Campaigns of Alexander
by Arrian · first published 1971
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Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's account of the man and his achievements is the most reliable we have. Arrian's own experience as a military commander gave him unique insights into the life of the world's greatest conqueror. He tells of Alexander's violent suppression of the Theban rebellion, his defeat of Persia and campaigns through Egypt and Babylon - establishing new cities and destroying others in his path. While Alexander emerges as a charismatic leader, Arrian succeeds brilliantly in creating an objective portrait of a man of boundless ambition,
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…I thought I should understand better got kicked off in that century. In more or less chronological order by authorship or content (and I've probably forgotten a few): Euclid The Elements Arrian The Campaigns of Alexander Garmonsway (trans.) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Komroff (ed.) The Travels of Marco Polo Haydn The Counter-Renaissance Braudel The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II,…
on “PG's Rarely Asked Questions” ↗I'm far more into history than anything. I'm reading "The Campaigns of Alexander" by Arrian and "Halliburton's Army"
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗…Athenian/Spartan heavy infantry. It also doesn't really make that much sense to try to draw clear ethical distinctions between the Macedonians and the Spartans. One of the most common lines to read in the Campaigns of Alexander is "all the men remaining in the city were killed, and then the women and children were sold into slavery." What's clear is that Spartans gained the reputation for having the most elite heavy infantry…
on “No Army? No Problem: Defending the Home Front in Ancient Greece” ↗