Alexander the Great : Son of the Gods - An Intimate Portrait of the World's Greatest Conqueror

by Alan Fildes; Joann Fletcher

• ISBN13: 9780892366781
• ISBN10: 0892366788
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-19
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Summary

Famous for more than two millennia for the amazing deeds that he accomplished in his short life of thirty-two years, King Alexander III of Macedon is the most celebrated figure of classical antiquity. Alexander the Great: Son of the Gods presents, in a year-by-year chronicle, an intimate and fascinating portrait of the man who, in less than two decades, created the greatest empire the world had ever seen and acquired a semi-mythic status that persists today. Among the topics covered are Alexander's family life, including his stormy relationship with his father, King Philip, and the influence of his mother, Queen Olympias; his brilliant leadership, outwitting opponents and inspiring his devoted troops; and his daily life on the march and off duty, whether sharing the hardships of his men or indulging in the renowned bouts of feasting that may have contributed to his early death. Generously illustrated with ancient art from museums around the world, this is an engrossing, accessible biography of a legendary man.

Author Biography

Alan Fildes is a historian of ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations. Joann Fletcher is a freelance Egyptologist and the author of Ancient Egypt: Life, Myth and Art.

Table of Contents

Introduction	6	(2)
Alexander's Journey	8	(2)
The Prince of Macedon: 359-335 BCE	10	(24)
Kings of the Mountain Realm	12	(2)
Weddings, Plots, and Princes	14	(2)
Feature: Olympias, Daughter of Achilles	16	(2)
``Macedonia is Too Small!''	18	(2)
Feature: The Philosopher's Student	20	(4)
Triumphs of the Young Regent	24	(2)
The Fall of Athens	26	(2)
Feature: An Army for the East	28	(2)
Exile in Epirus	30	(2)
Assassination in the Theater	32	(2)
Conqueror of the East: 335-331 BCE	34	(28)
The Lord of All Greece	36	(4)
Feature: The Great Kings of Persia	40	(2)
The Invasion of Asia	42	(4)
Victory at Issus	46	(4)
The Siege of the Island City	50	(2)
Hail to the Pharaoh	52	(4)
Oracle in the Desert	56	(4)
Feature: Cities of Alexander	60	(2)
The Great King: 331-327 BCE	62	(38)
Darius Flees East	64	(2)
The Palace of Nebuchadnezzar	66	(4)
Ambush at the Gates of Persia	70	(2)
Feature: Persepolis: Heart of an Empire	72	(6)
A Dynasty Falls	78	(2)
Shah of Shahs	80	(2)
Feature: Robes, Crowns, and Perfumes	82	(4)
The Betrayal of Philotas	86	(2)
The Land of Prometheus	88	(2)
The Despot of Samarkand	90	(2)
Feature: Iskander the Accursed	92	(2)
Roxane the Fair	94	(2)
Feature: Intimate Companions	96	(2)
The Pages' Conspiracy	98	(2)
To the Endless Ocean: 327-326 BCE	100	(34)
The Lost Valley of the God	102	(2)
The Rock of Heracles	104	(2)
Feature: The Face of a Conqueror	106	(4)
Crossing the Indus	110	(2)
The Battle of the Elephants	112	(2)
Feature: Life on the March	114	(2)
The Death of Bucephalas	116	(2)
A Time of Heat and Rain	118	(2)
Feature: Of Banyans and Brahmins	120	(4)
In the Shadow of the Himalaya	124	(4)
To the Ends of the Earth	128	(2)
The Final Frontier	130	(4)
Return to Babylon: 326-323 BCE	134	(32)
Altars of the Giants	136	(2)
Voyage to the Southern Ocean	138	(4)
Heat and Dust	142	(4)
A Time of Weddings	146	(2)
A Lover's Loss	148	(2)
The Death of the God	150	(4)
The Struggle for Succession	154	(4)
The Lost Tomb	158	(2)
Feature: The Legacy of Alexander	160	(6)
Alexander's People	166	(2)
Glossary	168	(1)
Further Reading	169	(1)
Index	170	(6)
Acknowledgments	176