The Treasures of Alexander the Great : How One Man's Wealth Shaped the World

by: Holt, F.L.

Price: 27,50 EURO

1 copy in stock

 War, the most profitable economic activity in the ancient world, transferred wealth from the vanquished to the victor. Invasions, sieges, massacres, annexations, and mass deportations all redistributed property with dramatic consequences for kings and commoners alike. No conqueror ever captured more people or property in so short a lifetime than Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BC. For all its savagery, the creation of Alexander's empire has generally been hailed as a positive economic event for all concerned. Even those harshly critical of Alexander today tend to praise his plundering of Persia as a means of liberating the moribund resources of the East. To test this popular interpretation, The Treasures of Alexander the Great investigates the kinds and quantities of treasure seized by the Macedonian king, from gold and silver to land and slaves. It reveals what became of the king's wealth and what Alexander's redistribution of these vast resources can tell us about his much-disputed policies and personality. Though Alexander owed his vast fortune to war, battle also distracted him from competently managing his spoils and much was wasted, embezzled, deliberately destroyed, or idled unprofitably. The Treasures of Alexander the Great provides a long-overdue and accessible account of Alexander's wealth and its enormous impact on the ancient world

Introduction: Imagining the Unimaginable; Sources and Methods; Exploring a Neglected past
2. Poor Alexander?
Humbled Origins
The Making of a Hero
War and Wealth
3. Conquest, Up Close and Costly
Balkan Treasures
Asia Minor
The Middle East and Beyond
4. Reciting the Sword's Prayer
The Lord of All Your Former Possessions
Booty beyond imagining
The Sack of Persepolis
A Historic Haul
Rajas, Riches, Resentments
5. A King's Priorities
Personal Gifts and Patronage
Religion and Ceremony
Cities and Other Infrastructure
Armies and Navies
6. (Mis)Management
Lucky Thessalian, Weary Macedonian
Debt and Despair
Harpalus the Treasurer
Scams and Schemers
With Harpalus or the King?
The Successors
7. Conclusion: The Story of the Moral; A Change of Hearts and Minds; Monetization; Counting Coins; What We Can Say About What We Can See
Appendix 1: Ancient Measures and Modern Conversions
Appendix 2: Summary of Reported Assets
Appendix 3: Summary of Reported Debits
Appendix 4: Where Is It Now?

Series:
Onassis series in Hellenic culture

xvii, 295 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

The Treasures of Alexander the Great : How One Man's Wealth Shaped the World

by: Holt, F.L.

• ISBN-13: 9780199950966 / 978-0-19-995096-6
• ISBN-03: 0199950962 / 0-19-995096-2
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016

Price: 27,50 EURO

1 copy in stock