Whatâs in a name? How Alexander and Caesarâs names were adopted.
This is a âdid you knowâ postâmaybe you already did, and if not, hereâs some interesting tidbits on how Alexander and Julius Caesarâs names have morphed into meaning conqueror or leader!
Letâs take Alexander the Great. The young Macedonian built a vast empire stretching from his homeland all the way to the borders of India, before he died in 323 B.C. He laid foundations of many cities - the most famous being Alexandria of Egypt. There have been many other Alexandrias built after him. But did you know that Alexander also founded Kandahar in Afghanistan?
Alexanderâs name took local flavorsâin Persia, he was called âIskanderâ, possibly a shortened form of âAl-Iskander.â Iskander also took the form of Sikander or Sikandar. Did you know that Sikandar, in Persian and Hindi, means âconquerorâ or âwarriorâ? There are many people named Sikandar in the east, which is really a Persian name for none other than Alexander. Itâs used both as a name and as a title for ruler. This Wikipedia article lists names and places of this variant. I even found a Bollywood song that translates to âI am the Sikandar here!â
Similarly, while itâs not clearly established, Kandahar could simply be âIs-Kandarâ become âKandarâ â> âKandahar.â There are towns called âIskandariyaâ which is simply a variant of âAlexandria.â
Next, Julius Caesar. Similarly, the german term âKaiserâ which is used for emperor or ruler came from âCaesar.â This great article gets into more detail on the adoption of Caesarâs family name into simply meaning ruler. The Russian Czar, too, evolved from Caesar, using the path of âTsarâ from âTsesari.â
While I do not have a compelling evidence, the Sanskrit word âKesari,â which is usually alluded to someone with the heart of a Lion, or someone who is brave, may too have originated with âCaesariâ (in Latin the âCâ was really âKâ!).
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323 B.C., Babylon
King Alexander the Great has died, and his bloodthirsty generals quarrel for the pieces of a vast empire. But Captain Deon faces his own nightmare, born of a shameful past: a vicious lender threatens to sell his wife and young daughter into slavery if he does not clear his crippling debt.
Hope glimmers when the dead kingâs wily secretary dangles a mission that whispers of an unimaginable reward.
Thrust into the murky and dangerous waters of succession where his success holds the keys to the ultimate prize, Alexanderâs throne, Deon faces a terrifying choice: complete the mission and earn his familyâs freedom, or refuse and let them perish in Nubiaâs brutal gold mines.
Assisted by a companion as skilled in tongues as she is with a dagger, and pursued by malignant forces that will stop at nothing, Deon must cross violent lands to find an astonishing mystery hidden for a thousand years. But every step closer to freedom unveils a burden far heavier than his debt, for his choices could determine not only his familyâs fate but that of a million innocents.
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