Alexanders Empire 323 Bce

This biography portrays Alexander as both a complex personality and a single-minded general, a man capable of such diverse expediencies as patricide or the massacre of civilians. Writing for the general reader, the author provides gritty details on Alexander's darker side while providing a gripping tale of Alexander's career.

The age of Alexander and his conquest of the Persian or 'Achaemenid' Empire, which had existed for over two centuries, represents a watershed in the history of the world. This book offers a fascinating insight into the achievements of one of the greatest generals ever known. Alexander's conquests are of profound significance. By perfecting the new weapons and tactics developed by his father, Philip II, and combining them with the use of specialist units and advancements in siege warfare, Alexander enabled the Macedonian kingdom to move beyond the restrictions of city-state armies and on to the stage of world conquest.

John Warry, an expert on the warfare of the Classical world, examines the principle battles of Alexander's campaigns in detail. Alexander of Macedonia was undoubtedly one of the greatest generals of all time. In Alexander 334–323 BC, the battles of the Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Hydaspes and the difficult siege of Tyre are all discussed at length. These careful studies shed light on Macedonian tactics: in particular the combination of armoured infantry phalanx with fast-moving cavalry. The men and equipment of both Alexander and his Persian enemies are also examined, providing a comprehensive insight into Alexander's life and military actions. Men-at-Arms 148 and Campaign 7 are also available in a single volume special edition as Alexander the Great.

A gripping account of one of the great forgotten wars of history, revealing how Alexander the Great's vast empire was torn asunder in the years after his death

In the simulation at the military strategic level, an approach more in line with the Persian culture of indirect strategies should perhaps have explored its maritime situation further on the outside lines by conducting direct campaigns - albeit through agents such as Sparta - only in peripheries, delaying or avoiding land actions (most decisive battles) at their centers of gravity. A scorched earth policy, as suggested by Memnon, would have served this purpose, as well as meeting the difficulties in the flow of supplies from Greece caused by the Spartan actions to be faced by Antipater.

In this authoritative book John Grainger explores the foundations of Alexander's empire and why it did not survive after his untimely death in 323 BC.