Quintus Curtius Rufus, Flavius \u200b\u200bArrian and Plutarch, depicting the exploits of the famous Tsar Alexander the Great, are bashfully silent about his campaign in Samara. There really was nothing to be proud of - great commander suffered heavy losses and almost suffered the most shameful defeat in his life because of the illiteracy of his subordinates ...
Pursuing on the heels of Tsar Darius Achaemenid, who was fleeing from him after the defeat at Gavgamela, the great conqueror received information from the scouts that the Persian with a small group of his entourage reached Sochi through Tehran and Yerevan, where he bought tickets for a reserved seat carriage for the Adler - Samara train. Having made a forced march to Antalya, the Macedonian king put a detachment of his elite bodyguards, the hetaires, on a plane to Kurumoch, which took them all to the Samara airport.
Despite the fact that Alexander and his retinue flew by low-cost airline, they had enough treasury after the taxi flight only to Krasnaya Glinka. Then they landed and were immediately attacked by tribes of wild tourists, fighting off which, the detachment reached the shopping center "Polyana". There, the local watchman, old Frunze, set his watchdogs on them, after a cruel and bloody battle with which the place received the name Barboshin glade (or Frunze glade).
Further, Alexander marched along Novo-Sadovaya Street, undergoing constant shelling from the inhabitants of cottages and elite housing, who fired from injuries, smoothbore and hunting crossbows, and when trying to catch up with them and severely take revenge on them, they hid astride ATVs. And near the university, the Macedonians generally had to turn into the Country Park and hide behind the trees in order to avoid a battle with a large crowd of merry students celebrating the “Leaving a couple” folk holiday.
In short, only Alexander himself and a few of his most staunch friends made it to the railway station. When police lieutenant Gordeev tried to ask them for documents “like persons of suspicious southern nationality,” they tied the overly vigilant police officer in a knot and broke through to the platform just before the Adler-Samara train arrived.
Imagine the Tsar's indignation when he learned that there was no Darius Achaemenid among the passengers - only Darik Akhmenidian with his brothers, nephews and second cousins, who brought a fresh crop of apricots and dried apricots for sale in the Central Market. The dejected tsar, so as not to fall into the hands of the colleagues of the knotted lieutenant Gordeev, right there, on the platform, exchanged his golden helmet for tickets for the Moscow-Andijan train and urgently departed southward, without losing hope to intercept Darius somewhere in Central Asia…
According to legend, the famous horned helmet of Alexander the Great was made by the people of Kubach. Yes, and it was this unique helmet that the heroes of the film "Gentlemen of Fortune" were so desperately looking for :) (Kubachi is one of the ancient recognized metalworking centers. According to legend, the two-horned helmet of Alexander the Great was created here, Kubachi became the largest in the Caucasus in the 19th century center for the manufacture of the best samples of weapons and jewelry.)
So is it true or fiction?
In this article, we will look at the fruit of a strange twist of thought, born, apparently, by some journalists familiar with history (and by the way, logic) at about the level of 5th grade of a boarding school for the lagging behind. Despite its initial flaw, this legend was still able to take root in the minds of some of our ethnic brothers. Moreover, like a locomotive flying into the abyss, this legend was followed by several trailers, with names like "Kubachians have been known since Macedonian times" and "We have been making weapons for two thousand five hundred years." So now I have to explain why these very journalists deserve some ridiculous and disgusting death.
So, first let's look at Alexander the Great (he is the Great, he is "I took over the whole world"). Before us is a man who from small Macedonia, the size of, well, 3 Dagestan, made an empire that occupied almost the entire (!) World known then. Before us is a man who challenged the empire stronger then and attacked an army several times larger than his own. By the way, I won. And then, disregarding the rules, he cuts the famous Gordian knot in the church.
