Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great

by Albert Brian Bosworth

The reign of Alexander the Great of Macedon (336-323 B.C.) witnessed the military conquest of the Persian Empire by the Macedonian army, the physical transit of the known world from the Danube to the Indus and the beginnings of the mass migration which was to expand the horizons of hellenism far into the Near East. In this book, Professor Bosworth attempts an up-to-date survey of the period in all its respects.

This title reflects two main focuses: the process by which empire was acquired and the means by which the conquered territory was controlled, exploited and administered. The campaigns of Alexander in Europe and Asia are chronicled in detail in Part One. Although much of the emphasis of the book, thanks to Alexander-rented writers of antiquity, is on episodes where the king is protagonist, the discussion attempts to widen the perspective and examine the impact of the reign at all levels. There is a detailed account of the Greek mainland, explaining what Macedonian suzerainty implied and how the various city-states adapted to it, and a survey of the individual components of empire and the largely haphazard system of administration that evolved after conquest. The Macedonian army is examined in its role as the instrument of conquest, and its evolution during the reign is analyzed. Finally, there is an essay on the origins of the ruler cult. These more detailed thematic studies complement and enlarge upon the running narrative of campaigns and events, to present full coverage in breadth and depth.

This is an unromanticised account of the reign of Alexander the Great, based firmly on the ancient sources. As such it will be particularly welcome yo students and teachers of ancient history. The careful account of the battles and campaigns will be of interest to military historians, and the whole book is written to be accessible to the general reader as well.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Greece, Ancient History, Academic, Ancient

348 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

About the author

Professor Brian Bosworth was a distinguished scholar in the field of Classics and Ancient History, with an interest in Alexander the Great. He spent most of his academic career at the University of Western Australia.

Reviews

[Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really is a good Alexander book, the bio is short and readable, and the analysis of Alexander's rule is clear. But the edition is terrible- tiny print, poorly broken up, few guides (clearer maps, for one, would have been useful). Maybe I'm just a snob, but I don't believe the typesetting should be allowed to detract from what the author has to say...

[Sumana Islam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on Alexander's life time that I have come across.

[Oguzhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literatüre giren diğer önemli eserler ile karşılaştırmalı bir bakış açısı sunmasıyla dönemin doğrularına ulaşma anlamında oldukça önemli bir eser. Ancak özellikle savaşların ve büyük şehirlerin fetihleri sonrası yaşanan büyük çalkantıların olduğu kısımların fazlasıyla yüzeysel geçilmiş olması, döneme dair detay öğrenmek isteyenler için eserin önemini bir nebze azaltıyor, yine de konuya ilgisi olanlar için mutlaka okunması gereken eserlerden biri.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense, but extremely informative. Bosworth does a pretty good job getting to the facts from the often contradictory sources.

[db67671321]

Mr. Bosworth, a man I admire

[Magister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still the best biography of Alexander to date.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good source for an overall look at Alexander the Great. Plenty of details and goes through many primary sources. This was one of the books assigned for my Alexander the Great class in university and the prof pretty much used this as the textbook. Great source but don't forget to check primary and other secondary sources, and always be aware of author bias.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bosworth at the beginning says the book is not about Alexander--but it very much is, at least in the first half. The latter half of the books, composed of essays, I found more specialized and difficult to follow.

[Rick Pucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★½.

Enjoyed this read and learned a lot. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, only subtracting a bit because, one, the maps were horrible, which is probably not the author's fault. But two, Mr. Bosworth could have done a better job of this: when describing a country or city that is strategic to the story, he uses names no one has heard of as they were back in 333 BC for God's sakes. Would it have been too much trouble for him to add, after yet another strange name, the words " which is current day Istanbul, or current day Baghdad, or current day whatever."

However, this book is the truth. Mr B goes through great lengths to show the research behind a principle. He even tells you how Plutarch or whomever the author was that they had no visible documentation to back it up.

So this book has no slants, no biases, doesn't say this army had x amount of casualties if the number is not documented, etc.

Not knowing what we will never know about Alexander was just as important as knowing. Mr Bosworth was great, separating the facts from the myths, and as I said, pointing out where previous authors dramatized their stories for fan appeal.

To think how much Alexander accomplished before the age of 30, is so remarkable...and his death is as complex as JFK's with all the theories.

A slow read, not for everyone, but a must read for any fans of Alexander The Great.

[Laura Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense but readable. I appreciate Bosworth's analysis of the historical data. There are only so many sources on Alexander and all each historian can do is interpret the writings or make corrections of possible mistranslations. I appreciate that Bosworth refrained from speculating about events where the information was lacking, unclear or ambiguous. We can draw on our own conclusions. I think I enjoyed the appendices more than the main text, especially "C Alexander and the army". The constant restructuring of the army to meet the exigencies of each situation made me more appreciative of Alexander's logical and organizational skills. I can see why his campaigns are still studied.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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