The films original screenplay derived in part from the book alexander the great, published in 1973 by the university of oxford historian robin lane fox. When philips wife cleopatra gave birth to a son, philip named him caranus, after the mythical founder of the argead dynasty to which philip belonged. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of alexander the great. The afghan campaign is a historical novel by the american writer steven pressfield. Alexander the great and his empire princeton university.
Alexander had great reason for concern, but with his mothers return to macedonia for the wedding, he now had a strong ally. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad. Under philip, macedonia flourished and grew, while olympias proved to be the most powerful of his wives. Ancient macedonia covered around two million square miles, which represents a massive amount of land, by any standards stretching from the balkans to afghanistan. A lively and enthralling biography of one of the most incredible leaders in history.
He was supposedly related to the greek heroes hercules from his fathers side and achilles from his mothers side. Aristotle taught alexander formal subjects such as poetry and rhetoric, while also instilling the belief that all nongreeks were barbarians and fit to be slaves. He prolonged a little macedonian empire from greece down to india. The eponymous hero of alexander the great 2011 is remembered as one of the greatest military commanders who ever lived. This book was meant to be an introduction to alexander the great. By studying their precepts in good times, the prince will be ready when fortune changes. It is the story of alexander the great s invasion of the afghan kingdoms the afghanistan of today in 330 bc through the eyes of matthias in greek, a young soldier from macedonia, who narrates the adventures of the. King philip of macedonia is married to alexander s mother, olympia, but she is of foreign blood so her son is not considered the legitimate heir. Alexander the great was one of the greatest military commanders of the old era. Fire from heaven is about the childhood and youth of alexander the great. Alexander was victorious in the two key battles at issus and gaugamela, and darius was murdered by conspirators soon afterward. It was directed by oliver stone and starred colin farrell.
Aged just 20, alexander the great became king of macedon in 336 bc. I really liked alexander the great before reading this book. Continue your study of alexander the great with these useful links. Selected notes and impressions extracted from the book commentary and from alan rawn lectures and notes. A very short introduction demonstrates the profound influence the legends of alexanders life have had on our historical understanding of him by focusing on the evidence from his own time. The book succeeds as a summary of facts but not as a. Alexander the great sparknotes biography guidenook book. Alexander the great and his empire isbn 9780691141947 certainly is an all encompassing title covering every aspect of the person of alexander and of the empire he created, although for the purpose of making the reading easier pierre briant has divided his book in a handful of chapters.
A summary of beginnings of the persian expedition in s alexander the great. But this author couldnt seem to make up his mind what alexander was really like, continuously contradicting himself and saying how merciful and bloodthirsty alexander was. Read summary of alexander the great by philip freeman. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day summary. This novel is a collection of myths about the exploits of alexander the great. Richard stoneman booklist richard stoneman message board. The original hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers high quality. Alexander s father was philip ii, the king of macedonia and his mother was named olympias. Great leaders have always tried to emulate the qualities of those worthy examples who preceded them. The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and. A short biography describes s life, times, and work. He tamed a wild horse named bucephalus when he was a kid.
This is the mythological account of the life of alexander the great. Alexander the great was an ancient macedonian ruler and one of historys greatest military minds who, as king of macedonia and persia, established the. The author of the campaigns of alexander writes during the second century ad, about four hundred years after the fact. The book alexander the great by doug wilhelm is a book about the uniting of the greek empire. Alexander is a 2004 epic historical drama film based on the life of the macedonian greek general and king alexander the great. Alexander the great conquered most of the known world and remained undefeated in battle throughout his life. In the books introduction, freeman asserts that alexander the great. Alexander the great pdf summary philip freeman 12min blog. The chief source of all alexander romance literature was a folk epic written in greek by a hellenized egyptian in alexandria during the 2nd century ad. Alexander advanced gradually and conquered territory by territory until darius, the great king of persia, was forced to come out himself to face alexander. This work is a narrative, alexander telling the history of his battles to his brotherinlaw itanes, a brother of alexander s bride roxanne. By merging military experts with an ardent political mind, alexander became king of the biggest empire the olden world had ever witnessed. A summary of victories as prince in s alexander the great. The story is about a macedonian boy who grows up and becomes the great warrior and conqueror of all times, alexander the great.
