Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions


Book Description

Annotation A rare set of coin medallions is used to analyze Alexander the Great's reputation for invinceability in war. The book's backbone is the history of the discovery and interpretation of these medallions, to which are added the extraordinary story of Alexander, and a brief introduction to the science of numismatics.




The Syrian Wars


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.




Mighty Porus and Alexander The Great


Book Description

The life-story of this great conqueror in this book begins with a lecture of Chanakya. During the time of Alexander's invasion of India, Chanakya was a teacher in Takshashila, a very famous world class university of those days. Aristotle, the Greek thinker-philosopher molded and groomed Alexander, the Prince of Macedonia similarly Chanakya, a guru, a master of art of living par excellence taught, molded, groomed Chandragupta Maurya, a common boy and installed him as Emperor of India. Chanakya is the epitome of timeless Hindu wisdom. This piece of speech of Chanakya that you will find in this book in the very beginning is nowhere documented in any history book. The writer has written this speech imagining that 2500 years back in Takshashila university in India Chanakya could be possibly teaching something of this nature to his students. An e-book titled 'Chanakya' - 'The Epitome of Timeless Hindu Wisdom' written by this author is also available here on Amazon which would be very helpful to know more about the life of Chanakya. Alexander, in order to conquer the world invaded Persia, fought brutal battles against the vast army of a giant empire like Persia, defeated it by his small army and captured entire Persia. His conquest continued further from Persia till the border regions of India. So to give a depth to the structure of the life story of this brilliant, brave Greek warrior his story begins with the piece of speech by Chanakya, the Indian Guru. The reader this way gets connected with the Indian, Persian and Greek culture and history which makes the story more interesting. It broadens the cultural overview of the reader.Accordingly an account of the Greek life and culture that you will find in this book is very intriguing. All about the early life of the Prince of Macedonia, Alexander - his primary education and training by the best teachers of Macedonia, then the time he spent with Aristotle at Stagira who groomed him to be a Man with a difference, an able leader, and a King. Then about the tough challenges he faced at a very young age, his struggles, fights, battles, conflicts and his victories and then after all how he emerged as an unchallenged King of entire Greece. The account of Alexander's meeting with Diogenes, a Greek mystic is very educative. The Greek warrior's inspiring skill of management of manpower, his self-esteem and his confidence when he set off for his conquest of Persia.Some mind enriching facts that we come across and learn from the life story of this Greek conqueror is: To advance with incredible high speed and then turn all the calculations of the enemy wrong and futile. King Phillip fulfilled his ambitions of winning the battles and expanding his kingdom by implementing this innovative ides. Alexander too subdued all the city-states of his native land with the help of the same strategy and then conquered entire Greece. So valuable is this idea that even in present times speed happens to be a very crucial component of the strategy of fighting a decisive war. The more speedier jet planes, missiles and firepower you have the stronger you are. To attack with a speed that the enemy would never have expected and then turn all his preparations insufficient. High achievers and victorious people are a result of such innovative ideas generated in their fertile brains.Phalanx was another such innovation of the Greeks. The battle formation of the Greek militia of the front rows with long Phalanx in their arms when they launched an severe attack on the enemy at the opposite end literally made the enemy incapable of any resistance.As against the speed and the Phalanx of the Greeks the Indians had their bow and the arrow. The bow used to be of the height of a human. The bow was upholstered with cow skin for a firm grip. There are plenty of many such interesting things in this book which will help you connect with the roots and enlighten you. Wish you a happy fruitful reading.




Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.


Book Description

This biography portrays Alexander as both a complex personality and a single-minded general, a man capable of such diverse expediencies as patricide or the massacre of civilians. Writing for the general reader, the author provides gritty details on Alexander's darker side while providing a gripping tale of Alexander's career.




Alexander's Lovers (Second Edition)


Book Description

Alexander's Lovers reveals the personality of Alexander the Great through the mirror of the lives of those with whom he pursued romantic relationships, including his friend Hephaistion, his queen Roxane, his mistress Barsine & Bagoas the Eunuch. Did you know that Alexander got the idea of adopting Persian dress from a book he read in his youth? Had you realised that Alexander's pursuit of divine honours was part of his emulation of Achilles, that Bagoas undertook a diplomatic mission or that Hephaistion's diplomacy kept Athens from joining a Spartan rebellion? Are you aware that Aetion's painting of Alexander's marriage depicted Hephaistion & Bagoas as well as Roxane and really depicted the King's passions? Which girl was betrothed to Alexander's son? Would it surprise you that Alexander's mourning for Hephaistion was conducted according to models from Homer and Euripides? If you would like to get to know Alexander on a more personal level, then you need to read this book. Second edition, revised & updated.







The Life and Exploits of Alexander the Great


Book Description

Over the last 2,000 years, ambitious men have dreamed of forging vast empires and attaining eternal glory in battle, but of all the conquerors who took steps toward such dreams, none were ever as successful as antiquity's first great conqueror. Leaders of the 20th century hoped to rival Napoleon's accomplishments, Napoleon aimed to emulate the accomplishments of Julius Caesar, but Caesar found inspiration in Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), the Macedonian King who managed to stretch an empire from Greece to the Himalayas in Asia at just 30 years old. It took less than 15 years for Alexander to conquer much of the known world. As fate would have it, Alexander died of still unknown causes at the height of his conquests, when he was still in his early 30s. Although his empire was quickly divided, his legacy only grew, and Alexander became the stuff of legends even in his own time. Alexander was responsible for establishing 20 cities in his name across the world, most notably Alexandria in Egypt, and he was directly responsible for spreading Ancient Greek culture as far east as modern day India and other parts of Asia. For the ancient world, Alexander became the emblem of military greatness and accomplishment; it was reported that many of Rome's greatest leaders, including Pompey the Great, Augustus, and Caesar himself, all visited Alexander's tomb in Alexandria, a mecca of sorts for antiquity's other leaders.




Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus


Book Description

This volume presents the first authoritative English translation and scholarly commentary on a little known but important ancient historical source: the 2nd/3rd century Roman historian Justin's epitome or abridged version of the Philippic History by Pompeius Trogus (27 BC-AD 14). This book covers books 11-12 and represents one of the five major sources for historians on the life and times of Alexander the Great.




Foreign Influence on Ancient India


Book Description

This is the first book dealing with the foreign influence on ancient India. Discusses the foreign invasions of India by the Achaemenians, Greeks, Sakas, Kushans, Sassanians, Pahlavas and the Hunas, and also the peaceful impact of the Romans on India. The book advances a theory that ancient India never provided any casus belli to the foreigners to attack her. It was India's weakness and an implied confidence in future victories that kept the invaders coming to India one after another. But these foreigners have also influenced India in the field of administration, religion, philosophy, astronomy, language, script, trade and commerce, and above all the way of life of the people of India, which is the main subject of the book. This book suggests that after the partition of this sub-continent, the name `India' which continued to be used for this country is a misnomer when the river INDUS after which the country was so named, went to Pakistan. This book also finds is real nature the matrimonial alliance between Seleucus and Chandra Gupta Maurya and gives possible solutions to some riddles of Indian history. The origin of the name of KIDAR has also been discovered for the first time. The book tells us in a poetic language how ‘the golden age of the Guptas was converted into a molten age of destruction and confusion’ by the Hunas. What remained of our culture after so much turmoil and changes is before us.




By the Spear


Book Description

A unique military and cultural history that chronicles the reigns of Philip and Alexander the Great in one sweeping narrative.