Alexander’s Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors

Alexander’s Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors PDF Author: Joseph Roisman
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292735960
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
From antiquity until now, most writers who have chronicled the events following the death of Alexander the Great have viewed this history through the careers, ambitions, and perspectives of Alexander’s elite successors. Few historians have probed the experiences and attitudes of the ordinary soldiers who followed Alexander on his campaigns and who were divided among his successors as they fought for control of his empire after his death. Yet the veterans played an important role in helping to shape the character and contours of the Hellenistic world. This pathfinding book offers the first in-depth investigation of the Macedonian veterans’ experience during a crucial turning point in Greek history (323–316 BCE). Joseph Roisman discusses the military, social, and political circumstances that shaped the history of Alexander’s veterans, giving special attention to issues such as the soldiers’ conduct on and off the battlefield, the army assemblies, the volatile relationship between the troops and their generals, and other related themes, all from the perspective of the rank-and-file. Roisman also reexamines the biases of the ancient sources and how they affected ancient and modern depictions of Alexander’s veterans, as well as Alexander’s conflicts with his army, the veterans’ motives and goals, and their political contributions to Hellenistic history. He pays special attention to the Silver Shields, a group of Macedonian veterans famous for their invincibility and martial prowess, and assesses whether or not they deserved their formidable reputation.

Alexander’s Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors

Alexander’s Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors PDF Author: Joseph Roisman
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292735960
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Get Book Here

Book Description
From antiquity until now, most writers who have chronicled the events following the death of Alexander the Great have viewed this history through the careers, ambitions, and perspectives of Alexander’s elite successors. Few historians have probed the experiences and attitudes of the ordinary soldiers who followed Alexander on his campaigns and who were divided among his successors as they fought for control of his empire after his death. Yet the veterans played an important role in helping to shape the character and contours of the Hellenistic world. This pathfinding book offers the first in-depth investigation of the Macedonian veterans’ experience during a crucial turning point in Greek history (323–316 BCE). Joseph Roisman discusses the military, social, and political circumstances that shaped the history of Alexander’s veterans, giving special attention to issues such as the soldiers’ conduct on and off the battlefield, the army assemblies, the volatile relationship between the troops and their generals, and other related themes, all from the perspective of the rank-and-file. Roisman also reexamines the biases of the ancient sources and how they affected ancient and modern depictions of Alexander’s veterans, as well as Alexander’s conflicts with his army, the veterans’ motives and goals, and their political contributions to Hellenistic history. He pays special attention to the Silver Shields, a group of Macedonian veterans famous for their invincibility and martial prowess, and assesses whether or not they deserved their formidable reputation.

Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors

Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors PDF Author: Joseph Roisman
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292742886
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
From antiquity until now, most writers who have chronicled the events following the death of Alexander the Great have viewed this history through the careers, ambitions, and perspectives of Alexander’s elite successors. Few historians have probed the experiences and attitudes of the ordinary soldiers who followed Alexander on his campaigns and who were divided among his successors as they fought for control of his empire after his death. Yet the veterans played an important role in helping to shape the character and contours of the Hellenistic world. This pathfinding book offers the first in-depth investigation of the Macedonian veterans’ experience during a crucial turning point in Greek history (323–316 BCE). Joseph Roisman discusses the military, social, and political circumstances that shaped the history of Alexander’s veterans, giving special attention to issues such as the soldiers’ conduct on and off the battlefield, the army assemblies, the volatile relationship between the troops and their generals, and other related themes, all from the perspective of the rank-and-file. Roisman also reexamines the biases of the ancient sources and how they affected ancient and modern depictions of Alexander’s veterans, as well as Alexander’s conflicts with his army, the veterans’ motives and goals, and their political contributions to Hellenistic history. He pays special attention to the Silver Shields, a group of Macedonian veterans famous for their invincibility and martial prowess, and assesses whether or not they deserved their formidable reputation.

The Perdiccas Years, 323–320 BC

The Perdiccas Years, 323–320 BC PDF Author: Tristan Hughes
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526775123
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
This ancient military history examines how the Macedonian empire descended into a maelstrom of violent rivalry after the death of Alexander. When Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BC, he left behind one of the largest empires the world had seen, stretching from Greece to the Punjab. Surrounding the king’s deathbed were his highest subordinates: some of the greatest military minds of antiquity, each with their own insatiable ambitions for power. Since Alexander died leaving no clear successor, these former brothers-in-arms quickly became fierce foes as they vied for dominance. What followed was an extraordinary time for military campaigns. Powerful warlords and warrior queens attempted to assert their authority throughout the length and breadth of Alexander the Great’s former empire; from Afghanistan to Athens, from Africa to Asia, powerful armies decided matters by the spear. In this volume, historian Tristan Hughes looks at the initial years of the conflict and several major campaigns that immediately seized the kingdom.

