pothos.org

Having just read part of his new book:http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/1005 ... 1.htmlHolt declares that Alexander's empire QUOTE:"empire stretching from Olympus to India."
Surely he means from the Danube to India but for whatever the reason he prefers to distort the truth and begin in his empire at Olympus, hundreds of kilometers to the south.Also Macedon was not one of the Greek city states but a Barbaric (he needs to look up the meaning of the world Barbari) Kingdom.The Macedonians were not like the recalcitrant (sp)cowboys of the wild west who were viewed as just bad boys from out of New York.And there are numerous other oddities (I dread to think at what the other chapters dream of)... everyone should read between the lines of this strange book.

Please, don't take it that serious. I am sure that Holt knows that the Danube is - let's say - some 400 kms north of Mount Olympus. But the phrase "Olympus to India" sounds quite poetic. It is just a matter of style, not geography.Regards -
Nick

Yes, I think we need to take what Holt wrote with a little pinch of salt - I don't think there's any question that he knows his stuff.I recommend the book to anyone (I have sent a review to Nick, because I've lost my editing rights for the time being, but I'm not sure if he's had a chance to put it up yet... if he received it at all). The first chapter is, I think, one of the best short accounts of Alexander's career I've seen.All the bestMarcus