In the Footsteps of Alexander: The King Who Conquered the Ancient World

by Miles Doleac

In just 11 years, Alexander the Great’s armies marched 22,000 miles, subjugated Asia Minor, the Levant, and Egypt, conquered the mighty Persian Empire, and invaded India. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. And even after he died in 323 BCE, aged 32 and undefeated in battle, his legacy remained in the form of a Hellenized Asia and the Seleucid Empire. Divided into eight chapters, In the Footsteps of Alexander traces the physical and historical journey of the man who conquered Asia and was declared a god-king. Chapter one examines the Macedonian background and Alexander’s rise to power; chapters two and three explore the invasion of Asia Minor and his first encounters with Persian armies at the battles of Granicus (334) and Issus (333); chapter four looks at the siege of Tyre (332) and the great victory over Persian king Darius at Gaugamela (331); chapters five and six follow Alexander’s conquest of the outer reaches of the Persian Empire, from the battle of the Persian Gates (330) to the invasion of India and the battle of Hydaspes (326); while chapter seven examines the new cities he founded across Asia, including Alexandria, Antioch, and Kandahar; finally, chapter eight considers his death and legacy. Including more than 200 photographs, illustrations, paintings, and maps, In the Footsteps of Alexander is a colorful, accessible examination of one of history’s greatest military leaders.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2014

Reviews

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in the life and achievements of Alexander the Great, read this book!!!!

Miles Doleac's fascinating and detailed book on Alexander - his life, his conquests in Persia, his legacy and the fate of his massive empire after his early death - was an incredible read. It was very informative and offered multiple point of views on different aspects of Alexander's life (such as his father's assassination, his motives for the ways he handled the cities he conquered and Alexander's own death) which were fascinating to think about and consider. Doleac also spent a good while analyzing Alexander's relationship with religion, which is one of the things I find most fascinating about him, so that was super interesting!!

Also, to my great joy, it contained snippets of ancient texts by various historians and plenty of pictures of paintings, sculptures and maps, which are always super helpful when reading about a historical figure and a historical time period.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siapa yg tidak mengenal Alexander Agung, sang penakluk dunia yg pertama di jagad ini? Dia berhasil menaklukkan seluruh Yunani (dan sebagian Eropa), Persia (yg pada masanya merupakan kemaharajaan terluas di dunia) bahkan sampai dgn ke India.

Dalam buku ini, Alexander digambarkan sbg raja yg ambisius sejak masih kecil. Penaklukan kuda liar yg akhirnya menjadi kuda perang kesayangannya, Bucephalus, menunjukkan bakat dan observasi Alexander yg tidak terbatas.

Serangkaian invasi utk ekspansi wilayah kekaisarannya juga mendeskripsikan semangat dan kebulatan tekad yg tidak habis-habisnya. Alexander pantang menyerah dan selalu gigih menghadapi tantangan. Dia menyongsong sendiri marabahaya di depan matanya, memberi teladan pada bawahannya (sehingga mau tidak mau mereka sungkan dan hormat, mencontoh sikapnya yg sangat berani dan heroik).

Alexander bukan sekedar penakluk yg arogan maupun barbar. Kebanyakan Alexander memperlakukan dgn hormat para taklukannya yg menyerah dan menempatkan mereka sbg raja vazalnya. Alexander juga tidak pernah pelit dan selalu berbagi harta yg diperolehnya (bahkan acapkali dia menerima bagian yg terkecil, namun dia tidak ambil pusing selama teman-teman dekatnya tetap loyal pd dirinya). Dlm buku juga dijelaskan kecerdasan taktik dan strategi perangnya, kehebatannya merekrut dan memobilisasi orang-orang terbaik pd bidangnya, dan penasarannya ttg religi bangsa-bangsa taklukannya.

Alexander hanyalah manusia biasa. Dia juga punya banyak kekurangan. Dia bisa sembrono, paranoid dan bengis juga terhadap orang-orang kepercayaannya. Kekeraskepalaannya yg selalu anti mainstream dgn para jendralnya membuahkan hasil manis dgn kemenangan yg cepat utk ukuran zaman baheula itu (bayangkan buruknya jalanan pada masa tsb, cuaca tidak bersahabat, komunikasi yg parah dll).

Utk ukuran buku sejarah non-fiksi, buku ini tidak mengecewakan. Detil-detil peperangan di buku ini tidak membosankan, malah tampak "hidup" dan seakan-akan kita juga ikut long march dlm pasukan Alexander. Selain itu, illustrasi dgn lukisan-lukisan romantis dari masa Baroque Roccoco semakin menyegarkan mata saat membaca buku ini.

[Tim Powell]

I can't say that I've read this book, but I look on it with eager anticipation. Doleac is a phenomenal professor of Latin (language) and ancient history (speaking as a former student) and I cannot wait to get my hands on this publication! I have no doubt that the reader will be entertained and enthralled simultaneously in a world that might seem unbelievable,....but was ever so real.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for school. It was good, and well researched, but because of that it was DENSE. I can't say I was sad it was done, but it was worth it.

[Cameron Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because I have an interest in Alexander the Great. I thought it was an excellent book written by an author that actually teaches a course on Alexander. I enjoyed reading all of it and found Doleac's theory of why Alexander's father was murdered very interesting , and quite a reasonable explanation.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource, super helpful reference for teaching my students about Alexander the Great. A plethora of images and pulls together many different sources. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't picked this book up!