Alexander the Great conquered territories on a superhuman scale and established an empire that stretched from Greece to India. He spread Greek culture and education throughout his empire, and was worshipped as a living god by many of his subjects. But how great is a leader responsible for the deaths on tens of thousands of people? A ruler who prefers constant warring to administering the peace? A man who believed he was a god, who murdered his friends, and recklessly put his soldiers lives at risk?

Ian Worthington delves into Alexander's successes and failures, his paranoia, the murders he engineered, his megalomania, and his constant drinking. It presents a king corrupted by power and who, for his own personal ends, sacrificed the empire his father had fought to establish.

He conquered most of the known world and thought himself a god. However, he also died a paranoid, alcoholic wreck at the age of 33...after which his entire empire collapsed. So, just how great was Alexander?

About the Author

Ian Worthington is Professor of History, University of Missouri-Columbia. He is the author of many books on ancient Greek history including Persuasion: Greek Rhetoric in Action and Demosthenes (Routledge).

Reviews

'Ian Worthington's book has many virtues, including a clear narrative that shows initmate familiarity with the primary sources and secondary literature. It is accessibly written in an unemotional style.'

The Anglo-Hellenic Review, Spring 2005

Book Information
ISBN 9781405801621
Author Ian Worthington
Format Paperback
Page Count 388
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 408g