Alexander’s Lovers reveals the personality of Alexander the Great through the mirror of the lives of those with whom he pursued romantic relationships, including his friend Hephaistion, his... More > queen Roxane, his mistress Barsine & Bagoas the Eunuch. Did you know that Alexander got the idea of adopting Persian dress from a book he read in his youth? Had you realised that Alexander’s pursuit of divine honours was part of his emulation of Achilles, that Bagoas undertook a diplomatic mission or that Hephaistion’s diplomacy kept Athens from joining a Spartan rebellion? Are you aware that Aetion’s painting of Alexander’s marriage depicted Hephaistion & Bagoas as well as Roxane and really depicted the King’s passions? Which girl was betrothed to Alexander’s son? Would it surprise you that Alexander’s mourning for Hephaistion was conducted according to models from Homer and Euripides? If you would like to get to know Alexander on a more personal level, then you need to read this book. Second edition, revised & updated.< Less
Alexander’s Lovers reveals the personality of Alexander the Great through the mirror of the lives of those with whom he pursued romantic relationships, including his friend Hephaistion, his... More > queen Roxane, his mistress Barsine & Bagoas the Eunuch. Did you know that Alexander got the idea of adopting Persian dress from a book he read in his youth? Had you realised that Alexander’s pursuit of divine honours was part of his emulation of Achilles, that Bagoas undertook a diplomatic mission or that Hephaistion’s diplomacy kept Athens from joining a Spartan rebellion? Are you aware that Aetion’s painting of Alexander’s marriage depicted Hephaistion & Bagoas as well as Roxane and really depicted the King’s passions? Which girl was betrothed to Alexander’s son? Would it surprise you that Alexander’s mourning for Hephaistion was conducted according to models from Homer and Euripides? If you would like to get to know Alexander on a more personal level, then you need to read this book. Second edition, revised & updated.< Less
The most influential account of the career of Alexander the Great was penned by Cleitarchus the son of Deinon, a Greek writing in Alexandria in the decades after Alexander's death. Most of the... More > surviving ancient texts on Alexander were more or less based upon his work, but every single copy of the original was discarded or destroyed in antiquity. The question is: how far might it be possible to reconstruct it from the secondary writings In response, this book presents an extensive reconstruction of Cleitarchus' account of the death of Alexander the Great in the stifling summer heat of Babylon in 323BC. It sweeps through a dramatic series of antecedent episodes culminating in the funeral of Hephaistion. Soon after it climaxes with Alexander's own expiry, then thunders on into the shock and chaos of the aftermath in a text studded with eulogistic orations and scintillating speeches. It is a must for any fascinated by the deep political undercurrents that streamed beneath a pivotal event in our history.< Less
In 2004 the author's first book, The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great, was published to the accompaniment of international media attention, since it reported the first credible suggestion as to the... More > current whereabouts of the long-vanished corpse of the illustrious conqueror. In the intervening years, direct progress on testing of the candidate remains has been thwarted by the Church authorities, yet much new information has emerged, casting the enigma in an ever more probing light. It may turn out to be the greatest archaeological story of the century, for nobody has yet been able to refute the author's novel suggestion that the body stolen from Alexandria in AD828 and now in Venice may have acquired a false identity in the 4th century AD. This updated and extended account lays bare the forgotten secrets of one of the greatest mysteries bequeathed to us by the ancient world. Includes the author's several published academic articles on the subject as Appendices. Over 80 illustrations.< Less
The most influential account of the career of Alexander the Great was penned by Cleitarchus in the decades after Alexander’s death. Most of the surviving ancient texts on Alexander were based... More > upon his work, but every copy of the original was destroyed in antiquity. Now the entire book is being revived in an exciting reconstruction based upon an in-depth analysis of the surviving ancient works that it inspired. This volume presents the section dealing with Alexander’s campaigns in Afghanistan. It became a blood-soaked slog against unrelenting opponents who adopted the same guerrilla resistance as is seen there today. Alexander was also beset by internal dissension with treason and plot within his own camp. How he coped with these dual challenges, through ruthless force in combination with conciliatory gestures, still offers useful lessons in strategy. Alexander was uniquely successful in establishing the region’s rule by Greek kings for the next few centuries. A date for Alexander’s accession is also proposed.< Less
The most influential account of the career of Alexander the Great was penned by Cleitarchus the son of Deinon, a Greek writing in Alexandria in the decades after Alexander’s death. Most of the... More > surviving ancient texts on Alexander were more or less based upon his work, but every single copy of the original was discarded or destroyed in antiquity. The question is: how far might it be possible to reconstruct it from the secondary writings?
