Alexander The Great: Selections From Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, And Quintus Curtius - Softcover

Arrian; Diodorus Siculus; Plutarch; Quintus Curtius Rufus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0872207277 ISBN 13: 9780872207271

Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2005

Synopsis

Comprising relevant selections from the four ancient writers whose portraits of Alexander the Great still survive--Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius--this volume provides a complete narrative of the important events in Alexander's life. The Introduction sets these works in historical context, stretching from the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War through Alexander's conquest of Asia, and provides an assessment of Alexander's historical importance as well as a survey of the central controversies surrounding his personality, aims and intentions. This edition includes a timeline, maps, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.

About this title

About the Author:

James Romm is the James H. Ottoway, Jr. Associate Professor of Classics at Bard College. He is also the editor of Herodotus, On the War for Greek Freedom: Selections from the Histories (Hackett Publishing Company, 2003), and Plutarch, Lives that Made Greek History.

Review:

The translations . . . are rendered in clear, modern style. Romm's Introduction is fresh, mature, and insightful--one of the best brief synopses of Alexander's life and impact this reviewer has read in recent years. . . . Romm's carefully selected and well-translated passages from Arrian provide a vivid and cohesive narrative of the highlights of Alexander's career. Wherever there is a major discrepancy among our ancient sources, or wherever an alternate version seems to enrich Arrian's account, Romm relegates the variant source to his notes, thereby providing the enhancement without disrupting the main narrative. He has thus preserved the flow of Arrian's narrative, while also providing a commentary that alerts the reader to some of the pitfalls that mark any attempt to understand the course of Alexander's achievements. I highly recommend this work as a pedagogical component in the teaching of basic courses on Alexander. And even some battle-hardened advanced students, scholars of the Macedonian monarchy, and history buffs would benefit by the insights of Romm's introductory essay and the notes accompanying Arrian's text. --Eugene N. Borza, The Classical Outlook

A refreshing new work which will no doubt open up a number of possibilities for undergraduate instruction. Romm has produced a comprehensive and well-organized reader. --Charles M. Muskiet II, Villanova University

About this edition

• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0872207277
• ISBN 13: 9780872207271
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Pamela Mensch, James S. Romm