Case file · Folklore / legend
The Gordian Knot
At Gordion in 333 BC Alexander faced a knotted ox-cart that an oracle said only the future ruler of Asia could untie; he cut it, or in another version pulled out the pin.
333 BCE · 39.65, 31.98 · status: legend
The account
That night there was thunder and lightning, which Alexander's seers took as a sign of the gods' approval (Arrian, Anabasis 2.3).