which eventually came under fire from Christians hoping to promote the equality of all humans and eliminate the morally degrading contests. That shift didn't impact the venationes, however, with the animal-forward displays growing in popularity and spreading beyond Italy into Hispania. Italica, near modern Seville, had one of the empire's largest amphitheaters—built to host venationes and more—in a city of barely 8,000 people.
Ancient texts show that the Roman army assigned soldiers to track, capture, and guard wild beasts throughout the empire. Once captured, though, getting the lions to the shows proved problematic. The imperial government required its provinces to supply transport personnel out of their local budgets, and any delays could indicate that locals used the beasts for their own fraudulent and unauthorized spectacles. To discourage such acts, the imperial administration imposed severe fines—in gold, mind you—to any military commanders unable to meet the timeline.
"Unlike literary sources or films, which only show us the final outcome in the arena, an analysis of Roman law allows us to understand what went on behind the scenes," Carreño Sánchez said, "the management of resources, territorial conflicts, and the enormous logistical effort required by one of the most popular spectacles of antiquity."
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