Customer Reviews

The Genius of Alexander the Great

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Hammond's study of the campaigns and generalship of Alexander is a insightful look at perhaps the greatest General in world history. What is most interesting is that the book does not necessarily focus on the specific battles of Alexander, but on Alexander as a general. In a very real way, his accomplishment as a general are greater than his conquest of Persia.

The book does discuss the battles of Alexander and describes what happened and why it happened. Hammond does a good job of putting the reader in the head of Alexander.

The book is well written and maps help explain what is going on. For those who are interested in Alexander or how he accomplished so much so quickly, this book is a must.

Hammond demonstrates again why he is one of the most respected scholars dealing with Alexander and Macedon. His treatment is solidly grounded in the main historical sources- Arrian, Curtius Rufus, and Diodorus- as well as his own life's work. Alexander is one of the most controversial historical figures and has attracted a wide range of authors; from the brilliant to the sentimental (Peter Green) to the narcissitic (Michael Wood). Caveat lector! While often lumped in with Alexander's apologists (Tarn et al), Hammond's work is generally insightful, evenhanded, and readable, and this is no exception. The book is rather slim and general, but well-referenced (and details are in Arrian if you want them).

I have read many books about Alexander and unfortunately most of them misrepresent him as a Tyrannt or whatever the authors feel that can diminish a great personality through exaggeration.
However, Hammond has broken away from the micropolitics and has gone one step further and asks the question of why Alexander acted in this way. You could say that the book is an answer to the misinformed scholars about Alexander the Great. In other words, I found that the book is Alexander's "Apology" for his actions.
Being of a Greek background, I found that the translations of the sources are accurate and not misinterpreted. Hammond's knowledge of the Ancient Hellenic civilization have helped him understand what we as Greeks know about Alexander and his role in the Ancient Hellenic civiliztion.
I recommend this book to serious history readers who don't want distorted facts and events.

In recent years, there has been a positive fashion for writing about Alexander the Great, particularly after the mid-century arguments from scholars who wanted to view him either as an evil tyrant, or a sort of proto-Christian examplar of conquering chivalry. Hammond's book is obviously part of this all-or-nothing trend in Alexander studies.

I read N.G.L. Hammond's book, The Genius of Alexander the Great</a> after reading numerous other biographies including Fox, Green, Wilcken, and others, largely due to my appreciation of Hammond's status as an Oxford scholar with thirty years of solid publication on Alexander, Macedonia, and the Greek Hellenistic world. Although his credentials are impeccable, almost from the first chapter I realized that I was reading one of those scholars who felt they had to take a stand on the issue of Alexander-the-Good, Alexander-the-Bad. And Hammond definitely comes down on the side of Alexander the decent, good well-meaning chappie, who was a military genius. To me, this kind of selective biography becomes increasingly irritating, although to the brand-new student of Alexander, his summary of the known facts about Alexander's life is meticulous and quite helpful - except for his bias.

Reading this book will give you the Alexander basics, but from Chapter 1, Hammond feels authoritively able to simply discount sources he dislikes (i.e., ancient sources who brought up questions concerning Alexander's temper, violence, cruelty, drunkenness, and less-than-altruistic motiviations). So we regularly hear that such-and-such a source may be "dismissed" as a complete or partial fabrication. Apparently, Hammond particularly loathes Curtius, but Diodorus Siculus is also regularly dismissed out of hand. Instead, he quotes extensively from sources such as Ptolemy, Aristobulus, and their heir, Arrian, showing Alexander in the best possible light.

In any book, whether it's Tarn or Badian, I am deeply suspicious of selective source-hunting, and I'm afraid that Hammond's regular choice in this regard grew irksome to me. I would say this is a good, steady view of Alexander's life and works with the proviso that the reader must be aware of all that is being bowdlerized from the ancient sources. I, personally, believe in a decent Alexander who also could do awful things, but scholars who ignore contradictory sources to present him do his genius no good service. In so saying, I mean no disrespect to Hammond's obvious expertise in the area and his long history of scholarship in this field. I simply wish he could have brought his expertise to bear in accepting both the good AND the bad about Alexander.

