Title
Alexander the Great : a life in legend / Richard Stoneman.
ISBN
9780300112030 (alk. paper)
0300112033 (alk. paper)
Imprint
New Haven [Conn.] ; London : Yale University Press, c2008.
Language
English
Description
xvii, 314 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. (some col.), maps ; 25 cm.
Call Number
PN687.A5 S76 2008
Dewey Decimal Classification
809/.93351
Summary
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. But the resonance his legend achieved over the next two millennia stretched even farther<u+2014>across foreign cultures, religious traditions, and distant nations. This engaging and handsomely illustrated book for the first time gathers together hundreds of the colorful Alexander legends that have been told and retold around the globe. Richard Stoneman, a foremost expert on the Alexander myths, introduces us first to the historical Alexander and then to the Alexander of legend, an unparalleled mythic icon who came to represent the heroic ideal in cultures from Egypt to Iceland, from Britain to Malaya. Alexander came to embody the concerns of Hellenistic man; he fueled Roman ideas on tyranny and kingship; he was a talisman for fourth-century pagans and a hero of chivalry in the early Middle Ages. He appears in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic writings, frequently as a prophet of God. Whether battling winged foxes or meeting with the Amazons, descending to the underworld or inventing the world<u+2019>s first diving bell, Alexander inspired as a hero, even a god. Stoneman traces Alexander<u+2019>s influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later literatures of east and west. His book provides the definitive account of the legends of Alexander the Great<u+2014>a powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas. Richard Stoneman is Honorary Fellow, University of Exeter, and a director of Westminster Classic Tours. He has written extensively in the field of Greek history. He lives in Devon, England. -- Publisher's description.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Nativity : Egyptian origins (356 BC)
Golden vines, golden bowls and temples of fire : the Persian versions
Cities of Alexander : Jews and Arabs adopt the hero
The marvels of India (329-326 BC)
'How much land does a man need?' : Alexander's encounters with the Brahmans (326 BC)
From the heights of the air to the depths of the sea : Alexander as inventor and sage
Amazons, mermaids and wilting maidens
The search for immortality
The unclean nations and the end of time
Death in Babylon (323 BC)
Universal emperor : the Christian hero
King of the world : Alexander the Greek.
