The Legacy of Alexander: Politics, Warfare and Propaganda under the Successors

by Albert Brian Bosworth

This major study by a leading expert is dedicated to the thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It deals with the emergence of the Successor monarchies and examines the factors that brought success and failure.

Genres: History, War, Politics, Greece

324 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2002

About the author

Professor Brian Bosworth was a distinguished scholar in the field of Classics and Ancient History, with an interest in Alexander the Great. He spent most of his academic career at the University of Western Australia.

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The simple truth is that until recently there has been basically no modern literature about the Successor period and for that reason alone makes this book a necessary read for anybody interested in what happened after death of Alexander the Great. However, as valuable and necessary this contribution to studies of classical world is, it also has a major flaw. It is a hardcore academic study of few, VERY specific events that took place during that time. Furthermore, author expects from the reader at least some level of knowledge about both Alexander, his closest entourage as well as geography of the Macedonian empire. And since there is no literature that gives the WHOLE picture, a 'primer' so to say, 'The Legacy of Alexander' with its focus on particular events and detailed analysis is of rather limited use to everyone but the academic circles for which it is apparently intended. For me personally, it was an excellent and fascinating read, but I am still looking for an easily accessible narrative of Diadochi period.

I also must retract half a star for COMPLETE absence of any maps. Historians need to get into their heads that maps are not a luxury, but a necessity in literature that deals with military aspects of history.