When Alexander of Macedon set out to conquer the known world his aims were not only military but also economic and cultural. As one territory after another fell to his troops, rather than laying them waste, he built new cities, plugged them into an ever growing trade network and encouraged cultural exchange, following the advice of his tutor, Aristotle. One of many eventual results of this was the emergence of multiple syncretistic religious “mystery cults” the most successful being those devoted to Mithras and Jesus of Nazareth. The thaumaturgic practices of some of these cults became a source of a significant number of modern ceremonial magical technologies. So I’m thinking that Rachel Kousser’s Alexander At the End of the World, which looks at his empire building could be of interest to the more historically minded of us. The posted description says:
By 330 B.C.E., Alexander the Great had reached the pinnacle of success. Or so it seemed. He had defeated the Persian ruler Darius III and seized the capital city of Persepolis. His exhausted and traumatized soldiers were ready to return home to Macedonia. Yet Alexander had other plans. He was determined to continue heading east to Afghanistan in search of his ultimate goal: to reach the end of the world.
Alexander’s unrelenting desire to press on resulted in a perilous seven-year journey through the unknown eastern borderlands of the Persian empire that would test the great conqueror’s physical and mental limits. He faced challenges from the natural world, moving through deadly monsoons and extreme temperatures; from a rotating cast of well-matched adversaries, who conspired against him at every turn; and even from his own men, who questioned his motives and distrusted the very beliefs on which Alexander built his empire. This incredible sweep of time, culminating with his death in 323 BC at the age of 32, would come to determine Alexander’s legacy and shape the empire he left behind.
In Alexander at the End of the World, renowned classicist and art history professor Rachel Kousser vividly brings to life Alexander’s labyrinthine, treacherous final years, weaving together a brilliant series of epic battles, stunning landscapes, and nearly insurmountable obstacles. Meticulously researched and grippingly written, Kousser’s narrative is an unforgettable tale of daring and adventure, an inspiring portrait of grit and ambition, and a powerful meditation on the ability to learn from failure.
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