Alexander the Great

By Nigel Cawthorne

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, lived a life of mythical proportions. He modelled himself on Achilles and slept with a copy of the Iliad, annotated by Aristotle, his teacher, under his pillow. Unrivalled by any historical military figure, he conquered the Mediterranean, Persia, Afghanistan and north-west India during his brief life. By the time he died at the age of 33 he had introduced Greek civilisation to the world. A gifted strategist and self-proclaimed deity, Alexander was impetuous and merciless in warfare. He never lost a battle. Exhibiting conspicuous personal bravery, two millennia after his death he is still remembered as the greatest soldier of all times.
 

Nigel Cawthorne has been writing and editing more than 60 books - amongst them The Empress of South America, Takin' My Name - The Confessions of Ike Turner, The Iron Cage and The Bamboo Cage. His work has appeared in over 150 newspapers, magazines and partworks on both sides of the Atlantic - from the Financial Times, Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Scotsman to New York Tribune. He is also the author of Julius Caesar (Haus Publishing 2005)

 
illustrated in colour map