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Classical Aegis Profile picture
@ClassicalAegis
Jun 25 • 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
Jun 24
In 1950, archaeologists uncovered a broken clay tablet in Syria.

It turned out to be the first written music in human history.

The Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal

Here’s the full story, and what it sounds like: 🧵 (thread) Image
In the 1950s, archaeologists digging in Ugarit (modern-day Ras Shamra, Syria) uncovered something astonishing.

A set of 36 cuneiform tablets.

One of them contained something humanity had never seen before:

- music from 1400 BC
Hurrian Hymn No. 6 is the oldest surviving piece of music in the world.

It predates the Greek musical system by nearly a thousand years.

And unlike earlier artifacts, it contains both lyrics and instructions on how to play it. Image
Read 13 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jun 22
He claimed stars shaped the Soul.

As Above, So Below.

His Astronomia Magna blended alchemy, astronomy, and medicine and dared to defy the entire scientific world.

Here's the story of the forgotten genius who challenged how we heal: 🧵 Picture created by Classical Aegis-- classicalaegis.com
Paracelsus was a rebel.

He burned the medical textbooks of Galen and Avicenna in public.

- arguing that true knowledge came from Nature.

- not ancient authorities... Image
So, what is Astronomia Magna?

It’s a treatise on the interconnectedness of the cosmos and humanity.

He believed celestial and earthly elements were not separate but part of a living, breathing system.

The macrocosm (universe) and microcosm (human) were mirrors of each other... Image
Read 19 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jun 17
In Egypt there lies a structure so ancient and enigmatic, it defies explanation.

Built below ground.

With stones exceeding 100 tons.

Along with a sacred symbol etched into its walls.

This is the story of The Osirion at Abydos: 🧵 Image
The Osirion isn’t your average Egyptian temple.

It's a subterranean megalithic complex.

- filled with engineering puzzles, astronomical precision…

…and a mysterious carving known today as the Flower of Life... Image
It sits at the rear of the Temple of Seti I in Abydos (below).

- a city sacred to Osiris, god of the afterlife

However, the two structures couldn’t be more different.

Seti’s temple is refined.

The Osirion is ... primeval... Image
Image
Read 17 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jun 16
This is Apollonius of Tyana.

Some call him “Greek Jesus.”

He was a sage, a prophet, and miracle-worker.

And his story is stranger than fiction: 🧵 Image
Apollonius came from a wealthy Greek family.

He was born in Tyana, Cappadocia (modern Turkey)

From a young age, he was drawn to philosophy and mysticism.

- especially the teachings of Pythagoras... Image
Apollonius wasn’t only a thinker.

He lived his ideals

- practiced vegetarianism
- wore only linen
- shunned wine
- rejected animal sacrifices
- took a vow of silence for five years after his parents death

- believing true worship was spiritual, not ritualistic... Image
Read 17 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jun 15
This sculpture of Pharaoh Ramesses II’s isn’t just art-

It's a fusion of chemistry, art and science.

And it shouldn't even exist...

Here's why: 🧵 (thread) Image
The statue was allegedly carved at the beginning of Ramesses II's reign (1279–1213 BC.)

It stands at an impressive 1.96 meters tall and is It's a symbol of the skill of ancient Egyptian craftsmen.

But what makes this statue truly unique is the material that fathered it... Image
This is The Mohs Hardness Scale which rates the hardness of minerals.

- making it one of the hardest materials on Earth.

To put it in perspective:
Diamond has a hardness of 10 while marble only has a hardness of 3. Image
Read 15 tweets
Classical Aegis Profile picture
Jun 13
The original cancel culture didn’t dox you.

It burned you.

Stoned you.

Or worse...

Let’s check out history's first thought criminals: 🧵 The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David
While the term feels modern, the concept is ancient.

Societies have always found ways to silence, exile, or banish those who challenged norms, threatened authority, or simply made people uncomfortable... Image
Socrates (469-399 BC) – The Martyr of Free Thought

The most famous victim of ancient cancel culture.

Accused of "corrupting the youth" & "impiety," he was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.

His real crime? Questioning Athenian democracy & elites. Image
Read 15 tweets

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