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Has any ancient figure captivated the imagination of people over the centuries so much as Alexander the Great? In less than a decade he created an empire stretching across much of the Near East as far as India, which led to Greek culture becoming dominant in much of this region for a millennium. Here, an international team of experts clearly explains the life and career of one of the most significant figures in world history. They introduce key themes of his campaign as well as describing aspects of his court and government and exploring the very different natures of his engagements with the various peoples he encountered and their responses to him. The reader is also introduced to the key sources, including the more important fragmentary historians, especially Ptolemy, Aristobulus and Clitarchus, with their different perspectives. The book closes by considering how Alexander's image was manipulated in antiquity itself.
List of contents
I. Alexander's Life and Career: 1. Alexander's Birth and Childhood Daniel Ogden; 2. The Crises Leading up to Alexander's Accession Daniel Ogden; 3. Alexander and the Greeks Borja Antela Bernárdez; 4. To the Ends of the World: What the Campaign was All About Ed Anson; 5. Alexander and Egypt. Timothy Howe; 6. Alexander and the Persian. Empire Sabine Müller; 7. Alexander and India Richard Stoneman; 8. Death, Burial, Last Plans and Aftermath Joseph Roisman; II. Contexts: 9. Macedon Carol J. King; 10. Kingship Bill Greenwalt; 11. Court and Companions Jeanne Reames; 12. Changes and Challenges at Alexander's Court Jeanne Reames; 13. The Women of Alexander's Court Elizabeth Carney; 14. Religion Hugh Bowden; 15. Army and Warfare Carolyn Willekes; 16. Alexander's Modern Military Reputation F. S. Naiden; 17. Finance and Coinage Kyle Erickson; 18. Administration Maxim Kholod; 19. Geography, Science and Knowledge of the World Ignacio Molina Marín; III. The Historical and Biographical Tradition: 20. Arrian's Alexander Daniel W. Leon; 21. Plutarch's Alexander Philip Bosman; 22. Curtius' Alexander Elizabeth Baynham; 23. Ptolemy and Aristobulus Frances Pownall; 24. Clitarchus' Alexander Luisa Prandi; 25. Callisthenes, Chares, Nearchus, Onesicritus and the Mystery of the Royal Journal Christian Djurslev; IV. The Ancient World's Memory of Alexander: 26. The Successors and the Image of Alexander Daniel Ogden; 27. Alexander and the Roman Emperors Sulochana Asirvatham; 28. The Alexander Romance Christian Djurslev; 29. Alexander in Jewish and Early Christian Literature Aleksandra Kleczar; 30. Alexander in Ancient Art Agnieszka Fuli¿ska; References; Index.
About the author
DANIEL OGDEN is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Exeter. His previous publications include: Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death: The Hellenistic Dynasties (1999; 2nd ed., 2023); (ed.) The Hellenistic World: New Perspectives (2002); (co-ed. with Elizabeth Carney) Philip and Alexander: Father and Son, Lives and Afterlives (2010); Alexander the Great: Myth, Genesis and Sexuality (2011); and The Legend of Seleucus (Cambridge, 2017).