Alexander, this is the person who NEVER stopped, no matter what. Neither the strongest fortresses, nor the opinions of his best friends, nor the deaths of thousands of his soldiers gave him any doubts for a second. And so on and so forth. That is, you have already roughly understood what kind of personality it is. Keep this in mind for now.
Now let's look at Macedonia at that time. Essentially the same Ancient Greece, side view only. And what do we have there in Greece. In Greece, we have a Culture with a capital "K". All Europe, consider, went from there. Literature, warfare, philosophy, blacksmithing, damn it. Remember Hephaestus? Not the smallest god in the Greek pantheon, and that says a lot. That is, the Greeks had no problems with the forges, and therefore with the armor and ammunition that they make in them. Remember this too.
Hike of Alexander the Great. As you can see, Kubachi, and the entire Caucasus as a whole, was deprived of Macedonian attention.
Now let's look at Zirehgeran at that time. Firstly, and this is important, it did not seem to exist at all then. Well, that was not it. Okay, let's skip that. Suddenly, just not a single historian mentioned the glorious name of our people in their annals. Well, they forgot, you never know. Then secondly: Zirekhgeran is in the Caucasus. In the depths of the Caucasus Mountains. Look at the diagram of the Macedonian trekking routes. Are they passing by the Caucasus? That's the same. Do you have doubts? Then let's put everything that is written above into one logical picture.
Alexander the Great, the one about whom a couple of paragraphs above, remember, from Macedonia, the country of good blacksmiths, having captured half the world, travels to a then unknown, and, most likely non-existent, village in the depths of the Caucasian mountains in order to wear a helmet there. While the blacksmiths of Greece, Persia and Babylon are ready, and most importantly capable, to do anything for him, even from gold, even from their own teeth. These are not portraits of Putin to hang on the wall, Alexander was considered a god. Without any "but".
There is only one conclusion. We could call it a beautiful legend. But there is no beauty here, since there is no beauty in anything stupid. Legend and fiction. They laughed and forgot.
Many secrets and legends are kept. One of such mysterious pages in history is the mystery of the tomb and helmet of Alexander the Great. The helmet is used by authors as an attractive element for the plots of works different types art. For example, this very helmet is sought by "gentlemen of fortune" from the film of the same name by Alexander Sery. This cinematic "helmet" is kept in the exposition of the "Mosfilm" museum and is made from an ordinary fire helmet of past centuries.
Helmet of Alexander the Great: legends and myths
The name Alexander in Persian sounds like Iskander or Two-Horned. And this is understandable. After all, his head, according to legend, was to be crowned with a helmet, decorated according to the gods with the horns of a ram, which is possibly connected with the ancient heraldic symbol of Macedonia - the image of a goat on the banner of the Macedonian kings.
According to legend, the golden helmet was presented to Alexander the Great by the god of sunlight, the patron of the arts, Apollo. It was such a valuable treasure that the Macedonian coast was like the apple of his eye: he did not take it with him on military campaigns, let alone use it for its intended purpose - he left it at home. Strong guards remained near the vault. During Alexander's absence from the country, the helmet served as a talisman for the state and its inhabitants. Shortly before his death, during the Indian campaign, the commander faced fierce resistance from the Indian nobles and their troops. He sent messengers to Macedonia to bring a helmet, in the hope of its miraculous power. However, the helmet could not even protect itself: on the way to the army, the ambassadors of Alexander the Great were robbed by robbers. It happened in an area called Pyatigorye, located on the Mineralovodsk sloping plain in the northern part of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region.
The robbers were caught up and subjected to terrible torture. Even at the edge of life, they preferred to be silent and did not give out where they hid the helmet. It is believed that he was hidden in one of the suitable crevices. The helmet was never found, and Alexander was forced to leave India. It is still unknown where the helmet of Alexander the Great is kept, but historians continue to search for it.
Mystery of Alexandria Egyptian
In 2017, 2340 years have passed since the death of the famous military leader of antiquity. But it is still unknown where he is buried. Alexandria is considered the main contender to be considered the resting place of the commander.
