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by Paralus
Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:02 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

G'day Nicator. "Green's conflicted status as an historian who both admires and loathes his subject sometimes spills out in diabolically eloquent words. I think throughout the book Green made amateurish overtures towards proving Alexander was guilty of atrocities and parricide and many other hei...
by Paralus
Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:51 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: help!!
Replies: 18
Views: 4492

Re: help!!

Yes, I think the Hydaspes battle well conveys the sense of imminent disaster that must have engulfed the Macedonians. I'm not at all convinced it was fought in a Thai jungle-like forrest but again, I suppose that makes for easier filming: reduce the scale. Such reduced scale also helped with the sen...
by Paralus
Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:41 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

Yes Nicator, reading history is a delight with Green's "turn of phrase." His "Alexander of Macedon" is one hell of an historical biography. It's off the subject, but Green's "Armada from Athens" (obviously about the doomed campaign in Sicily) is without par as an examin...
by Paralus
Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:29 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: color of his eyes
Replies: 11
Views: 2278

Re: Only in the Romance

That previous "Arrian" quote you replied to sounds very nuch like Plutarch though Nick.It's definitely the Romance. I further suspect it's been given legs in Alexander fiction which can tend to reinforce such perceptions.
by Paralus
Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:19 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Homage in Greece and elsewhere.
Replies: 6
Views: 1891

Re: Homage in Greece and elsewhere.

Yes Amyntoros, many statues/effigies did appear in "Asia" and especially Alexandria.Call me a cynic (of the modern sense) but I suspect the number Alexander statues and co-appearance of Ptolemy (Soter) about Egypt are all power related. Always one of the more "intelligent" (Pract...
by Paralus
Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:46 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Homage in Greece and elsewhere.
Replies: 6
Views: 1891

Re: Homage in Greece and elsewhere.

Demades "Ruthaki". And a salutary example of why the lack of Statues.Alexander was not loved or odored in ancient Greece (that is "classical" Greece, the Polies)- regardless of the provennance of the edict by him at the games in 324(?). There was great and simmering resentment at...
by Paralus
Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:20 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

Hi Nicator.It seems to me to be an era too often overlooked. As I wished earlier, the people responsible for the "Empires" series would do an excellent job should they take it on.To me it's held a fascination that often eclipses Alexander. The period down to the final Roman annexation (or ...
by Paralus
Wed Oct 26, 2005 1:31 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

Correct "Agesilaos"."Greek warfare" (to leave aside some of the more egregious killing of the Peleponesia War) was damn near a gentlemanly thing. VDH has got one thing right: it was conducted mostly by "agrarian" hoplites. You know - "let's get the pushing, poking ...
by Paralus
Wed Oct 26, 2005 1:06 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

"Amyntoros",What do you think of it? As I replied earlier, this is one I missed when on show in Australia - it has not to my knowledge been repeated.From your description the treatment of Alexander is from a "match/real-politic" or "Badian" perspective which, if not ove...
by Paralus
Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:47 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Do people read here?
Replies: 5
Views: 1685

Re: Do people read here?

Skewered it like a souvlaki "Amyntoros"!Paralus.
by Paralus
Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:29 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors
Replies: 17
Views: 5027

Re: Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors

A modern day Demosthenes without the rhetorical skill indeed!Ha, ha, haa!Now there's a bloke pegged for what he is if ever I've read it!VDH seems to have an altogether unhealthy fascination with war and the making of it. He fits quite well with the current administration he so obviously supports. Pr...
by Paralus
Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:14 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Differences and practices of love
Replies: 17
Views: 5265

Re: Differences and practices of love

"Well,Alciviadis was well known to the public for his sexual behaviours.His enemies would have "crusified" him for that if he ever had chosen to be a politician.Because being a politician in Athens and having homoerotic relationships did not mix.Penalty was death.But Alciviadis did no...
by Paralus
Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:04 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Differences and practices of love
Replies: 17
Views: 5265

Re: Differences and practices of love

"There's no reason to believe that every city state and any monarchy (or monarch) felt compelled to live their lives by Athenian standards."Quite so "Amyntoros". Particularly Alexander or his father Philip.Much of the argument arises because of the propensity to view classical Gr...
by Paralus
Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:01 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: updated pilgrimage travel guide
Replies: 6
Views: 1665

Re: updated pilgrimage travel guide

What an excellent "pocket" travel guide!A great pity about Iraq/Iran. Would dearly love to tread the dusty plain that may be Gaugemela, visit Babylon's ruins...Possibly as part of a more general visit about the time of the RWC in 2007. Wonder if I could persuade my wife and children to str...
by Paralus
Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:29 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: help!!
Replies: 18
Views: 4492

Re: help!!

"Phillip managed to gather representitives from all of the Greek city states in Corintho,(League of Corinth) except Sparta, and these representitives swore to recognise Phillip as the leader of all Greeks. Whould the proud Greek cities accept a barbarian as their leader?"I was not arguing ...