Alexander and the East : The Tragedy of Triumph

A look at Alexander the Great's activities in Central Asia and Pakistan, which draws a bleak picture of massacre and repression comparable to the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The evolution of Alexander's views of empire and concept of universal monarch are among the topics investigated.

In this study Brian Bosworth looks at the critical period between 329 and 325 BC, when Alexander the Great was active in Central Asia and what is now Pakistan. He documents Alexander''s relations with the peoples he conquered, and addresses the question of what it meant to be on the receiving end of the conquest, drawing a bleak picture of massacre and repression. At the same time Alexander''s views of empire are investigated, his attitude to his subjects, and the development of his concepts of personal divinity and universal monarchy. Analogies are thus drawn with the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which has a comparable historiographical tradition and parallels many of Alexander''s dealings with his subjects. Although of concern to the specialist, this book is equally directed at the general reader interested in the history of Alexander and the morality of empire.