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For Students (and interested others)
        Or, What NOT to Write in Email 



I do enjoy hearing from those interested in Alexander and Hephaistion, and try to respond.  This page is in no way intended to discourage people from contacting me!  But sometimes I get very peculiar or impatient requests.  So this page is designed to do FOUR things.  First, it will tell why I'm sometimes slow to reply.  Second, it gives some pointers as to what I can and can't answer via email (i.e., how to use a professional resource).  Third, it reveals the Super-Sekrit Squirrel Handshake ... er, no, wrong crowd. (g)  But seriously, I can offer a Big Hint for doing history at ANY level, whether you pursue a career in it, take a few classes in it, or do history as a personal hobby: The Historian's Question.  And fourth, at the very bottom, is direction on how to properly cite information found on this website.  It is all copyrighted.  That means you may not reproduce it (in papers OR on other websites) without saying where you got it.

Why I'm sometimes slow to reply:

I'm a full-time professor + a full-time mother. :-)

What this means pragmatically is that I teach several college classes each semester, attend conferences, write papers, serve on committees and do various other academic busywork.  I also have a young child and a family (and occasionally even pretend to hobbies).  This website on Hephaistion was written to be a popular-history resource and overview with some pointers on how to find further information.  I do enjoy talking to people as well, but my own students and family have to come first.  Most people who write me are actually very understanding, but occasionally, I run into those who send email and then, three days later, send an impatient query asking why I haven't replied already. :-)  The honest truth is that it may take me weeks to get to email.

How to Use (and avoid abusing) a Professional Resource:

I do occasionally hear from students who are attempting (more or less obviously) to get me to do their homework for them.  As a teacher myself, these are often transparent ploys and I'm less than amused.  In short, you're not fooling me, and that's one sure way NOT to receive a reply.  I am more than happy to assist with your homework, but I will not DO your homework. ;>

But what's the difference?  I think some folks (students or otherwise) honestly don't intend to impose, even if they wind up doing so -- they just aren't sure what IS an excessive request.  In short, when does a plea for help slip over into imposition?

A concrete example of what IS imposing -- then some guidelines.

Asking me one or two questions by email is not an imposing.  It's often fun.  But sending -- as two young ladies recently did -- a long list of questions for me to write responses to (several of which would have required a page or more to reply accurately) ... no.  I have my own students, writing, family and responsibilities.  I can't devote several (unpaid) hours to answering "interview" questions for high school students who don't seem to have done any homework first.  That's an example of an unreasonable request.

Students sometimes think, 'But it's just one short letter.'  No, it's not.  It's one letter multiplied by every student who thinks the same thing. ;>  If I answered all these, I'd never get my OWN work done.  Also, remember that sometimes a 'simple' question may have a highly complex answer.  This is hardly the asker's fault, not to know, but a little background check may suggest that it's not as simple as it looks.  And if I write back to say, "That's complicated," don't be surprised if I cite sources to for you to go read rather than write 4 pages summarizing what's explained elsewhere. As noted, I'm happy to help direct the curious, but I try to avoid reinventing the wheel.

So ... what kinds of things are good questions for a professional resource?

1) Where to look for further information on a topic.  What books/articles/references does the professional recommend?  Which does s/he NOT recommend (as all research was not created equal, and having professional advice can steer a student away from a source regarded as poor or outdated work).  In short, tell me what you've read already, and I'll tell you what else you might want to look at -- and what probably isn't worth your time.

2) Questions for which one hasn't found answers after looking .  There may, in fact, BE information about the topic, but it may be highly specialized or difficult to find.

(Hint, unless it's the Oxford Classical Dictionary or similar -- usually available in the reference section of any sizable library with helpful, potted summaries and brief bibliographies at the end; get the 3rd edition -- going to an encyclopedia or About.com is not the place to begin and end your research!)

3) Ask for advice when faced with conflicting evaluations.  It's not at all uncommon for scholars to disagree with each other -- particularly when it comes to a controversial figure such as Alexander the Great.  Students may read wildly varying accounts of the man and his court.  We have everything from N.G.L. Hammond's fairly positive portrayal in works like The Genius of Alexander the Great, to more negative evaluations in Peter Green's Alexander of Macedon or A.B. Bosworth's Alexander in the East.  Students of Macedonia itself may find themselves confused when faced by nationalist writings from the Greek or Slavic Macedonian sides, each claiming the other is wrong.

WHY are their so many different views and opinions?  That's a good question.  In fact, it's such a good question, it's even got a fancy name.  It's called "historiography," or "the history of history."  How do historians reach their opinions?  It's rarely simple, and 30-second soundbites won't cut it.  The 30-second soundbite usually IS an opinion ... not the reason for that opinion.  You want to know the REASON.

Asking "Who's right?" is not a good question.  That's an opinion, too. (g)  I certainly HAVE opinions on these topics, and I'll back them up with reasons -- but it's still opinion.  As much as we professional historians like to be regarded as Oracles of Truth and have our brilliant deductions admired (g), if you pin us down, we'll admit (or should admit) that the word "history" itself means "critical inquiry" (into the past) ... and that's what all 'historians' -- professional, student, or hobbyist -- should bring to the table.  So -- read/listen to the arguements, dig a little yourself, READ the conflicting opinions ... then make up your own mind.  This leads me to ...


The Historian's Question:
What does the EVIDENCE say?  That's where good history begins ... with the evidence, not with a pet theory and then a race to find evidence to back it up.  That's putting the cart before the horse.  Look at the evidence, and do your best to shed preconceived notions of what 'should' be.  Recognize your biases (don't pretend you don't have any) -- but avoid imposing those biases on the past.  When you begin with the evidence, you sometimes get startling (and exciting) results.


How to Properly Cite Information on this page for Papers (technical details):
If you decide to use, in a report or paper, any information found on this site (or any other Internet site), you must cite the source of your information no less than if you were using a print book or journal article.  How to cite the web is only slowly reaching a standardization.  Here's a good citation format you can employ:
author name, title of document (i.e., the page you used), title of complete work (i.e., the website itself if different from the title of the page you've cited), version or file number if given (including original creation and date of last revision, if available), the date which you accessed it, and the URL address (always double- and triple-check the address since URLs are case-sensitive and even one 'small' typo or error will result in an error message).
Citation format applied to Hephaistion - Philalexandros  for, say, the history page:
Reames, Jeanne.  "Who was this guy anyway?"  Hephaistion - Philalexandros.  Est. 3/2000, revised 9/28/2004.  [date you accessed it.]  <http://home.earthlink.net/~mathetria/history.html>
If the page creator doesn't list when the page was last revised (e.g., look on my front page -- tells you when it was first created and when I last revised it), you should always check "page info" in order to find that out (in Netscape, it's under "View" in the top menu bar).  It's a good thing to add, if you can, especially if information on the page is 'timely.'  You wouldn't want to use a website about the Alexander movie, for instance, that hasn't been updated in 6 months.  Also, if you use an image on the site, you must email me first to request permission, and/or to find out from where the image originally came, so that you can properly cite it.

You may not just cut and paste material from this site onto your website without permission and proper attribution.  That's plagiarism.  It's not hard to get my permission, but if I discover you've taken material and haven't asked, I'll require you to remove it and you won't be allowed to use it.  So just ask first.  It'll save us both a headache. ;>  You do NOT have to ask permission simply to link.  It's perfectly fine to post links to a website without asking permission.  A link is the web version of a 'citation,' and doesn't require permission.  Letting the web master know you're linking is nice etiquette, but not necessary.  It's only when using material from this site for your site that you must request permission.

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