Ghost on the Throne

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

Get Book Here

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.

Ghost on the Throne

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

Get Book Here

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 Wars of the Diadochi

The Wars of the Diadochi PDF Author: in60Learning
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781095491881
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Get Book Here

Book Description
Smarter in sixty minutes.Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning. Concise and elegantly written non-fiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each.When Alexander the Great died, his empire collapsed in a rash of battles an in-fighting between his cavalcade of generals. The Wars of the Diadochi divided up his holdings and determined how much of the Mediterranean world would look for the next thousands of years. Greece, Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, and even parts of India were left hanging in the balance. This ebook jumps into this tumultuous conflict that lasted for nearly one hundred years and impacted every person living in the ancient world. It would also be the conflict most responsible for spreading and consolidating Greek culture throughout the ancient world.

Dividing the Spoils

Dividing the Spoils PDF Author: Robin Waterfield
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199931526
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Get Book Here

Book Description
A gripping account of one of the great forgotten wars of history, revealing how Alexander the Great's vast empire was torn asunder in the years after his death

After Alexander

After Alexander PDF Author: Victor Alonso Troncoso
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1782970630
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 454

Get Book Here

Book Description
When Alexander the Great died in 323 BC without a chosen successor he left behind a huge empire and ushered in a turbulent period, as his generals fought for control of vast territories. The time of the Successors (Diadochi) is usually defined as beginning in 323 BC and ending with the deaths of the last two Successors in 281 BC. This is a major publication devoted to the Successors and contains eighteen papers reflecting current research. Several papers attempt to unravel the source history of the very limited remaining narrative accounts, and add additional materials through cuneiform and Byzantine texts. Specific historical issues addressed include the role of so-called royal flatterers and whether or not Alexander's old guard did continue to serve into their sixties and seventies. Three papers reflect the recent conscious effort by many to break away from the Hellenocentric view of the predominantly Greek sources, by examining the role of the conquered, specifically the prominent roles played by Iranians in the administration and military of Alexander and his Successors, pockets of Iranian resistance which eventually blossomed into Hellenistic kingdoms ruled by sovereigns proclaiming their direct connection to an Iranian past and a continuation of Iranian influence through an examination of the roles played by certain of the Diadochis Iranian wives. The papers in the final section analyze the use of varying forms of propaganda. These include the use of the concept of Freedom of the Greeks as a means of manipulating opinion in the Greek world; how Ptolemy used a snake cult associated with the foundation of Alexandria in Egypt to link his kingship with that of Alexander; and the employment of elephant images to advertise the authority of particular rulers.

The Wars of Alexander's Successors, 323-281 BC.

The Wars of Alexander's Successors, 323-281 BC. PDF Author: Bob Bennett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Get Book Here

Book Description
A comprehensive narrative of the events of the Wars of the Diadochi, this title describes the four decades of war over one of the greatest empires ever seen.

Ptolemy I

Ptolemy I PDF Author: Ian Worthington
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190202351
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Get Book Here

Book Description
When Rome defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra and annexed Egypt, the rule of the longest-lived of the Hellenistic dynasties and one of the most illustrious in Egyptian history came to an end. For nearly three hundred years, the Macedonian dynasty known as the Ptolemaic had controlled Egypt and its mixed population of Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, and Jews. The founder of this dynasty, Ptolemy I (367-283/2 BC), was a boyhood friend and eventually personal bodyguard of Alexander the Great, who fought alongside Alexander in the epic battles that toppled the Persian Empire, and brought about a Macedonian Empire stretching from Greece to India. After Alexander's death, his senior staff carved up his vast empire, with Ptolemy gaining control of Egypt. There he built up his power base in Egypt, introduced administrative and economic reforms that made his family fabulously wealthy, and by extending Egypt's possessions overseas founded an Egyptian Empire. In addition to his political and military prowess, Ptolemy was an intellectual, who patronized the mathematician Euclid, wrote an important account of Alexander's campaign in Asia, and established the famous Library and Museum at Alexandria, which were the cultural heart of the entire Hellenistic Age. Ptolemy ruled Egypt until he died of natural causes in his early eighties. Ian Worthington's Ptolemy I--the first full-length biography of its kind in English--traces the life of Ptolemy from his boyhood to his reign as king and pharaoh of Egypt. Throughout, he highlights the achievements that profoundly shaped both Egypt's history and that of the early Hellenistic world. He argues that Ptolemy was by far the greatest of Alexander's Successors, and that he was a conscious imperialist who even boldly attempted to seize Greece and Macedonia, and be a second Alexander.

Olympias

Olympias PDF Author: Elizabeth Carney
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134318197
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
Presenting a critical assessment of a fascinating and wholly misunderstood figure, this is the definitive guide to the life of the first woman to play a major role in Greek political history, and the first modern biography of Olympias.

The Syrian Wars

The Syrian Wars PDF Author: John D. Grainger
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004188312
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 468

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines the causes and courses of the series of wars in the Hellenistic period fought between the kingdom of the Seleukids and the Ptolemies over possession of Syria. This is a subject always mentioned by historians of the period in a glancing or abbreviated way, but which is actually wholly central to the development of both kingdoms and of the period as a whole. Other than relatively brief summaries no serious account has ever been produced. This extended consideration will bring to the centre of research on the Hellinistic period this long sequence of wars. Arguably they were the basic causes of the failure of both kingdoms in the face of Roman aggression and interference.

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great PDF Author: Waldemar Heckel
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444360159
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 391

Get Book Here

Book Description
Alexander the Great: A New History combines traditional scholarship with contemporary research to offer an innovative treatment of one of history's most famous figures. Written by leading experts in the field Looks at a wide range of diverse topics including Alexander's religious views, his entourage during his campaign East, his sexuality, the influence of his legacy, and his representations in art and cinema Discusses Alexander's influence, from his impact on his contemporaries to his portrayals in recent Hollywood films A highly informed and enjoyable resource for students and interested general readers

Funeral Games

Funeral Games PDF Author: Mary Renault
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 140552622X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349

Get Book Here

Book Description
'The Alexander Trilogy contains some of Renault's finest writing. Lyrical, wise, compelling: the novels are a wonderful imaginative feat' SARAH WATERS In the final novel of her stunning trilogy, Mary Renault vividly imagines the life of Alexander the Great, the charismatic leader whose drive and ambition created a legend. Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India. After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt. For no one possessed the leadership to keep the great empire from crumbling. But Alexander's legend endured to spread into worlds he had seen only in dreams. 'Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us' - HILARY MANTEL 'The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the 20th century . . . it represents the pinnacle of [Renault's] career . . . Renault's skill is in immersing us in their world, drawing us into its strangeness, its violence and beauty. It's a literary conjuring trick like all historical fiction - it can only ever be an approximation of the truth. But in Renault's hands, the trick is so convincing and passionately conjured' Antonia Senior, The Times