A. B. Bosworth - Böcker

A Historical Commentary on Arrian's History of Alexander Volume I. Books I-III

This, the second volume of a magisterial commentary on the work of the historian Arrian, deals in depth with a crucial period (329-326 BC) of the reign of Alexander the Great. It discusses some of the earliest datable evidence for the history of Central Asia and Pakistan, and analyses Alexander's views of sovereignty and divinity. Professor Bosworth is the leading authority on Arrian, and his commentary should become a classic work of reference for historians.

This book attempts to achieve a new perspective in evaluating the sources of Alexander's reign. Instead of concentrating upon the lost first generation historians, Professor Bosworth focuses upon what is extant, in particular the work of Arrian, the most respected writer on the period. Through a rigorous examination of their methods, he strips away some of the encrustation from the persona of Alexander, allowing a less warped picture to emerge. As well as examining the attitudes of Arrian to his subject matter, he looks at his approach to his sources, his techniques in writing speeches, and the degree to which he imposes his own judgement on his subject matter. The results obtained are then brought directly to bear on two vital problems of documentation: the Royal Journals of Alexander and his purported Last Plans.

This book collects together ten contributions by leading scholars in the field of Alexander studies which represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and viewed as a whole represent a wide spectrum of methodology. This first English collection of essays on Alexander includes a comparison of the Spanish conquest of Mexico with the Macedonians in the east which examines the attitudes towards the subject peoples and the justification of conquest, an analysis of the attested conspiracies at the Macedonian and Persian courts, and studies of panhellenic ideology and the concept of kingship. There is a radical new interpretation of the hunting fresco from Tomb II at Vergina, and a new date for the pamphlet on Alexander's last days which ends the Alexander romance, and a re-interpretation of the bizarre portents of his death. Three chapters on historiography address the problem of interpreting Alexander's attested behaviour, the indirect source tradition used by Polybius, and the resonances of contemporary politics in the extant histories.

This major study by a leading expert is dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the Successor monarchies and examines the factors which brought success and failure. Some of the central themes are the struggle for pre-eminence after Alexander's death, the fate of the Macedonian army of conquest, and the foundation of Seleucus' monarchy. Bosworth also examines the statesman and historian Hieronymus of Cardia, concentrating on his treatment of widow burning in India and nomadism in Arabia. Another highlight is the first full analysis of the epic struggle between Antigonus and Eumenes (318-316), one of the most important and decisive campaigns of the ancient world.

This book collects together ten contributions by leading experts in the field of Alexander studies which represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and viewed as a whole represent a wide spectrum of methodology. This first English collection of essays on Alexander includes a comparison of the Spanish conquest of Mexico with the Macedonians in the east which examines the attitudes towards the subject peoples and the justification of conquest, an analysis of the attested conspiracies at the Macedonian and Persian courts, and studies of panhellenic ideology and the concept of kingship. There is a radical new interpretation of the hunting fresco from Tomb II at Vergina, a new date for the pamphlet on Alexander's last days which ends the Alexander romance, and a re-interpretation of the bizarre portents of his death. Three chapters on historiography address the problem of interpreting Alexander's attested behaviour, the indirect source tradition used by Polybius, and the resonances of contemporary politics in the extant histories.

This major study by a leading expert is dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the Successor monarchies and examines the factors which brought success and failure. Some of the central themes are the struggle for pre-eminence after Alexander's death, the fate of the Macedonian army of conquest, and the foundation of Seleucus' monarchy. Bosworth also examines the statesman and historian Hieronymus of Cardia, concentrating on his treatment of widow burning in India and nomadism in Arabia. Another highlight is the first full analysis of the epic struggle between Antigonus and Eumenes (318-316), one of the most important and decisive campaigns of the ancient world.