Ghost on the Throne

Ghost on the Throne PDF Author: James Romm
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307456609
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description
When Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-two, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs—a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an infant son, Alexander IV, born after his death—were jointly granted the kingship. But six of Alexander’s Macedonian generals, spurred by their own thirst for power and the legend that Alexander bequeathed his rule “to the strongest,” fought to gain supremacy. Perhaps their most fascinating and conniving adversary was Alexander’s former Greek secretary, Eumenes, now a general himself, who would be the determining factor in the precarious fortunes of the royal family. James Romm, professor of classics at Bard College, brings to life the cutthroat competition and the struggle for control of the Greek world’s greatest empire.

The Army of Alexander the Great

The Army of Alexander the Great PDF Author: Stephen English
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844683524
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Alexander the Great is one of the most famous men in history, and many believe he was the greatest military genius of all time (Julius Caesar wept at the feet of his statue in envy of his achievements). Most of his thirteen year reign as king of Macedon was spent in hard campaigning which conquered half the known world, during which he was never defeated in open battle and never besieged a city he did not take. Yet, while biographies of Alexander abound, there are relatively few full-length books dedicated to the Macedonian army which made his dazzling conquests possible and which proved itself the most formidable machine of the age.Stephen English investigates every aspect of the Macedonian forces, analysing the recruitment, equipment, organisation, tactics, command and control of the fighting arms (including the famous pike phalanxes, elite Hypaspists and incomparable Companion cavalry),Some of Alexander's most famous battles and sieges are described in detail to show the army in action. With forensic thoroughness he draws on recent archaeological evidence and scholarship to present a detailed portrait of the army which demonstrated a superiority over its opponents equal to (but much longer-lasting than) that enjoyed by the German forces in the blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939/40. Alexnader's navy is also covered.

The Macedonian War Machine, 359–281 BC

The Macedonian War Machine, 359–281 BC PDF Author: David Karunanithy
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 178346996X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 847

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Book Description
“[A] splendid and scholarly work . . . an essential guide for all serious students of military history and warfare in the age of Alexander.”—Professor Waldemar Heckel, University of Calgary The army that emerged from the reforms of Philip II of Macedon proved to be one of the most successful in the whole of the ancient period. Much has been written on aspects of Macedonian warfare, particularly the generalship of its most famous proponent, Alexander the Great, yet many studies retread the same paths and draw conclusion on the same narrow evidential base, while leaving important aspects and sources of information untouched. David Karunanithy concentrates on filling the gaps in existing studies, presenting and studying evidence frequently overlooked or ignored. The book is divided into four sections, each presenting a wealth of detail on various aspects: Preparation (including chapters on training techniques, various aspects of arms and armor production and supply and the provision and management of cavalry mounts); Support (eg noncombatant specialists, bridge building, field engineering, construction of field camps and little-known combat units in Asia); Dress and Battle Equipment (drawing on much neglected evidence and including such details as officers’ plumes, wreaths and finger rings); Alexander’s Veterans and Life on Campaign (the Silver Shields; baggage trains and personal kit, servants and families, camp life and recreation). “Karunanithy’s achievement is to draw together all the available evidence—artistic, numeristic, archaeological and literary—producing a thoroughly readable and coherent work . . . it should be a mandatory acquisition for anyone with an interest in the history of ancient Macedonia and its military.”—Ancient Warfare

By the Spear

By the Spear PDF Author: Ian Worthington
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199929866
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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Book Description
A unique military and cultural history that chronicles the reigns of Philip and Alexander the Great in one sweeping narrative.

The Treasures of Alexander the Great

The Treasures of Alexander the Great PDF Author: Frank Lee Holt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199950962
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
This book investigates the kinds and quantities of treasure seized by Alexander the Great, from gold and silver to land and slaves, and reassesses the widespread belief that the Macedonian king used the profits of war to improve the ancient economies he conquered. It reveals what became of the king's wealth and what Alexander's redistribution of these vast resources can tell us about his much-disputed policies and personality.

Arrian's History of the Expedition of Alexander the Great, and Conquest of Persia

Arrian's History of the Expedition of Alexander the Great, and Conquest of Persia PDF Author: Arrian
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : India
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description


Alexander the Great Failure

Alexander the Great Failure PDF Author: John D Grainger
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 082644394X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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Book Description
In this authoritative book John Grainger explores the foundations of Alexander's empire and why it did not survive after his untimely death in 323 BC.