This is the story of one of the great forgotten wars of history -
which led to the division of one of the biggest empires the world
has ever seen. Alexander the Great built up his huge empire in
little more than a decade, stretching from Greece in the West, via
Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, and Persia through to the Indian
sub-continent in the East. After his death in 323 BC, it took forty
years of world-changing warfare for his heirs to finish carving up
these vast conquests. These years were filled with high adventure,
intrigue, passion, assassinations, dynastic marriages, treachery,
shifting alliances, and mass slaughter on battlefield after
battlefield. And while the men fought on the field, the women
schemed from their palaces and pavilions. Dividing the Spoils
revives the memory of Alexander's Successors, whose fame has been
dimmed only because they stand in his enormous shadow. In fact,
Alexander left things in a mess at the time of his death, with no
guaranteed succession, no administration in place suitable for such
an enormous realm, and huge untamed areas both bordering and within
his 'empire'. The Successors consolidated the Conqueror's gains.
Their competing ambitions, however, meant that consolidation
inevitably led to the break-up of the empire. Astonishingly, this
period of brutal, cynical warfare was also characterized by
brilliant cultural developments, especially in the fields of
philosophy, literature, and art. As well as an account of the
military action, this is also the story of an amazing cultural
flowering. In some senses, a new world emerged from the dust and
haze of battle - the world of Hellenistic Greece. A surprising
amount of the history of many countries, from Greece to
Afghanistan, began in the hearts and minds of the Successors of
Alexander the Great. As this book demonstrates, their stories
deserve to be better known.
General
Imprint: |
Oxford UniversityPress
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Ancient Warfare and Civilization |
Release date: |
August 2012 |
Authors: |
Robin Waterfield
|
Dimensions: |
215 x 135 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
273 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-19-964700-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-19-964700-3 |
Barcode: |
9780199647002 |
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