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Classical Aegis Profile picture
@ClassicalAegis
Jun 25, 2025 • 17 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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Imagine pitching this:

“Let’s carve out a mountain - and make it into you.”

Dinocrates wanted to do just that.

Alexander the Great had a surprising answer...

Let's check out the full story of Alexander's personal architect: 🧵 Picture edited by Classical Aegis
Dinocrates' most famous idea was to carve Mount Athos into a colossal statue of Alexander.

The statue would hold an entire city in one hand and pour a river into the sea from the other...

But Alexander's reaction was surprising... Image
Alexander was intrigued but ultimately rejected the plan.

But why?

The answer reveals a lot about both men's characters... Image
Dinocrates admitted he hadn't considered how to grow food for the city's residents.

It would all need to be imported by sea.

Alexander was impressed by the vision.

-but due to its lack of practicality, declined... Image
Despite this setback, Alexander saw potential in him.

He kept the architect close.

-setting the stage for even greater projects to come... Image
Enjoying this?

In my FREE publication, I dive deeper into:
- topics like this
- teach classical drawing

Everyone who signs up gets my Intro to Classical Architecture Drawing Course for FREE. classicalaegis.com
In 332 BC, Alexander appointed Dinocrates to plan and build a new city in Egypt.

This new city would become one of the most famous ancient cities of all-time... Image
That city was Alexandria.

It was laid out on a grid system that became hugely influential in city planning throughout the Hellenistic world.

A system which we still use today... Image
Alexandria's advanced infrastructure was ahead of its time.

Dinocrates worked with top engineers to create sophisticated waterworks and sewer systems for the low-lying coastal site.

But his most spectacular creation was yet to come... Image
After Alexander's General and best friend Hephaestion died he was tasked with building a monumental funeral pyre.

What made it so extraordinary?... Image
It was described by ancient writers as a wonder.

• six stories tall
• built of stone
• covered entirely in gold Image
Dinocrates was also involved in rebuilding the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

- one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Which had been destroyed by arson the night Alexander was born... Image
Recent archaeological discoveries hint at another monumental project by Dinocrates.

What could this mysterious structure be.

-and what secrets might it hold? Image
Archaeologists believe he may have been the architect of a vast tomb found at Amphipolis in 2012.

It's one of the largest ever discovered from ancient Greece and is still under excavation... Image
His bold visions continue to inspire us today.

The Mount Athos proposal even inspired modern works like Mount Rushmore.

-created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum... Image
Dinocrates' projects speak to human ambition and the power of imagination.

They remind us that sometimes even the most fantastic ideas have the potential to become masterpieces... Image
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- Subscribe to my newsletter (link in bio) or X and get my book:

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More from @ClassicalAegis

Classical Aegis Profile picture
Sep 29, 2025
Marcus Aurelius was one of the greatest philosophers of all time.

Here are some of his most famous quotes

a 🧵

1. "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." Image
2. "You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
3. "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."
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Sep 17, 2025
When Jesus died on the cross, it wasn't just a historical event.

It was also symbolic.

Upon looking closer — a universal Truth is hiding in plain sight: 🧵 Image
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It forms the basis of all organic life. - including your body Image
Carbon has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, 6 electrons (666) Here is where it gets crazy... Image
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Classical Aegis Profile picture
Sep 7, 2025
Pablo Picasso is one of the most enigmatic artists of all time.

15 facts about him which will blow your mind:

a thread 🧵

15. Despite giving away many works, his estate was worth an estimated $500 million at his death. Image
14. Picasso joined the Communist Party in 1944 and remained a member until his death. Image
13. His full name had 23 words:

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso Image
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Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jul 28, 2025
Before Newton bent light and before Da Vinci mapped the eye, Euclid's Optics asked a deceptively simple question:

What does it mean to see?

His answer would shape science and art for over 2,000 years.🧵 Image
Euclid's Optics, written around 300 BC, was one of the first texts on geometrical optics.

It introduced key concepts like visual rays and the visual cone, which would later become crucial for Renaissance artists...
One of the most intriguing aspects of Euclid's work was his hypothesis that vision occurs when rays exit the eyes and hit objects.

This idea, while incorrect, led to a geometric model of sight that remains largely unchanged today. Image
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Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jul 21, 2025
The Iliad, Aeneid and Metamorphoses are some of the most famous poems EVER.

But Homer, Virgil and Ovid used an ancient secret weapon to make their poetry truly Epic.

Here's how...🧵 Image
Dactylic hexameter is often called the "heroic meter" due to its association with epic tales of legendary heroes.

It's the poetic equivalent of a cinematic soundtrack, adding majesty and drama to the narrative. Image
Dactylic hexameter consists of six metrical feet per line, with each foot typically composed of one long syllable followed by two short syllables (known as a dactyl).

This creates a rhythmic pattern that sounds like "DUM-da-da DUM-da-da" when read aloud... Image
Read 18 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jul 14, 2025
The Renaissance was a Mindset.

How did a mystical ancient philosophy plant the seed of one of the greatest transformations in history?

Here's the whole story: 🧵 Image edited by Classical Aegis
Hermeticism is a mystical tradition rooted in the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.

His texts, known as the Hermetica, were rediscovered in the 15th century.

It would spark the greatest revolution of thought in history... Image
Enter Marsilio Ficino, a Florentine scholar.

He was tasked by Cosimo de’ Medici with translating the Hermetica into Latin.

Ficino was so captivated by these texts that he paused his work on Plato to bring Hermeticism to the West.

But why? Image
Read 16 tweets

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