In the last decade, a team of physicians and historians have determined the most probable cause of death of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who conquered the known world. What did they say was the most likely cause of his death at age 32?

I remember my teacher of history telling the whole classroom that most of the Kings (or similars) in those days were all dying( assassinated)from poisoning at 99% of the the time. But my guess would be the "West Nile virus encephalitis".

Nope. Poisoning was once considered a strong possibility (Many of his family were poisoned.), but Alexander's symptoms fit another cause of death much more closely.

Typhoid, with intestinal perforation?

A loaf of bread cut into squares, a few pounds of goat cheese, and a quart or so of black olives (a traditional Macedonian appetizer) for Babs!


Alexander the Great, who ruled much of the ancient world until his death in 323 B.C., was conquered at age 32 not by an enemy, but possibly by a tiny intestinal bug. In an analysis based on available historical records, physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center believe that Alexander was the victim of typhoid fever.

Their analysis, titled, "A Mysterious Death," is published in the June 11 (1998) issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The most popular theories among historians previously have been that Alexander was poisoned or had died of malaria.

In the week before he died, historical accounts say Alexander the Great had chills, sweats, exhaustion and high fever, all of which are typical symptoms of certain infectious diseases, including typhoid fever.

"He was also described as having severe abdominal pain, causing him to cry out in agony," says David W. Oldach, an infectious disease expert at the University of Maryland Medical Center and lead author of the article.

"That was an important clue, because untreated typhoid fever can lead to perforation of the bowel and may have been the reason for his abdominal pain," according to Dr. Oldach, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"My discussions with Dr. Oldach and his colleagues caused me to change my mind about what caused the death of Alexander the Great," says Eugene N. Borza. Ph.D., professor emeritus of ancient history who taught for 31 years at Penn State University. Dr. Borza, who is also an author of the New England Journal article, previously thought that malaria caused Alexander's demise.

A curious symptom described in ancient accounts is that Alexander's body did not begin to decay for at least several days after his death. Dr. Oldach says while that defies reason, those around him may have gotten that impression because of another complication of typhoid fever, called ascending paralysis. It is a neurological problem that starts with the feet and moves up the body, paralyzing muscles and slowing down breathing. It can make a person look dead, even if he is not. Alexander may have been in that state for a few days before he died. - Science Blog

Various historical versions agree that the Macedonian king, who conquered much of the ancient known world, died after attending several banquets in Babylon, where he drank a great deal of wine.

After finishing the last glass, Alexander cried out in pain and said it felt like he had been "hit in the liver with an arrow," according to one version of the events.

Other historians, such as Aristobulus, said Alexander was seized with a raging fever. Some claim he had chills and sweats before falling into a coma and dying 11 days later on June 10, 323 BC.

It is doubtful this latest theory can ever be proven.

Alexander's embalmed corpse was hijacked while en route to Macedonia, and displayed in a glass sarcophagus in Alexandria for 550 years, before its whereabouts became uncertain.

Legend says the body is in a crypt beneath an early Christian church. - BBC News