What was the purpose of the Anabasis of Alexander?
His model was Xenophon’s Anabasis. He intended this work to be his masterpiece, believing Alexander to be a splendid subject who had not been adequately represented theretofore. He wanted to write a factual account free of mythology and romance.
Which historian wrote about Alexander?
The Histories of Alexander the Great (Latin: Historiae Alexandri Magni) is the only ancient Latin biography of Alexander the Great. It was written by the Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus in the 1st-century AD, but the earliest surviving manuscript comes from the 9th century.
When did Arrian write the Anabasis?
Probably the most widely used scholarly English translation is Loeb Classical Library edition (with facing Greek text), in two volumes. The work first appeared in 1929 and was later revised with a new introduction and appendices by P.A. Brunt in 1976.
What do you think about Arrian’s book The campaigns?
“The Campaigns” was a book I consumed in a series of ancient histories, “The Rise of the Roman Empire” and “The Persian Expedition” among them. It is commonly sighted for its “distance” from actual events since Arrian lived some 400 years after Alexander’s death. Arrian uses histories written from other sources, primarily from Ptolemy and Arist
What is the campaigns of Alexander about?
The Campaigns of Alexander tells the story of Alexander’s campaigns first in Thrace and Greece and then in North Africa and Asia. It was written during the resurgence of Greek literature that began in the era of the accession in 117 CE of the philhellenic emperor Hadrian–the era also included the writers Appian, Pausanias, Galen, & Lucian.
What do you like most about Arrian’s Alexander?
Arrian’s Alexander only made me love more this absolute bastard of a man. Excellently written account of the life and military campaigns of an extraordinary man, the Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian is a pleasure to read. It is designed to praise Alexander’s achievements, and of this Arrian makes no secret.
What does Arrian say about Alexander in the Iliad?
Despite Arrian very highly admiring Alexander and being very partial to him, such as when he states that he is the greatest Greek warrior in history, better than that of Achilles and the other heroes of the Trojan war, he does not shy away from pointing out his personal flaws and giving criticism where it is due.