Re: Alexander the greats influences on Roman Politics

[maximus]

Dear all,
i was hoping to get an answer to a question i had been searching for, one which i oculd not answer my self, hoping to find it from those more learned and wise than i.
all people in the graeco-roman world had known the story of Alexander, and evon most were directly influenced by him, however i was wondering if ther was any evidence to show that roman politics were at anyway affected by him.
Thank you for any answers
Ben

[amyntoros]

There's one book that I know of which may have the answers you're looking for - unfortunately, I haven't read it so I can't be sure. (The book caught my eye quite recently.) It's The Roman Alexander: Reading a Cultural Myth (Exeter Studies in History) by Diana SpencerHere's the editorial review from the Amazon page."It was the Romans who made Alexander `Great' and moved him beyond geographical borders and periods of history. This interesting study examines a wide range of Roman texts to investigate what exactly Alexander meant to Roman culture. Spencer examines the relevance of Alexander's story for Rome, finding parallels between Alexander's and Rome's domination of the known world. His political and military prowess were also lauded as Roman ideals. The study contains numerous passages, in Latin with an English translation, to show how the Romans moulded the Alexander story in a process of `cultural mythmaking'. The study is arranged into thematic sections which consider the history of Alexander and its importance to late Republican Rome, the complications surrounding Alexander's exact title, the image of Alexander as an angry young man, his aspirations and his style of command."Best regards,Amyntoros

[marcus]

There is also a good chapter in an excellent book, "Alexander: Destiny and Myth", but Claude Mosse (trans and published in English in 2004). It also has a good chapter on the Medieval Alexander, if you're interested.ATBMarcus