When alexander was 16, his father left the country to do battle, leaving alexander as regent, or temporary ruler of macedonia. Arrians full name is lucius flavius arrianus, aka xenophon, and he comes from a wealthy greek family. The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and papers on alexander the great sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Upon publication, historians and critics praised the book for bringing the history of an ancient king to a new generation of readers. Alexander the great by philip freeman book summary. Chapter 14 marks the end of machiavellis discussion of armies and the beginning of his exploration of the princes character. Pressfield has uniquely embedded himself into the personality of alexander the great in the virtues of war, lifting alexander fully to life. Perfect prep for alexander the great quizzes and tests you might have in school. Finishing this book will make you more conversant on alexander s life and times than probably 95% of the people you meet at the water cooler as the goodreads blurb states, cartledge is one. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes alexander the great study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of alexander the great and what it means. Aristotle alexander s tutor from the age of thirteen to sixteen. Alexander, the king of macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.
His book is set apart from the plethora of biographies of alexander the great by its focus on his origins and aims, the way he administered and organized his empire, and especially his impact on the areas he conquered, the last of which almost no other books address. Alexander the great was born in the pella region of the ancient greek kingdom of macedonia on july 20, 356 b. Setting out from greece at the age of 21, alexander waged a tenyear campaign, during which he defeated the persian achaemenids and, in so doing, created the largest empire the world had ever seen. No doubt, mary renault has done such an extensive and comprehensive research on the subject matter. By spreading greek culture and language throughout eurasia, his. Alexander the greats art of strategy pdf summary partha. The details of alexanders early life are difficult to confirm with direct evidence amid the many legends that surround his life. It was first published in 2006 by the broadway division of random house. Alexander the great book by philip freeman official. It is likely that alexander was planning to have antipater assassinated, but died before he could follow through. Philip freemans alexander the great 2010 is the biography of the great macedonian king, alexander the great and a summary of his bestknown campaigns.
The son of king phillip of macedonia, alexander was tutored as a teenager by aristotle, and then succeeded to the throne, after his father was assassinated, when alexander was only 20. Conquering ninety percent of the known world by the age of twentyfive, alexander the great colin farrell led his armies through twentytwo thousand miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years. She touched on key events such as a book is deserving of 5 stars if its able to spark such intense curiosity about a particular history and country in me. In his lively and authoritative biography of alexander, classical scholar and historian philip freeman describes alexander s astonishing achievements and provides insight into the mercurial character of the great conqueror.
In fact, alexander the great is considered to be one of the greatest military leaders of all time. Alexander romance, any of a body of legends about the career of alexander the great, told and retold with varying emphasis and purpose by succeeding ages and civilizations. Alexander the great is one of the latest, most updated, and contemporary books on the life of the ancient, macedonian king, who would extend his empire from a little slide of land in greece through persia, egypt, all the way to india, forming the greatest empire the ancient world had ever seen. Get ready to write your paper on alexander the great. He trips over the skateboard on the way to wash gum out of his hair only to get his nice sweater all wet before breakfast. When alexanders heart stopped beating, his empire was so great, probably the biggest the world has ever set eyes upon. The greek alexander romance book summary and study guide. This is a detailed factual history of the campaigns of alexander the great b. Alexander the great s art of strategy summary one of greeces greatest poets archilochus once said that the fox is open for new knowledge, but the hedgehog sticks to the thing it knows best.
While im sure it has real information, this book is just badly written. He is a recognized historical authority on the life and times of alexander the great. During his time as king, alexander created one of the largest empires of ancient times. Most accounts do paint him as a precocious child, accustomed to association with great politicians, artists, and generals, from whom he quickly learned through imitation. When alexander met roxanne, he immediately fell in love with her, he eventually got married to her.