In response, this book presents an extensive reconstruction of Cleitarchus’ account of the death of Alexander the Great in the stifling summer heat of Babylon in 323BC. It sweeps through a dramatic series of antecedent episodes culminating in the funeral of Hephaistion. Soon after it climaxes with Alexander’s own expiry, then thunders on into the shock and chaos of the aftermath in a text studded with eulogistic orations and scintillating speeches. It is a must for any fascinated by the deep political undercurrents that streamed beneath a pivotal event in our history.< Less
The most influential account of the career of Alexander the Great was penned by Cleitarchus the son of Deinon, a Greek writing in Alexandria in the decades after Alexander’s death. Most of the... More > surviving ancient texts on Alexander were more or less based upon his work, but every single copy of the original was discarded or destroyed in antiquity. To what extent might it be possible to reconstruct it from the secondary writings? This book argues that a considerable degree of reconstruction is feasible and demonstrates the point by presenting a full reconstruction of Cleitarchus’ version of Alexander’s campaigns in India, the first time that this has been done.
For more details see also www.alexanderstomb.com.< Less
Alexander’s Lovers is the eagerly awaited second book by the author of The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great (see www.alexanderstomb.com) and will surely prove no less fascinating a read for... More > those with an interest in the King. It is an exploration of Alexander’s character through the mirror of the lives of the people with whom he pursued romantic relationships, including his friend Hephaistion, his queen Roxane, his mistress Barsine and Bagoas the Eunuch. Alexander’s Lovers is aimed at the large range of Alexander enthusiasts who have been frustrated to find his rather intriguing love life relegated to little more than embarrassed footnotes in the conventional histories of his career. It is also rendered accessible to a wider audience with a casual interest in Alexander, through the incorporation of an 18,000-word prologue providing a concise introductory biography of the King. (Includes 44 images)< Less
In 2004 the author’s first book, The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great, was published to the accompaniment of international media attention, since it reported the first credible suggestion as to... More > the current whereabouts of the long-vanished corpse of the illustrious conqueror. In the intervening years, direct progress on testing of the candidate remains has been thwarted by the Church authorities, yet much new information has emerged, casting the enigma in an ever more probing light. It may turn out to be the greatest archaeological story of the century, for nobody has yet been able to refute the author’s novel suggestion that the body stolen from Alexandria in AD828 and now in Venice may have acquired a false identity in the 4th century AD. This updated and extended account lays bare the forgotten secrets of one of the greatest mysteries bequeathed to us by the ancient world.
Includes the author’s several published academic articles on the subject as Appendices. Over 80 illustrations.< Less
January is an engraving of the fresco of the wedding of Alexander and Roxane by Sodoma. February to November are the ten engravings by Antonio Tempesta of the Deeds of Alexander, published in 1608.... More > December is the Audran engraving of the 17th century painting of Porus brought before Alexander by Charles le Brun.< Less
About Andrew Chugg
Andrew is the author of articles on Alexander the Great and his tomb, which have been published in academic journals including Greece & Rome, the Ancient History Bulletin and the American Journal of Ancient History. He has also appeared as an expert in several documentaries on National Geographic TV, including Alexander the Great: Beyond the Movie, The Tomb of Alexander (in the Secrets of Egypt series) and most recently in an episode of The Mystery Files on Alexander the Great's tomb. His first book, The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great, was published by Periplus in London in 2004. Andrew holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge.
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