Alexander the Great’s achievements have been studied by many influential historians in depth, however, author and professor Richard A. Billows (Richard A. Billows) falls into periods less known, before and after his reign. It explores the years leading up to Alexander, who without the foundations laid by his father, Philip II, would have had neither the resources nor the influence that enabled him to create one of the greatest empires in history. Alexander himself was groomed to succeed his father, and when Philip was assassinated in 336 BC, his empire was already in the making.
The years after Alexander offer even more subjects for investigation. Billows strongly disputes the view that the political infighting that followed his death was due to the lack of a leader of corresponding gravitas; instead, he argues that there were many highly capable leaders who took advantage of the power vacuum created to build their own kingdoms. Since Alexander’s son and heir was an infant, and therefore unable to rule, the temptation was great for the generals, who each began to act on his behalf.
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In Before and After Alexander Billows presents the complex picture of one of the world’s greatest empires, defining it not so much as the achievement of one man but rather as the culmination of an aggressive expansion over many generations and with a common purpose.
“Much has been written about the life and conquests of Alexander the Great, but Richard Billows has given us something new: a coherent and highly polished picture of the Macedonian world that gave birth to Alexander and his legacy.” Philip Freeman, author of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar
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“Billows invites readers to assess Alexander’s importance by placing his conquests within a larger historical narrative of the creation of the Macedonian state…Describing at the end what the Roman, Christian and Islamic worlds owe to him, this book makes clear why Alexander remains to this day such a fascinating historical figure.’ Andrew Monson, Professor of Classics, New York University.
Richard A. Billows – About the Author
Richard A. Richard A. Billows is a professor at Columbia University, specializing in ancient Greek and Roman epigraphy. His books The Battle of Marathon – How a Battle Changed Western Civilization (2012), which has received rave reviews and has been published in eight countries, and Before and After Alexander, are published by Pataki Publications. The myth and the legacy (2024). He is also the author of Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State, Kings and Colonists: Aspects of Macedonian Imperialism and Julius Caesar: The Colossus of Rome. He lives in New York.
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