I. B. Tauris & Company
Legends of Alexander the Great
Key Metrics
- Richard Stoneman
- I. B. Tauris & Company
- Paperback
- 9781848857858
- 8.4 X 5.3 X 0.7 inches
- 0.5 pounds
- Literary Criticism > Ancient and Classical
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
'How can a man become a god?' So enquired Alexander the Great of the Brahmin sages of India. And how did they reply? 'By doing what it is impossible for a man to do.' And that answer set a keynote for the Conqueror's entire career, which was characterized throughout by Alexander's attempts to achieve the unachievable: to scale the fresh heights and make the incredible real and tangible on earth. He wrestled an Indian monster larger than an elephant, fought ants the size of foxes and contested bats with human teeth. He became a Jewish convert, sailed up the Ganges and visited the Earthly Paradise. Already a legend in his own lifetime, the glittering figure of Alexander preoccupied European, Jewish and Arabic folklore until the 15th century. Richard Stoneman, who is one of his leading modern interpreters, here presents a range of Greek and Latin texts which recount the Conqueror's adventures in the east. Essential reading for students of late antique and medieval literature, these stories are still unsurpassed for sheer entertainment, opening a window onto a rumbustious world of legend as rich as that of the Arabian Nights.
This revised edition offers a substantial new introduction by the editor.
Author Bio
Richard Stoneman is an honorary visiting professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. His many books include Alexander the Great: A Life in Legend? and Xerxes: A Persian Life.
The core of my research interests has been the continuity of the Greek world and Greek tradition up to the present day. I have written anthologies and travel guides reflecting this interest. Since the early 1980s the main focus of my research has been Alexander the Great, especially in later legend. I have recently participated in several international conferences on the Ancient Novel and on Philip and Alexander. I am currently writing a biography of Xerxes and a study of Megasthenes.
Besides Latin and Greek, my languages include fluent German and adequate French, Italian and Modern Greek. I am taking classes in Turkish and Persian.
I am also Chairman of Westminster Classic Tours (www.westminsterclassictours.com), a company which runs gület tours to classical sites around the Turkish coast and Greek Islands.
Source: Princeton University Press and University of Exeter
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