Product Description

This book collects together ten contributions by leading experts in the field of Alexander studies which represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and viewed as a whole represent a wide spectrum of methodology. This first English collection of essays on Alexander includes a comparison of the Spanish conquest of Mexico with the Macedonians in the east which examines the attitudes towards the subject peoples and the justification of conquest, an analysis of the attested conspiracies at the Macedonian and Persian courts, and studies of panhellenic ideology and the concept of kingship. There is a radical new interpretation of the hunting fresco from Tomb II at Vergina, a new date for the pamphlet on Alexander's last days which ends the Alexander romance, and a re-interpretation of the bizarre portents of his death. Three chapters on historiography address the problem of interpreting Alexander's attested behaviour, the indirect source tradition used by Polybius, and the resonances of contemporary politics in the extant histories.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #664936 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 380 pages

Contemporary Review
"For those whose interest in Alexander has been stirred, as well as for students of the period, this collection must become compulsory reading."

Review
A full bibliography and a useful index complete this valuable contribution to Alexander scholarship. In sum, the specialist and the student alike are served equally well ... highly recommended. (Bryn Mawr Classical Review )

For those whose interest in Alexander has been stirred, as well as for students of the period, this collection must become compulsory reading. (Contemporary Review )

Customer Reviews

An essential read for the wannabee Alexander historian
I'm sure not many academics are aware of the difficulties posed for those of us ex-history students who do not have access to a Univeristy Library. The main problem is finding real historical reasearch into areas of interest as these are almost exclusively found in the domain of expensive journals way out of the price range of anyone but a minor celebrity. In addition as hardly any of this information is freely availabe on the internet the weekend historian is continually frustrated in their search for 'koshe'' historical resarch. For the individual interested in Alexander despite his fame once the main sources have been digested its suprising to discover that interesting reading material is hard to come by. There are to be sure many, many, many books rehashing the basic facts but how to find out what the themes and interests are of today's Alexander gurus paid to continue to feed the mountain of words accumulated over the last 2000 years!?

This book is one of the answers and the fact that I personally waited 6 months for the paperback edition to surface show how little the academic world pay to those of us without their resources. The book covers various aspects of Alexander the Greats life and influence produced as a result of a conference. The papers cover the principle discussions which are the heart of any study of Alexander. There is also very comprehensive bibliography which is really essential for us wanabees. My only gripe is that it would have been interesting to have had a pshycological collage - this is an area that fills the more popular books - and the 'facts'' combined with modern day knowledge would have added some spice.

I also appreciated the introduction which more or less sums up the problems of anyone interested in Alexander which is that he is ever elusive and ever the reflection of the interested party. A must for anyone who wants to dip their fingers into the current academic world of Alexander research.