Sir William Woodthorpe Tarn (1869-1957) was a British ancient historian who wrote numerous works on the Hellenistic world. Tarn's Alexander the Great, first published in two volumes during 1948, has become a classic text and its importance for subsequent Alexander studies can hardly be exaggerated. Based on a lifetime's work and elegantly and persuasively written, both volumes evoked immediate admiration - and very soon sharp reaction. Volume I presents a 'compendious' narrative of Alexander's life and achievements; volume II focuses on providing a detailed analysis of sources and discussion relating to key historical cruces. This is a fascinating work that will be of value to anyone with an interest in the writings of Tarn, ancient history and Alexander the Great.
Our knowledge of Alexander the Great is derived from the widely varying accounts of five authors who wrote three and more centuries after his death. The value of each account can be determined in detail only by discovering the source from which it drew, section by section, whether from a contemporary document, a memoir by a companion of Alexander, a hostile critique or a romanticizing narrative. In this book the three earliest accounts are studied in depth, and it becomes apparent that each author used more than one source, and that only occasionally did any two of them or all three use the same source for an incident or a series of incidents. This book will be of value to ancient historians and of interest also to those studying Alexander the Great.
Seventy-two stunning findings about Alexander the Great and the assassin of Alexander the Great is finally identified. Who killed Alexander the Great? After over two thousand years of speculation, the assassin of Alexander is finally identified. To verify the truth, this historical narrative searches through a mass of conflicting records, including Indian and Greek classical texts. By assimilating new information from multiple sources, Ajith Kumar stitches together this scattered history with 72 pieces of fresh evidence to solve the perplexing murder mystery. Alexander’s destiny, it seems, was determined the moment he stepped into Taxila in India in 326 BC, as he was helplessly trapped in a different world, where an invisible enemy was leading a secret war against him. The Arthasastra of Chanakya, an epic treatise on statecraft and warfare, presents the multiple strategies of the 'secret war' which diverted and decimated the Greek army, and killed its supreme commander. In The Murder of Alexander the Great, Book 2: The Secret war, Ajith Kumar presents a new version of ancient history that still remains hidden in ancient Indian texts. The puzzling mystery behind Alexander's premature death is documented in Chanakya's 'Arthasastra,' a military manual of ancient India, which reveals devastating effects of the Secret War strategy employed by the Indians during the Greek invasion in 326 BC. The exotic weapon that killed Alexander is named as the 'Destroyer of time' in the Arthashastra, a military manual, and the Sanskrit Puranas. The Puranas also hold untold chapters of hidden history, which reveal how the Indians decisively destroyed the worldwide empire of Alexander the Great and changed the world for ever. The two-millennium-old murder mystery takes us back in time to the farthest corners of the primitive world, only to end in a stunning climax that lays bare the elusive assassin of Alexander.
Alexander the Great's life and career are here examined through the major issues surrounding his reign. What were Alexander's ultimate ambitions? Why did he pursue his own deification while alive? Did he actually set the world in 'a new groove' as has been claimed by some scholars? And was his death natural or the result of a murderous conspiracy? Each of the key themes, arranged as chapters, will be presented in approximately chronological order so that readers unfamiliar with the life of Alexander will be able to follow the narrative. The themes are tied to the major controversies and questions surrounding Alexander's career and legacy. Each chapter includes a discussion of the major academic positions on each issue, and includes a full and up-to-date bibliography and an evaluation of the historical evidence. All source material is in translation. Designed to bring new clarity to the contentious history of Alexander the Great, this is an ideal introduction to one of history's most controversial figures.
Ten essays from a symposium held at Newcastle University in 1997, which examine the general themes of kingship and imperialism by focusing on the romances that surround Alexander.
Philip II was not only the father of Alexander the Great, but in many respects was also the father of his son's incredible career. It was the father who unified Macedonia into the first European nation and who created the army with which his son conquered the Persian Empire and inaugurated the Hellenistic Age. This volume is not the standard biography, but rather an examination of the major controversies concerning his life and reign. How did Philip in roughly twenty years transform a divided territory and little more than a geographical conception into a national state? How did he change the very nature of ancient Western warfare? How did he transform this formerly exploited region into the master of the Greek world? Each chapter discusses one of the major academic controversies surrounding this transformative figure, bringing new clarity to the career of a man whose reputation has been so overshadowed by his illustrious son.
This exciting new volume includes a selection of the most significant and representative published articles and chapters about Alexander and covers all the main areas of debate and discussion in Alexander scholarship.