Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian (336 BC - AD 138)

Description

The ancient world that Alexander the Great transformed in his lifetime was transformed once more by his death. The imperial dynasties of his successors incorporated and reorganised the fallen Persian empire, creating a new land empire stretching from the shores of the Mediterranean to as far east as Bactria. In old Greece a fragile balance of power was continually disturbed by wars. Then, from the late third century, the military and diplomatic power of Rome successively defeated and dismantled every one of the post-Alexandrian political structures. The Hellenistic period (c. 323-30 BC) was then one of fragmentation, violent antagonism between large states, and struggles by small polities to retain an illusion of independence. Yet it was also a period of growth, prosperity, and intellectual achievement. A vast network spread of trade, influence and cultural contact, from Italy to Afghanistan and from Russia to Ethiopia, enriching and enlivening centres of wealth, power and intellectual ferment. From Alexander the Great's early days building an empire, via wars with Rome, rampaging pirates, Cleopatra's death and the Jewish diaspora, right up to the death of Hadrian, Chaniotis examines the social structures, economic trends, political upheaval and technological progress of an era that spans five centuries and where, perhaps, modernity began.

Angelos Chaniotis is a Professor at the School of Historical Studies at the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton, and a Quondam Fellow at All Souls, Oxford University. The author of many books and articles, he is senior editor of the Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum and an editor of the Classical Studies journal Mnemosyne.

A wide-ranging and lively history of the Greek East that offers a rare combination of erudition and accessibility. -- Andrew Erskine, University of Edinburgh Conveys all the richness and excitement of an extraordinary era in human history -- Tom Harrison, University of St Andrews Anyone interested in the great cultural achievements of the ancient Greek world will profit greatly from this ambitious book by a leading historian. -- Alain Bresson, author of 'The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy: Institutions, Markets, and Growth in the City-States' Angelos Chaniotis brings the Hellenistic age to life with remarkable learning, mastery of evidence, and sensitivity. His book offers a brilliant picture of the cosmopolitan Greek world and shows why it still matters to us today. -- Phiroze Vasunia, author of 'The Gift of the Nile: Hellenizing Egypt from Aeschylus to Alexander' Angelos Chaniotis conveys all the richness and excitement of an extraordinary era in human history in this new work. The period of Greek history after the death of Alexander is the story of the rise and fall of empires and kingdoms, of a new global Greek world stretching from Cyrenaica to Afghanistan, and of the struggle of the cities of the 'old' Greek world to maintain their position. But it is also a period of intense cultural and scientific creativity, in which rulers were widely worshiped as gods, and where for the first time our sources reveal details of the lives of everyday Greeks and foreigners. There is no one who knows the evidence for the long Hellenistic Age better than Angelos Chaniotis-and in Age of Conquests he brings this canvas to life. -- Tom Harrison, University of St Andrews The period that begins with the conquests of Alexander the Great and ends with the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian is one of the most important and tumultuous in world history. Jesus Christ, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Nero are only a few of the figures who lived during this era. Greeks and Greek-speakers played a crucial role during these years and bear witness to a number of astonishing phenomena - the emergence of Christianity, the consolidation of the Roman Empire, the founding of the library in Alexandria, and lasting developments in philosophy, literature, political thought, and technology. Angelos Chaniotis brings the Hellenistic age to life with remarkable learning, mastery of evidence, and sensitivity. His book offers a brilliant picture of the cosmopolitan Greek world and shows why it still matters to us today. -- Phiroze Vasunia, author of 'The Gift of the Nile: Hellenizing Egypt from Aeschylus to Alexander' A valuable read for anyone interested in Greek, Hellenistic, or Roman history * NYMAS Review * This is the most original history of the Hellenistic period to appear ... Excellent -- S. M. Burstein * CHOICE connect *