Very little is known about this Macedonian general, apart from his relationship with Alexander the Great, who was his companion in military conquest and his closest friend. Hephaestion was born, like Alexander, in around 365 BC from a noble Macedonian family and was probably brought up in the Macedonian court in Pella, alongside Alexander. It is also likely they both had Aristotle as their common tutor and shared similar upbringing in military discipline and diplomatic skills. As a matter of fact, during the military campaign against the Persian empire Hephaestion was entrusted with not only military missions but also diplomatic and technical assignments tt were fulfilled with sound judgement and crowned with success.
At the onset of the legendary Asian campaign, in their aftermath of the disembark in what is now Turkey, Alexander and Hephaestion, visited the ruins of Troy, setting of their beloved Iliad and each laid a wreath on the tombs of Achilles and Patroclus respectively. To celebrate the event publicly they also run a race to honour their heroes. The identification of the couple of Macedonian leaders with the two Homeric heroes remained a constant comparison for the rest of their lives, possibly also with reference to the intimacy of their relationship. The two companions carried out together a legendary military campaign that had saw no defeats on its unstoppable path and conquered under one rule most of the know world of the time..
A close companionship
It is interesting to note the anecdote about the meeting that immediately followed the battle with Darius’ mother, Queen Sisygambis, who did not recognise Alexander in the delegation of the victorious Macedonian generals, including Hephaestion, and the hailed as the winner. Alexander, to avoid his embarrassment, told him not to worry, for both were Alexander. The bond between the two characters was indeed very strong and described by their common tutor, Aristotle, as “one soul abiding in two bodies”.
In order to strengthen the bond between the two generals Alexander offered in marriage to Hephaestion the sister of his wife Stateira, daughter of the defeated Persian king Darius. In this way they became also brothers-in-law arguably in a plan to forge a new royal family to rule this immense empire that was descendant of them both.
Hephaestion’s death, probably for typhoid fever, while the two generals were conducting a military campaign in Persia, devastated Alexander who organised one of the most expensive funerals in history to commemorate him. The loss of his companion was followed, a few months later, by the death of Alexander himself for similar reasons, while he was preparing further military campaigns, this time to invade the Arabian peninsula.
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