Alexander: Destiny and Myth

In Alexander: Destiny and Myth, distinguished historian Claude Mossé rigorously and imaginatively draws on a vast array of sources to create an indelible portrait of Alexander as conqueror, man, and legend. Carefully navigating between fact and fable, Mossé offers a compelling new assessment of Alexander and his legacy in five concise sections. From his ascension to the throne of Macedon in 336 B.C. in the wake of his father’s assassination to his stunning conquest of Darius III’s Persian empire, his Indian campaign, and his premature death at age 32, Mossé first reconstructs the major stages of Alexander’s reign. She next explores the perception of Alexander—as a ruler and even a god—among the diverse peoples he governed, paying special attention to the cities he founded. Mossé then turns to the elusive question of Alexander’s character, offering provocative insights on this millennia-old debate. The book’s final two parts concern Alexander’s legacy, both immediate—the fate of his empire and the limits of his accomplishments, particularly his attempt to Hellenize the east—and far reaching—the idea of Alexander as a mythical hero from antiquity to the present by way of ancient, medieval, early modern, and twentieth-century words and images.

At once sweeping, succinct, and spellbinding, Alexander: Destiny and Myth is a strikingly fresh account of the man who continues to intrigue and excite the historical imagination twenty-five hundred years after his death.