Search found 125 matches

by derek
Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:26 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: travel to Macedonia
Replies: 2
Views: 2391

Re: travel to Macedonia

If you’re not doing detailed research and mainly just want to see the iconic sites, then maybe this type of tour would suit you: My first trip to Greece was 20 years ago. I did a 2 week package holiday (with Cosmos) from England, with a coach tour of the whole country the first week and then staying...
by derek
Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:30 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Historical inaccuracies
Replies: 10
Views: 12621

Re: Historical inaccuracies

Archaic names are one of the problems when writing historic fiction. You want to be accurate, but you’re not turning out a text book and you don’t want your readers to become bored or confused. So you compromise. Eg: you know the kIng would have had a flowery three sentence title when being addresse...
by derek
Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:31 pm
Forum: Comments, help, suggestions etc
Topic: phpBB updated
Replies: 14
Views: 23488

Re: phpBB updated

Thomas.

Thank you for maintaining the site. Yes, it's a lot quieter than it used to be, but it jumps into life now and then. I still regard it as the "authorative" Alexander website, and my lunchtime routine sees me checking to see if there's any new posts most days.

Thanks again,
Derek
by derek
Mon Jan 28, 2019 5:19 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: A Novel About Alexander?
Replies: 7
Views: 9212

Re: A Novel About Alexander?

Ness, As someone who has written 5 Alexander novels, I think I’m qualified to speak on this. I thought the same. I enjoyed writing and wanted to become a world famous author, and Alexander was a perfect subject with lots of material. But the publishing world is a hard place. It’s all about money and...
by derek
Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:56 pm
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: Alexander and Ptolomy brothers?
Replies: 9
Views: 15213

Re: Alexander and Ptolomy brothers?

I agree with both points. If Ptolemy had even been suspected to be a son of Philip in Alexander's lifetime. Alexander would have had him killed once he consolidated power. Ptolemy promoted the story later to reinforce his claim to kingship in Egypt.

Derek
by derek
Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:51 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Poll - the relevance of Alexander today
Replies: 3
Views: 2341

Re: Poll - the relevance of Alexander today

I voted that he changed the course of history, but his actions and achievements have been superseded by everything that's happened since. And I think that holds true for most things. The fall of Constantinople was an earth-shattering event at the time, but means nothing to us now. Hitler started a w...
by derek
Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:21 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: Athens underground
Replies: 1
Views: 4475

Re: Athens underground

This was broadcast on PBS in the US a week or so ago. There are two others in the series, underground Cairo and underground Istanbul. All three were very good programs.

Derek
by derek
Tue May 29, 2018 5:06 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: What was Alexander's empire like directly after his death?
Replies: 3
Views: 2329

Re: What was Alexander's empire like directly after his death?

Just my own personal opinion, but Alexander's conquest of the eastern Mediterranean enabled the rise of Christianity. Greek became a universal language that the apostles then used to spread the word. Roman roads helped too, of course, but without a common language, Christianity would have probably r...
by derek
Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:26 pm
Forum: Alexander the Great in the Media
Topic: Nikos Kazantzakis 'Alexander The Great'
Replies: 5
Views: 9993

Re: Nikos Kazantzakis 'Alexander The Great'

I seem to remember reading that they used Valerio Massimo Manfredi's novels as the basis for the film.

Derek
by derek
Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:40 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Volume 2 SHADOW OF THE LION: THE FIELDS OF HADES
Replies: 4
Views: 8063

Re: Volume 2 SHADOW OF THE LION: THE FIELDS OF HADES

Hello Ruthaki,

You haven't posted for a while. It seems like the new layout is attracting people back. Good luck with the book.

Derek
by derek
Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:34 pm
Forum: Alexander's contemporaries
Topic: Ages of ATG's Companions
Replies: 8
Views: 16751

Re: Ages of ATG's Companions

This is a useful list. I think it should be argued over and a final version agreed upon, and then it should be added to the main Pothos website for reference. otherwise it will just be overwritten by future posts and lost.

Derek
by derek
Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:32 pm
Forum: Comments, help, suggestions etc
Topic: Direction of the forum
Replies: 46
Views: 72437

Re: Direction of the forum

I like the new layout. With more than one main site, it will hopefully encourage people to contribute; it could be quite daunting when there's only one thread on the go and the people discussing it are obvious experts. And definitely keep it out of Facebook or any other closed site. Keep it accessib...
by derek
Tue Sep 12, 2017 4:53 pm
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: Alexanders telescope / spyglass
Replies: 6
Views: 3564

Re: Alexanders telescope / spyglass

I came across this picture one time. Its title was "Babylonian with a Single Lens Telescope". So things like that did exist.
telescope.png
telescope.png (161.51 KiB) Viewed 3428 times
Derek
by derek
Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:31 pm
Forum: Book reviews
Topic: Dancing with the Lion (novels on the young ATG)
Replies: 39
Views: 31956

Re: Dancing with the Lion (novels on the young ATG)

You should also consider just how far you’re going to take historical accuracy. Yes, you live in fear of the howler like having Alexander check his wristwatch, but you also don’t want to write a textbook that bores the reader. Eg: Alexander’s in Babylon. You want to include the Hanging Gardens as de...
by derek
Wed May 03, 2017 3:13 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Indan biased article on Alexander
Replies: 25
Views: 11024

Re: Indan biased article on Alexander

I’d always understood that at the time he was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon and became associated with Skanda, the god of war. The Indians may have hated Alexander, but they also feared him enough to worship him.

Derek