Few figures in the history of the world have attained the mythical status and timeless quality of Alexander The Great. The man and myth continue to fuel the imagination of every new generation. This is no surprise when one reads about the man's achievements and how they changed the world. The lore of the story relies in the classic, epic sense of adventure that courses through it, it is a tale that takes us through various cultures, characters and to the stretches of the known world. N.G.L. Hammond is clearly an admirer of Alexander and tells his story here with the flare of homage and reverence. "The Genius Of Alexander The Great" gives us a story of boldness and the quest for knowledge and truth. Alexander comes off as a highly intelligent, cultured commander who embarks on a quest to defeat a mammoth Persian empire and bring Greek culture into the civilisations of Asia and beyond and to also introduce their cultures to the Greeks and Macedonians. Hammond describes in great detail the battles Alexander wins against Persian king Darius, who is ruler of the world before the Macedonian king steps ashore. The book is also a fascinating exploration of Greek history, taking us deep into the cultural traditions and aspects of Alexander's world. One realizes you cannot judge Alexander by the standards of our time, this is one figure that demands to be judged by the standards of his own time and era. If one takes the book to heart with careful attention, you realize what sets Alexander apart from conquerors like Caesar, Napoleon and Hannibal is that his goal was simply to achieve a sort of greatness in the style of Achilles ("The Iiliad" was a constant companion during the Asiatic campaign). Hammond's book is also a wonderful gallery of characters. The most memorable aside from Alexander would have to be his free-spirited mother Olympias, who here is depicted dancing wildly in Dionysian cults, handling snakes and indulging herself in orgiastic rituals such as the "Bacchae." There is also Alexander's talented, brilliant father Philip, the philosopher Aristotle and others. It's evident that Alexander lived in special times for the history of civilisation and he was simply there to add his mark. And Hammond writes it all with a novelistic style that engrosses the reader and transports you there clearly and vividly. From Macedonia and Persia to Egypt and India, Hammond takes us on a journey to understand how there are daring, epic moments in history that live on forever. A wonderful read and memorable book.

This book, although mainly intended to explain Alexander the Great's political system and success, also haas a great amount of information to offer on the most brilliant military campaigns of all time. Anyone interested in an amateur understanding of battles, not to mention polytheism and Macedonian social code, would find this book a vast ocean of useful facts.

Hammond's book is the first book I have read on Alexander and I think it is a great book to read if you know at least some detail about Alexander. From his early day's with Philip to Alexander's brilliant conquest of Persia to his early death, this book is absolutely great. The book is fairly brief, but it incorporates good research. The reader can hardly imagine how such a young figure could conquer the greatest and largest empire in the world up to that time. I have no doubt that Alexander was one of the greatest military figures in world history.

This is the most readable biography on Alexander I've ever read. The author gives the layperson instant access to the major events in the life of a very important historical figure.
There are a plethora of in-depth historical books on Alexander the Great, but here is a book that you can actually finish without falling asleep. A most enjoyable little tome.

This is the last book written by Prof. Hammond on ATG and it really is a nice piece of work. Some people may claim that he tends to over-glorify Alexander but I don't believe so. His analysis is very balanced and his criticism is not based on 20th Century values and ideals, which is a problem with other authors on the same subject.

If you're looking for a good book on Alexander the Great, do start here.

This is a brief review of Alexander's accomplishments, and makes a good reference for those who trust in Hammond's view of history. This is an important qualification, since respected historians cannot agree upon even trivial details, such as Alexander's age when he was schooled by Aristotle, or who brought Bucephalus to Philip's court. For a meatier (if at times undirected) discussion of Alexander's character, you should turn to Robin Lane-Fox's _Alexander the Great_.