Alexander the Great: Selections from Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius

by James Romm (Editor/Introduction/Translator), Pamela Mensch (Translator), Arrian

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.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Classics, Greece, Ancient History, Ancient

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[aforestofbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Arrian's way of writing about Alexander, though he is somewhat biased and kind of contradicts himself. There were even a few parts where I was almost overcome with emotion, which is weird for me. I guess taking a course on Alexander had made me fall in love with his story and has given me the opportunity to get to know him in the same way I'd get to know a character in a book.

[Dez Van Der Voort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing: 5/5
Knowledge Gained: 5/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

The author Romm writes well, in fact, better than the Roman writer/soldier Arrian, who he quotes most of the book from. I wouldn't say this is a "fantastic" or "detailed" book, because, 333BC, who don't have much extant text remaining.

Much of my criticism of the book (somewhat wordy in oration and quotes, and too little detail in other parts) isn't the fault of the author, but again, 2300 years ago-short-lived empire, this will suffice.

This book offers a quick primer of Alexander III or as history calls it, Alexander the great. How he came to power from his father Philip II, his domination of Greece, then the Danube Thracian regions, then 2 big battles with Darius of Persia, then one more on the Indus river in India, his terrible choice coming back from India to Babylon, the weariness of his men, 10+ years fighting away from home, many died of non-war related deaths, as they were quite victorious, and his untimely death before his invasion of Arabia.

This book is well re-searched (through meager extant texts) and makes Alexander a true man (rather than a god or legend as some makes it out to be), we see his emotions, his faults, as well as his military brilliance.

I see that alexander is truly brilliant militarily, whether unfit for governance in peace, can be debated, as he died no more than 2 years while keeping his large tri-continental empire intact, veterans on their journey back home. I would have debated the part about entering India before setting up the foundations of the empire in the old Persian empire, but then again, I am not alexander and I'm looking back while he's looking at the unforseen future.

Great read, some of the orations can be skimmed quickly though.

[MpaulM · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only issue with this book is that it uses Arrian's selections almost exclusively, which was not what I was hoping for. I think a lot more could have been done with this book. If you have Landmark Classic's version of Arrian then you don't need this book at all.

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty freakin sweet. An entire account of Alexander's trials. He's a man possessed by courage and divinity

[Anatolikon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sourcebooks tend to be really hit or miss, and this is not one the successful ones. What Romm has done here is organize a chronological account of Alexander's life from the ancient sources. He does a good job with that, but the problem behind this is that it does not make for a good or particularly useful sourcebook. The first real problem is that this book only has a narrative. Each major event in Alexander's life receives an entry but with only a single source. This book's price suggests that it is for students taking an introductory university class with the goal of getting them to read primary materials. That's all fine and well, but presenting on a single viewpoint is both less interesting and less pedagogically useful than having several different accounts. The richness of the Alexander tradition only becomes evident in comparing the account that do not agree, but this book would lead introductory students to believe that the main sources really don't diverge on main events. The second problem stems from the first, in that this book is almost certainly aimed at introductory undergraduate classes. It's cheap, but so are the sources. The Campaigns of Alexander (Penguin Classics), The Age of Alexander: Nine Greek Lives (Penguin Classics, L286), The History of Alexander (Penguin Classics) and, Diodorus Siculus: Library of History, Volume VIII, Books 16.66-17 (Loeb Classical Library No. 422) are all very affordable and even minor academic libraries should have copies of at least the three published by Penguin. Romm also only hits the major sources. Some snippets of the extremely unreliable but still interesting 'Alexander Romance' could have helped to complete this book. Also missing is any material fromJustin: Epitome of The Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus: Volume I: Books 11-12: Alexander the Great (Justin's). Some sourcebooks are valuable in themselves just for having some material that would otherwise be inaccessible to students, like Pagans and Christians in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World). However, this book only has material that is available easily and cheaply elsewhere. Skip this volume and get the full versions of the major historians.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rendition of the Life and Legacy of Alexander III or the Great is a solid introduction into the legend. The author provides a balanced narrative from primarily Arrian, but includes other sources such as Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius. Although Arrian dominates the pages of this book, I thought what was the purpose of including these other sources if you were only gonna use one source to dominate the rest of your book. Plutarch is essential in the beginning as he is the only historian to record the early life of Alexander and the conflict he had with his father Philip. Including as well Olympias’ influence on Alexanders childhood, instilling in him the stories of Homer and the supposed family relative Achilles. Being sent into Attica to learn from the philosopher Aristotle, where he would also meet his future Companions when he takes power. Outside of Plutarch, Quintus and Diodorus barely play any important role other than clearing up a vague passage Arrian used. The original sources are supported by author notes taken with each footnote which was very helpful. The sources used has each author write from their time even though they did not live in Alexanders day, more or less two centuries after the death of Alexander. All of the authors are Roman historians with Arrian being a veteran of the legionaries;he adds his knowledge on battle which I thought added a sense of depth when he discussed the battles at Granicus, Tyre, Gaugamela, and the Hydapes.

This novel is a good introduction in the Life of Alexander including his Rise, Apogee, and Decline. With obvious biases and divine intentions this novel will get you started on the rest of the other primary sources that exist out there and invoke further interest into Hellenistic History as a whole, with possibly a curiosity for the later Lamian and Successor-Wars.

[Gwen :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✰✰✰✰✰ / 5

This provides a really solid overview of Alexander the Great’s life and readings into his personality!

The editor does a great job choosing sections from Arrian’s account and summarizing what happens between them. The footnotes are spectacular and give great insight into Arrian’s text, other sources, and the deeper meanings and themes. Overall just really great and entertaining!

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[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent slim compilation of sources (mostly from Arrian) that hit the key events of Alexander's life. What makes Alexander so compelling as an historical figure to study is the complicated psychological profile that is evident from the several extant ancient sources. No doubt you will have your own opinions on the kind of person Alexander was. This is a great resource to use for teaching, or for anyone who wants to engage with this colorful personality from the ancient sources themselves.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class about Alexander and the Hellenistic Age. I love the way it presents a chronological history of Alexander’s life in such a concise way. I would have loved to see more authors cited (most of the book is dedicated to Arrian) but overall it’s a great introduction to studying Alexander.

[Lynnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impeccable. This is the book I would recommend to anyone looking for a reasonably, approachably comprehensive Alexander text. Romm selects thoughtfully from mainly Arrian, supplementing with other extant primary sources for completeness and context. His footnotes are relevant and meaningful, and the translation of the text is beautiful and well-styled.

[Jill]

last book of 2020, finished 10 min into 2021. still counts though. glad I actually finished it, though I think I mainly finished it to get it off my “currently reading” shelf. but it’s a good account of alexander the great’s travels and conquests!

[Logan Truesdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of it was very interesting. A decent historical resource, though it has its problems. I had to read it for a class, but I still enjoyed it. It reads more like a novel than a nonfiction book.

[Kevin Nobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great presentation of essential passages from Arrian. I found myself wanting more!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book on his life and his campaigns.

[Jibbu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and easy to follow book. A small book though, there are other books with twice the no. of pages. I wish I had started with those, now I have to re-read a lot of the parts again if I want more comprehensive history.