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Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions (Hellenistic Culture and Society)

Amazon.com Price:  $26.95 (as of 03/05/2019 06:55 PST- Details)

Description

To all folks that witnessed his abnormal conquests, from Albania to India, Alexander the Great seemed 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 topic of Frank L. Holt’s absorbing 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 on the Battle of the Hydaspes River. Recovered from Afghanistan and Iraq in sensational and every now and then perilous circumstances, these ancient artifacts have long animated the up to date historical debate about Alexander. Holt’s book, the first devoted to the mystery of these ancient medallions, takes us into the history in their discovery and interpretation, into the knowable facts in their manufacture and meaning, and, in the long run, into the king’s own psyche and his frightening theology of war. The result’s a valuable analysis of Alexander history and myth, a vivid account of numismatics, and a spellbinding look into the age-old mechanics of megalomania.


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