Alexander the Great in Arrian’s ›Anabasis‹

Alexander the Great in Arrian’s ›Anabasis‹

Author: Vasileios Liotsakis

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-05-06

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 3110659972

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Arrian’s Alexandrou Anabasis constitutes the most reliable account at our disposal about Alexander the Great's campaign in Asia. However, whereas the work has been thoroughly studied as a historical source, its literary qualities have been relatively neglected, with no autonomous monograph existing on this matter. Vasileios Liotsakis fills this gap in the studies of Alexander the Great’s literary tradition, by offering the first monograph on Arrian’s compositional strategies. Liotsakis focuses on the narrative techniques and verbal choices, through which Arrian allows praise and criticism to intermingle in his portrait of the Macedonian king. His main point of argument is that Arrian systematically exploits an abundance of narrative means (military descriptions, presentation of peoples, march-narratives, anachronies, and epic elements) in order to draw the reader’s attention not only to Alexander’s intellectual skills but also to the fact that the king was gradually corrupted by his success. This book puts Arrian’s literary contrivances under the microscope, sheds new light on unexplored aspects of the Anabasis’ narrative arrangement, and contributes to the studies of Alexander’s prosopography in Classical historiography.


Alexander the Great in Arrian's >Anabasis

Alexander the Great in Arrian's >Anabasis

Author: Vasileios Liotsakis

Publisher:

Published: 2019-05-20

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9783110658736

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Arrian's Alexandrou Anabasis constitutes the most reliable account at our disposal about Alexander the Great's campaign in Asia. However, whereas the work has been thoroughly studied as a historical source, its literary qualities have been relatively neglected, with no autonomous monograph existing on this matter. Vasileios Liotsakis fills this gap in the studies of Alexander the Great's literary tradition, by offering the first monograph on Arrian's compositional strategies. Liotsakis focuses on the narrative techniques and verbal choices, through which Arrian allows praise and criticism to intermingle in his portrait of the Macedonian king. His main point of argument is that Arrian systematically exploits an abundance of narrative means (military descriptions, presentation of peoples, march-narratives, anachronies, and epic elements) in order to draw the reader's attention not only to Alexander's intellectual skills but also to the fact that the king was gradually corrupted by his success. This book puts Arrian's literary contrivances under the microscope, sheds new light on unexplored aspects of the Anabasis' narrative arrangement, and contributes to the studies of Alexander's prosopography in Classical historiography.


Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Author: Arrian

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2013-02-14

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 0191633143

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'He was a man like no other man has ever been' So Arrian sums up the career of Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323 BC), who in twelve years that changed the world led his army in conquest of a vast empire extending from the Danube to the rivers of the Punjab, from Egypt to Uzbekistan, and died in Babylon at the age of 32 with further ambitions unfulfilled. Arrian (c. 86-161 AD), a Greek man of letters who had experience of military command and of the highest political office in both Rome and Athens, set out to write the definitive account of Alexander's life and campaigns, published as the Anabasis and its later companion piece the Indica . His work is now our prime and most detailed extant source for the history of Alexander, and it is a dramatic story, fast-moving like its main subject, and told with great narrative skill. Arrian admired Alexander and was fascinated by him, but was also alive to his faults: he presents a compelling account of an exceptional leader, brilliant, ruthless, passionate, and complex. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


The Campaigns of Alexander

The Campaigns of Alexander

Author: Arrian

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2003-07-31

Total Pages: 769

ISBN-13: 0141913525

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's account of the man and his achievements is the most reliable we have. Arrian's own experience as a military commander gave him unique insights into the life of the world's greatest conqueror. He tells of Alexander's violent suppression of the Theban rebellion, his defeat of Persia and campaigns through Egypt and Babylon - establishing new cities and destroying others in his path. While Alexander emerges as a charismatic leader, Arrian succeeds brilliantly in creating an objective portrait of a man of boundless ambition, who was exposed to the temptations of power.


The Landmark Arrian

The Landmark Arrian

Author: Arrian

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2012-01-17

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 1400079675

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Arrian’s Campaigns of Alexander, widely considered the most authoritative history of the brilliant leader’s great conquests, is the latest addition to the acclaimed Landmark series. After twelve years of hard-fought campaigns, Alexander the Great controlled a vast empire that was bordered by the Adriatic sea to the west and modern-day India to the east. Arrian, himself a military commander, combines his firsthand experience of battle with material from Ptolemy’s memoirs and other ancient sources to compose a singular portrait of Alexander. This vivid and engaging new translation of Arrian will fascinate readers who are interested in classical studies, the history of warfare, and the origins of East­–West tensions still swirling in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan today. Enriched by the series’ trademark comprehensive maps, illustrations, and annotations, and with contributions from the preeminent classical scholars of today, The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander is the definitive edition of this essential work of ancient history.


Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Author: N.G.L. Hammond

Publisher: Bristol Classical Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This revised biography includes new material and extensive reference to literary sources. Professor Hammond's other works include "The History of Macedonia" and "Studies in Greek History". He also collaborated on "The Oxford Classical Dictionary" and "The Cambridge Ancient History."


The Anabasis of Alexander

The Anabasis of Alexander

Author: Arrian

Publisher: Ozymandias Press

Published: 2018-04-10

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1531284442

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Anabasis is by far the fullest surviving account of Alexander's conquest of the Persian empire. It is primarily a military history, reflecting the content of Arrian's model, Xenophon's Anabasis; the work begins with Alexander's accession to the Macedonian throne in 336 BC, and has nothing to say about Alexander's early life (in contrast, say, to Plutarch's Life of Alexander). Nor does Arrian aim to provide a complete history of the Greek-speaking world during Alexander's reign. Arrian's chief sources in writing the Anabasis were the lost contemporary histories of the campaign by Ptolemy and Aristobulus and, for his later books, Nearchus. One of Arrian's main aims in writing his history seems to have been to correct the standard "Vulgate" narrative of Alexander's reign that was current in his own day, primarily associated with the lost writings of the historian Cleitarchus.


The Diary of Alexander the Great

The Diary of Alexander the Great

Author: Hutan Ashrafian

Publisher:

Published: 2017-10-10

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781999798215

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) has been considered as the greatest leader of all time. He occupies an imposing position in the public imagination and is the most universally recognised ancient monarch. His influence remains widespread in Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and beyond. Nation states still utilise his historical presence in their lands as a standard of national existence and sovereignty, whilst his administrative methods remain obligatory reading for military strategists and leadership scholars. Although there are several sources that describe his life events and a multitude of analyses deriving from these, they have been devoid of the day-to-day context of Alexander's actions and decisions. As a consequence, whilst some of the macro-chronology of his life is known through the major life events of birth, battles and death dates, much of the micro-chronology in terms of a breakdown of day-to-day events remains unknown. This lack of a combined macro- and micro-chronology has in places resulted in warped and biased evaluation of Alexander's life and actions. This book aims to offer both a macro- and micro-chronology of Alexander's life in a diary format. It is the first of its kind to offer a holistic day-to-day view of Alexander the Great's life and actions, what he did, where he did it and how long it took. As part of the meta-chronology book series, it utilises the Anabasis of Alexander by Arrian as a core on which a myriad of additional sources are applied to calculate Alexander's day-to-day events. These sources include Classical Greek and Roman, Egyptian and Babylonian Astronomical charts in addition to modern calculations of ancient solar, lunar and astronomical events. This diary therefore presents a unique chronological perspective through which to better appraise the life and times of Alexander the Great.