Alexander the Great

by Graham Phillips

Who are what really killed Alexander the Great? With the help of the LAPD and scientists at the University of Southern California, eight prime suspects are revealed, each withthe motive and opportunity to have assassinated him. Ultimately, the one person with the means to have committed the murder is unveiled.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Greece

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Graham Phillips is a British author.
Phillips has a background working as a reporter for BBC radio and as a magazine editor.

Wikipedia - Graham Phillips

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hardly a secret that I'm a little obsessed with the subject of Alexander the Great and will read and watch pretty much everything about him that I can get my hands on. Obviously, the writings of an author who claims to have solved the mystery of Alexander's death are no exception. Now, it must certainly be stated that any "investigation" of a crime (if one is willing to give credence to the idea that Alexander was indeed poisoned, which I am) that happened millenia ago, with every witness and everyone who could possibly have been involved long dead, no surviving primary sources and not a shred of physical evidence available for any kind of scientific examination, must be taken with more than just a grain of salt and will almost certainly consist of large amounts of speculation. Phillips identifies eight potential suspects with means, motive and opportunity, making a case for each of them as the potential killer, before winnowing down that list to present his most likely candidate. Am I convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that he's got it right? No. The theory he lays out is plausible, but in the end, it's just that: A theory, based on lots and lots of conjecture.

While I liked the way the book was structured, in laying out theories and then eliminating them, I found the writing tiresomely repetitive in many instances, with some quotes and ideas repeated ad nauseam. This might be less noticeable and annoying to slower readers who spread the book out over several days or even weeks, but while reading it in a single sitting, the constant repetitions sorely tried my patience. I was also both irritated and somewhat amused at the way Phillips studiously avoided any mention of the fact that Alexander and Hephaestion were most probably lovers until suddenly whipping it out during his closing argument like he expected it to come as some sort of shock or surprise to the reader. I mean, really? That's hardly news, y'know.

[Marco Ionostro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Śmiałe śledztwo wysuwające śmiałe wnioski i argumenty przez autora i pomimo że nie dowiemy się do dziś co tak naprawdę zabiło Alexandra zanurzenie się w opowiadaniu było czymś bardzo przyjemnym.

[Evamaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

(In the interest of full disclosure: I wrote this before finishing it, because I felt so annoyed. But having now done so, my opinion remains unchanged.)

I liked the conceit of telling Alexander's life using eight "murder suspects" and the narrowing down to who it might have been in the first chapter is done very well, feeling very thought out and using the few historical sources we have very well. Unfortunately afterwards sometimes this careful weighing of the sources feels neglected in favour of the author's agenda and are treated like gospel truth. Using modern crime experts to solve a (suspected) murder committed over 2000 years ago is something I'm also a bit wary of, considering how little we actually know. But that might have been alright and still made for an interesting read, had the author not used the cheapest of detective fiction tricks: he glosses deliberately over important details in order to pull off a "big reveal" as motive for the murderer he ends up with. That's just seems wrong for a book that claims to be historical non-fiction.

---SPOILERS---

Those details? Anything to do with Hephaistion, making me at times rather angry while reading over the glaring omissions. The reveal? That Alexander and Hephaistion were *queue drumrolls* lovers. Um, yeah, that's news to who exactly? Certainly not to anyone who has ever read or watched anything about Alexander EVER.

On an amusing side-note, Roxane as a possible murderess was also mentioned in another quasi-historical Alexander biography - my beloved "The Nature of Alexander" by Mary Renault, who at least never pretends not to be biased. (I am most certainly biased, too - had the cheap plot device not involved Hephaistion, who so often gets short-changed by historians anyway and who I always want to read more of, I might have felt more forgiving.)

[Saad Anwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander the Great: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

If you’ve never read, watched, or heard much about Alexander the Great and are looking for a crash course on his life and times, this book might be the perfect starting point. Although it primarily revolves around the last few days of Alexander's life, it somehow manages to cover the most important aspects, characters, and events of his remarkable journey—intelligently, briefly, and brilliantly.

