Alexander the Great and the mystery of the elephant medallions /
"To all those who witnessed his extraordinary conquests, from Albania to India, Alexander the Great appeared invincible. How Alexander himself promoted this appearance - how he abetted the belief that he enjoyed divine favor and commanded even the forces of nature against his enemies - is the s...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Berkeley :
University of California Press,
[2003], ©2003
Berkeley : University of California Press, Ltd., c2003 Berkeley : ©2003 Berkeley, Calif. : c2003 Berkeley, Calif. ; London : c2003 Berkeley, Calif. : [2003] |
| Series: | Hellenistic culture and society ;
44 Hellenistic culture and society 44 Hellenistic culture and society ; 44 Hellenistic culture and society ; 44. Hellenistic culture and society 44 |
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| Summary: | "To all those who witnessed his extraordinary conquests, from Albania to India, Alexander the Great appeared invincible. How Alexander himself promoted this appearance - how he abetted the belief that he enjoyed divine favor and commanded even the forces of nature against his enemies - is the subject of Frank L. Holt's book." "Solid evidence for the "supernaturalized" Alexander lies in a rare series of medallions that depict the triumphant young king at war against the elephants, archers, and chariots of Rajah Porus of India at the battle of the Hydaspes River. Recovered from Afghanistan and Iraq in sensational and sometimes perilous circumstances, these ancient artifacts have long animated the modern historical debate about Alexander. Holt's book, the first devoted to the mystery of these ancient medallions, takes us into the history of their discovery and interpretation, into the knowable facts of their manufacture and meaning, and, ultimately, into the king's own psyche and his frightening theology of war. The result is a valuable analysis of Alexander history and myth, a vivid account of numismatics, and a look into the age-old mechanics of megalomania."--BOOK JACKET "To all those who witnessed his extraordinary conquests, from Albania to India, Alexander the Great appeared invincible. How Alexander himself promoted this appearance - how he abetted the belief that he enjoyed divine favor and commanded even the forces of nature against his enemies - is the subject of Frank L. Holt's book." "Solid evidence for the "supernaturalized" Alexander lies in a rare series of medallions that depict the triumphant young king at war against the elephants, archers, and chariots of Rajah Porus of India at the battle of the Hydaspes River. Recovered from Afghanistan and Iraq in sensational and sometimes perilous circumstances, these ancient artifacts have long animated the modern historical debate about Alexander. Holt's book, the first devoted to the mystery of these ancient medallions, takes us into the history of their discovery and interpretation, into the knowable facts of their manufacture and meaning, and, ultimately, into the king's own psyche and his frightening theology of war. The result is a valuable analysis of Alexander history and myth, a vivid account of numismatics, and a look into the age-old mechanics of megalomania."--Jacket |
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| Item Description: | This WorldCat-derived record is shareable under Open Data Commons ODC-BY, with attribution to OCLC |
| Physical Description: | xv, 198 p. : ill. ; 24 cm xv, 198 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm xv, 198 p. : ill., maps, charts ; 24 cm xv, 198 p., [5] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 24 cm xv, 198 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm xv, 198 pages, 5 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes appendices, bibliographical references (p. 175-189) and index Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-189) and index Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-189) and index |
| ISBN: | 0520238818 (alk. paper) 0520238818 0520244834 (pbk.) 0520244834 9780520238817 (alk. paper) 9780520238817 9780520244832 (pbk.) 9780520244832 |