After his death, the body of 33-year-old Alexander the Great was embalmed by Egyptian priests, specially summoned for the ceremony, and left in the palace chambers for two years. Ptolemy, who inherited the throne, did not fulfill the will of the Macedonian to bury him on the green land of the Siwa oasis in the Egyptian desert, because he was outside the borders of the state. And Alexander the Great for all fellow citizens personified a strong and powerful power. Ptolemy ordered to bury the warrior in a tomb in Alexandria, thereby making the city a place of pilgrimage for a huge number of people.
There is a version that initially the funeral procession was sent by Ptolemy to his possession - to Memphis, but the priest of the temple opposed the burial of Alexander in Memphis, predicting misfortunes and bloody battles in case of disobedience. It was then that the body of the great military leader of antiquity continued on to the land of Alexandria.
During the reign of the Roman emperor, the tomb was walled up. As a result, Alexandria ceased to be a "city of cities". The tomb was so well hidden that no one could find it. However, there is a version that it is located under the Mosque of the Prophet Daniel on Alexander the Great Street.
The funeral chariot in descriptions of the past
Alexander the Great was transported to Alexandria in a marble sarcophagus, on a chariot created by the great engineer Philip. According to Ptolemy, the funeral chariot, being pulled forward by 64 mules, moved along the immediately laid roads, because in front of it was a whole "army" of builders. Behind the chariot, the commander's army moved itself: infantrymen, chariots, cavalry, even warriors on war elephants.
But Flavius \u200b\u200bArrian claimed that 8 mules were harnessed to the chariot. And the chariot was made of gold, with gold rims and spokes. And the mules were adorned with golden crowns, bells and necklaces.
Sarcophagus: history and fiction
According to Ptolemy's descriptions, the sarcophagus was located under a canopy between the ivory columns that adorned the chariot. The canopy was made in the form of a starry sky and decorated with precious stones. On the lid of the sarcophagus, made of gold by Philip, they put the commander's weapon and the Trojan shield. According to the memoirs of Flavius \u200b\u200bArrian, the canopy was removed from the inside with rubies, carbuncles, and emeralds. Inside it hung four paintings depicting different military units of the Macedonian army on the march: chariots, cavalry and navy. Under the canopy stood a golden throne, decorated with flowers that changed every day. And the sarcophagus, according to Arrian, was gold.
On the longitudinal wall of the sarcophagus, a relief was carved about the victorious battle of Alexander the Great against the Persian army led by Darius III. The battle was so fierce that the bodies of the dead Greeks and Persians accumulated around the chariot of Darius. The very midst of this battle is carved on the sarcophagus with special authenticity in the transmission of the vestments of warriors, in dynamics and expression.
A desert grave?
The annexation of Egypt by Alexander the Great to his empire took place without any problems, since his army was perceived as the liberator of the Egyptian people from the Persians. Eight years before his death, the commander traveled along the Nile, deep into the Egyptian desert, where he discovered the Siwa oasis. The three-hundred-kilometer journey left the army without water, the army almost died. With difficulty, the travelers reached the green island of life, where the temple of the god Amun towered among the greenery. In the temple, the priests not only blessed Alexander the Great, but also named him the son of Amun. This inspired Alexander to new campaigns and achievements, as well as the decision to be buried on the ground of this oasis near the temple.
In 1990, Greek scientists went to Siwa and discovered there an amazing underground burial complex, on the reliefs of which they saw the image of the personal symbol of Alexander the Great, and on the stelae - letters written on behalf of Ptolemy, or by himself, informing about the burial of Alexander the Great in Siwa, according to will. The temple and tomb were surrounded by a wall. Images of lions were found here, which were commonly used in the funeral rites of Greece. And everything else had little in common with Egyptian culture and was more like Macedonian structures and products.
