Alexander the Great: A Very Short IntroductionAlexander the Great became king of Macedon in 336 BC, when he was only 20 years old, and died at the age of 32, twelve years later. During his reign he conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire that had ever existed, leading his army from Greece to Pakistan, and from the Libyan desert to the steppes of Central Asia. His meteoric career, as leader of an alliance of Greek cities, Pharaoh of Egypt, and King of Persia, had a profound effect on the world he moved through. Even in his lifetime his achievements became legendary and in the centuries that following his story was told and retold throughout Europe and the East. Greek became the language of power in the Eastern Mediterranean and much of the Near East, as powerful Macedonian dynasts carved up Alexander's empire into kingdoms of their own, underlaying the flourishing Hellenistic civilization that emerged after his death. But what do we really know about Alexander? In this Very Short Introduction, Hugh Bowden goes behind the usual historical accounts of Alexander's life and career. Instead, he focuses on the evidence from Alexander's own time -- letters from officials in Afghanistan, Babylonian diaries, records from Egyptian temples -- to try and understand how Alexander appeared to those who encountered him. In doing so he also demonstrates the profound influence the legends of his life have had on our historical understanding and the controversy they continue to generate worldwide. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Before Alexander | 10 |
Prince Alexander in the Macedonian court | 23 |
Warrior Alexanders army | 32 |
Commander Alexander and the Greeks | 43 |
Pharaoh Alexander and Egypt | 56 |
King of the world Alexander and Persia | 68 |
Traveller Alexander in Afghanistan and Pakistan | 80 |
Doomed to die Alexander in Babylon | 93 |
After Alexander | 99 |
| 109 | |
Further reading | 111 |
| 113 | |
A Very Short Introduction | 121 |
Very Short Introduction | 122 |
Common terms and phrases
3rd century 5th century accounts of Alexander’s Achaemenid empire Aegean Afghanistan Alexander enters Alexander historians Alexander Mosaic Alexander’s Alexander’s campaigns Alexander’s death Alexandria Amun Amyntas ancient writers army Arrian Artaxerxes Artaxerxes III Asia assassinated astronomical diary Athenians Athens Babylon Babylonian Bactria battle of Gaugamela Caesar Callisthenes centre Chaeronea Chapter claim contemporary court Curtius Cyrus Darius Darius III David defeated depicted described Diodorus east Egypt Egyptian Eurydice exiles father Philip fleet Granicus Greece Greek cities Herodotus Hyphasis Indus inscriptions Jaxartes John killed king’s kingdom later League of Corinth Macedon Macedonian Michael military modern scholars Nectanebo Olympias omens oracle palace Parmenion Perdiccas period Persepolis Persian empire Persian king pharaoh Philotas Plutarch Porus Ptolemy River royal rule ruler satraps Short Introduction siege Siwa Sogdiana soldiers Spartans Stateira story successor surviving narratives Susa temple territory Thebes throne took troops victory visited Xerxes
Bibliographic information
| Title | Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction Volume 393 of Very short introductions |
| Author | Hugh Bowden |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2014 |
| ISBN | 0198706154, 9780198706151 |
| Length | 120 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Ancient / Greece |
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