1st Edition
Alexander the Great in the Roman Empire, 150 BC to AD 600
The life of Alexander the Great began to be retold from the moment of his death. The Greco-Roman authors used these stories as exemplars in a variety of ways. This book is concerned with the various stories of Alexander and how they were used in antiquity to promote certain policies, religious views, and value systems.
The book is an original contribution to the study of the history and reception of Alexander, analysing the writings of over 70 classical and post-classical authors during a period of over 700 years. Drawing on this extensive range and quantity of material, the study plots the continuity and change of ideas from the early Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages.
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
2 Alexander in an Empire of Romans, Greeks, and Jews
3 Alexander as a Model of Behaviour
4 Alexander in Relations of Power and Influence
5 Alexander in Christian Apologia
6 Conclusion
Appendix 1: Primary sources
Appendix 2: Chronological distribution of the data
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Jaakkojuhani Peltonen is a researcher at Tampere University. He defended his thesis in 2017. His special interests include the use of history, Alexander the Great, and perceptions of the past in the classical world.
‘This is a thoughtful and insightful book, and no scholar of Alexander – or genuine historiographer – can afford to ignore it. I was enriched by it and look forward to watching it infiltrate the discourse of Ancient History in the coming years.’ – Pat Wheatley, The Classical Review
'He [the author] has cast his net wide and provides what must surely be the most complete conspectus of utterances about Alexander from the 750 years in his purview... Surely no one will need to do this work of collecting the references again... In sum, this is a valuable collection of evidence embedded in a measured and judicious discussion' - Richard Stoneman, Sehepunkte