The surviving ancient coins depict Alexander the Great with a headdress in the form of a lion's head and two ram's horns, which correlates with the description of the legendary helmet. In the Hermitage, the helmet of Alexander the Great exists mainly in images on old coins.
Replica Legendary Helmet
The history of the golden helmet of Alexander the Great excites the minds of people, awakens the imagination of artists. Its exact copy was created by modern jewelers. The image from his sarcophagus was taken as a basis. It was made within 5 months by three craftsmen at once from a multicomponent alloy based on copper and zinc. Sheet thickness - 1.5 mm. All curls were knocked out with wooden hammers. This is very hard manual labor.
The full face of the helmet is made in the form of a lion's face. The entire helmet is initially covered with a layer of silver and then gold. Only the nose remains silver, which is covered with a special varnish so that the silver does not wear off. The helmet of Alexander the Great is encrusted with stones (tiger's eye, sapphires or moissanites), rock crystal and ivory.
The helmet suggests a wearing size of 58, but it is unknown if this size matches the exact size of Alexander the Great's head.
The helmet is durable enough. When worn continuously, it will be stored for five years.
What is the legend about the helmet of Alexander the Great? What does this helmet look like and what is so famous for? and got the best answer
Answer from Vjacheslav Goryainov [guru]
Alexander the Great on antique coins was most often depicted with the headdress of Hercules (the head of a lion) or the horns of the god Ammon.
Thanks to Katherine, I discovered an amazing thing: Legendary is not his "lion-headed" helmet, but his "horned" one !!
It is this helmet that has glorified everyone who wore it for centuries! 
Perhaps it was this helmet (located in the Hermitage) or the same one that inspired the Macedonians and Slavs to great victories.
It was this helmet of Alexander that impressed everyone who saw it so much that numerous descriptions have survived.
Alexander even received the nickname "ram-headed" due to the two twisted horns skillfully depicted on the helmet. This helmet was of extraordinary strength, and I daresay that apparently, we are talking about steel, the secret of the manufacture of which was not owned then by any of the peoples known to us. This helmet surpassed everything that the Persian or Greek masters of that time could create in the elegance of the finishing, and in fact the products of the Greek masters admire us to this day. If we assume that the Hyperboreans are behind Alexander's campaign, the origin of such an amazing helmet is clear.
According to one of the legends, the helmet after the death of Alexander, who won dozens of victories in it, returned to his homeland and became a kind of symbol of the struggle of the Hyperboreans against the Romans several hundred years later.
According to this legend, the helmet, crowned with his glory, made King Velez his talisman and a symbol of the struggle against the Romans. Maybe this caused the hatred of the Romans to Alexander the Great. Recall that according to one of the versions, they destroyed the grandiose memorial built by Alexander in honor of the heroes of the Trojan War under the walls of Ephesus. 
Alexander the Great wearing the helmet of Hercules (lion's head) on the sarcophagus from Sidon
Thus, in this legendary helmet with twisted horns, Tsar Veles already won one victory after another. Probably, being inferior in numbers and in general in resources, the war on the part of the Hyperboreans was partly partisan in nature. According to the Greeks, they were unsurpassed sailors. Crossing the seas in their ships and going down the rivers, they unexpectedly attacked Roman cities and garrisons. Note that later the Varangians borrowed this tactic from them, like the horns on their helmets. 
Lion head helmet
According to one of the northern legends, the king of the Hyperboreans, the founder of Slavensk Veles, died in a major battle with the Romans somewhere in the area of \u200b\u200bmodern Smolensk, having previously lost his talisman, Alexander's helmet, knocked down by a powerful blow. Which, most likely, became a trophy of some Roman general. Of course, put in conditions guerrilla warfare from superior enemy in a northern climate, the state of the Hyperboreans most likely disintegrated.
The helmet of Alexander the Great and Veles, the son of Jesus, is in the Hermitage. 
“Under Granicus, his helmet was hacked with a sword that penetrated his hair ...