The book has the panache of a “whodunit” murder mystery novel. Once you pick it up, you'll find it hard to put down. Graham Phillips masterfully teases readers with short glimpses into Alexander's past while keeping the intrigue alive, making you wonder, "Who actually did it?" Who could have possibly "murdered" one of history's greatest conquerors, a military genius, and a formidable ruler so silently that even today, many still believe malaria was the cause of his death?

Phillips doesn’t just recount the events; he invites you into a world where political intrigue, betrayal, and ambition collide. Was it a trusted general, a betrayed lover, or a distant rival who orchestrated his end? The narrative keeps you guessing, weaving through a tapestry of historical fact and speculative fiction.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery and has a passion for historical events from over 2,300 years ago. It captures the essence of Alexander’s greatness while unraveling the suspense of his mysterious demise. Whether you are a history buff or a fan of gripping mysteries, this book offers a compelling blend of both.

[Anthony Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great forensic examination of the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexander. Alexander's short career was one non-stop adventure encompassing - and conquering- the known world. It was all a bit too fast, and once Alexander died, his empire fell apart. But the romance lives on, and the intriguing mystery of his early death is fascinating. Well investigated, well told, and each chapter has summaries - a great read...

[Claire Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different way to look at a death, the death of Alexander the Great was written like a modern day murder investigation, looking at the suspects and the motives and chapter summaries, how he came to the conclusion of the murderer was inspired, it was well researched on what evidence was available for the time period

[Tiberiu Condulescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like investigations and ancient history, this is the book for you. Unraveled like a CSI episode, the author walks you through cause of death, murder weapon, motive and suspects reaching a grand conclusion.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and in depth analysis of the death of Alexander the Great. Finally the real cause of Alexander’s death revealed, and who was most likely responsible.

[Theo Faurez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eight murder suspects - whodunnit? That's the genre for this book which surely must have been written tongue-in-cheek.

[pearl 🪻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is femininism

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Alexander The Great: Murder In Babylon by Graham Philips which is an excellent book which I bought from kobo. Philips normally looks at mysterious historical events and looks at evidence and then tries to solve them. His books are often on religious events like the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt in Act Of God. In this book he looks at the death of Alexander The Great at 32 in 323 BC and what the likely causes of death are. He was helped by experts from the Los Angeles Police Dept. & although they have long lost the body there are accounts written by various people which do seem fairly accurate. He reckons it was murder and that he died from a second attempt a few days after the first attempt. Historians have often said who would have a motive to kill him because the empire was broken up after his death but there were people who benefited. Apparently he was going a bit sadistic and verging on psychotic in the few months leading up to his death. He had all the people in one town massacred because he received a flesh wound in the battle to take it. On another occasion a close friend died of a fever and probably a disease & he decided to kill all his ambassadors present at the party if the culprit couldn't be found. At the time of his death people didn't question the cause of death too much in case they were killed themselves.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is still much uncertainty surrounding the death of Alexander the Great, and Phillips delves into the records, personalities, politics and history of the time to give his conclusion of the death and who murdered this influential leader.

I confess to not being familiar to any great degree about this time period, and one thing this book does very well is to clearly and lucidly explain who is whom (although towards the end the names did start to blend into one another), what battles were fought and the geopolitical and military impacts and situations of the time. In this way, one such as me who is only very generally across the time period can get a grasp of Phillips’ thesis. It is relatively clear to see where Philips has drawn directly from sources and where he gives his conclusions and inferences based on facts, although he does not always make all his inferences explicit.

It is not a biography in the traditional sense, yet in delving through the records, personalities, politics and history of the time in reaching his conclusion, one is presented with a good general overview about the life of Alexander the Great, albeit for a popular rather than a strictly scholarly audience.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous! The author explores the history of the death of Alexander through his various military campaigns and narrows down the suspects in his murder. Then he systematically shows why or why not for this suspect. Then end is intriguing. I loved it! History is not boring!!!

[Dustin Simmons · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really my favorite book. It read much more like an extended piece of investigative journalism than a scholarly treatment of the evidence. Lots of conjecture that can't be proven one way or the other.

[T Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book an ancient murder mystery. The author gives a good account of all the characters in and around Alexanda's life. A good read well done Graham Phillips

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as I do all of Graham Phillips. He lays everything out. He supports all his claims with good information. Non-fiction FUN!

[Richard Cubitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much conjecture.