Osprey Essential Histories 26 : The Wars of Alexander the Great 336-323 BC

The age of Alexander and his conquest of the Persian (Achaemenid) Empire, which had existed for over two centuries, represents a watershed in the history of the world. Alexander's empire constituted the first European empire over a multicultural area, both geographically and culturally diverse, and also brought the important regions of the Near and Middle East (the 'cradles of civilisation') into the Greek orbit. From a military and political standpoint, Alexander's conquests are of profound significance. The new weapons and tactics developed by Philip II and perfected by his son, together with the use of specialist units and advancements in siege warfare allowed the Macedonian kingdom to move beyond the restrictions of city-state armies and policies onto the stage of world conquest, for which the vital first step was the forcible unification of the Greek world. This book will look at the emergence of Macedonian military power and how it was pitted against the traditional armies of European Greece and then against the Persians, and finally against the Indian rajahs of the Punjab. Alexander's war was not one against a static and uniform enemy within a limited geographical area, but rather against a series of enemies under changing climatic and geographical conditions. Ultimately, Alexander conquered without consolidating and although this led to further wars and the emergence of new eastern powers that would threaten the Hellenistic World, the conquest was nevertheless sufficient to alter the balance of power and the cultural dynamics of the Near East for centuries to come. Text by Waldemar Heckel.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Background to War : The Decline of the City-States and the Rise of Macedonia
• Warring Sides : The Persians, the Macedonians and Allied Troops
• Outbreak : Alexander's Rise to Power
• The Fighting : Alexander Conquers an Empire
• Portrait of a Soldier : Two Generals and a Satrap
• The World around War : Rome, Carthage and India
• Portrait of a Civilian : A Historian, Athletes and Courtesans
• How the War Ended : The Death of Alexander
• Conclusion and Consequences : The Struggle for Succession
• Further reading
• Glossary
• Index