Death of Alexander

[Taphoi]

Some may like to know that my new book on The Death of Alexander the Great is just now becoming available through online bookshops.

This is the second volume of my Reconstruction of Cleitarchus and follows on directly from the first published volume Alexander the Great in India. This new book describes the following main events:

The flight of Harpalus
The Exiles Decree
The mutiny of the Macedonian troops (at Opis)
The death of Hephaistion
The campaign against the Cossaeans
The embassies at Babylon
The funeral of Hephaistion
Dire omens
The death of Alexander
The suicide of Sisygambis
The accession of Philip-Arrhidaeus
The power struggle between the infantry and the cavalry
The first division of the satrapies
The abandonment of Alexander’s Last Plans
The rumour that the sons of Antipater had poisoned Alexander
The transfer of Alexander’s corpse to Alexandria

In addition to the reconstruction itself there is a series of separate articles discussing topics arising from these events and their reconstruction in the Cleitarchan version. For example, this is the first publication of my new theories on details of the construction and iconography of Hephaistion’s pyre.

There is a short sample of two pages of the text from the actual reconstruction in pdf format here:
http://www.alexanderstomb.com/main/deat ... Sample.pdf

Various sites are already listing/stocking the new book including Amazon.com (USA):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/095567 ... me=&seller

UK Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Alexander ... 416&sr=1-6

There are a few more details on the Death of Alexander page on my website here:
http://www.alexanderstomb.com/main/deat ... /index.htm

Having now completed the reconstruction of the last four books of Cleitarchus' History Concerning Alexander, I am now working backwards into the earlier books. I plan that the next (third) volume will comprise the three books of Cleitarchus dealing with Alexander’s activities in Afghanistan.

Best wishes,

Andrew

[marcus]

Some may like to know that my new book on The Death of Alexander the Great is just now becoming available through online bookshops.

This is the second volume of my Reconstruction of Cleitarchus and follows on directly from the first published volume Alexander the Great in India.

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for alerting us to this. I look forward to having a read - although my existing "to be read" pile is rather tall and tottering at the moment, so it might be a while before I can get round to Cleitarchus re-constructions!

ATB

[Taphoi]

Thanks for alerting us to this. I look forward to having a read - although my existing "to be read" pile is rather tall and tottering at the moment, so it might be a while before I can get round to Cleitarchus re-constructions!

No worries! It's taken more than a thousand years for anybody to get round to it

[marcus]

Thanks for alerting us to this. I look forward to having a read - although my existing "to be read" pile is rather tall and tottering at the moment, so it might be a while before I can get round to Cleitarchus re-constructions!

No worries! It's taken more than a thousand years for anybody to get round to it

[Paralus]

Perhaps this rather belongs to the "Showcase - new books" tab?

As for the death of "the great", it occasioned the opening of a truly interesting historical chapter: that of the Diadochoi. Fifty odd years the likes of which would not be seen until the Triumvir years of the dying Roman Republic: alliances of convenience; marriages of necessity and divorces of opportunity; 'friends' as long as there's no better offer and priciple after politics please.

I wonder if they ever thought they'd still be talked about all these years on? Of course they did: all was for glory!

[Taphoi]

Perhaps this rather belongs to the "Showcase - new books" tab?

Not solely, if you want me to respond to any comments or questions!

As for the death of "the great", it occasioned the opening of a truly interesting historical chapter: that of the Diadochoi.

I rather tend to agree, though the Diodochoi are rather like claret after champagne, so not everyone will easily make the transition. The last book of Cleitarchus stands as something of a portal into the age of the Diadochoi, since it has a great deal of detail on events in Babylon in the aftermath of Alexander's death. Indeed Cleitarchus seems to have consciously alluded to what was to come:

But now the Fates were forcing fratricidal conflict upon the Macedonian people, for monarchy brooks no rivals, yet was coveted by many. Hence at first they clashed their men together, then they scattered them about. And when they had burdened the body with more than it could bear, its peripheral parts began to break away and an empire that could have stood sound under a single sovereign was wrecked through being run by sundry rulers.

I wonder if they ever thought they'd still be talked about all these years on? Of course they did: all was for glory!

Alexander always seems to have been deeply conscious of his legacy, but some of his contemporaries (I am thinking Cassander) seem to have had other priorities than posterity's opinion of them.

Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame.

Best wishes,

Andrew

[Paralus]

As for the death of "the great", it occasioned the opening of a truly interesting historical chapter: that of the Diadochoi.

I rather tend to agree, though the Diodochoi are rather like claret after champagne, so not everyone will easily make the transition.

Indeed. The Diadochoi are a bottle of Hill of Grace after the froth and bubble that preceded them.

The last book of Cleitarchus stands as something of a portal into the age of the Diadochoi, since it has a great deal of detail on events in Babylon in the aftermath of Alexander's death.

Possibly. One ought not to forget the industry that is Hieronymus of Cardia...

Alexander always seems to have been deeply conscious of his legacy, but some of his contemporaries (I am thinking Cassander) seem to have had other priorities than posterity's opinion of them.

Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame.

There is no doubt that "the great" looked after his image in life as much as in death. I was thinking more in terms of whether his successors ever gave thought to being so well discussed after so many centuries.

Cassander had far more immediate "temporal" matters to concern him not the least of which was how to combat unlimmited resources with severely depleted resources.