ATG and the mystery of the elephant medallions

[Max]

Hello all,There is a new book out by Frank L. Holt, Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions. In a nutshell, it deals with the what/where/who/when/why of these mysterious medallions and provides a very logical conclusion (based on the evidence available) as to their interpretation, meaning and intended audience. The book itself is a fun read and unravels like a mystery. It also provides a kick-ass short introduction to Alexander's life and career.I very much enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. (I believe Amazon has it.)-MaxP.S. For those who are not familiar with American slang, "kick-ass" means excellent, very cool, tight. Just wanted to clarify in case of confusion:)

[marcus]

Hey, thanks for that.I went straight to Amazon and stuck it on my wishlist (can't actually afford to buy it yet, but by golly I will)!All the bestMarcus

[amyntoros]

I first saw Holt mention the medallions in his article Alexander the Great Today: In the Interests of Historical Accuracy, where Holt is refuting Bosworth (in Alexander and the East) who said:"In a manner unique to ancient coinage he (Alexander) was sending a message to people who could never hope to witness an Indian army in the flesh. These were the outlandish and formidable forces which he had faced in battle and crushed. Five years might have elapsed since the Persian grand army was humiliated at Gaugamela, but his army had lost none of its frightful efficiency. The victory over Porus was proof, and the coinage ensured that its implications were not lost. In the context of the troubles in Greece which followed the Exile's Decree it would constitute a blunt warning. Beware the the consequences of revolt. The army which crushed Porus will easily crush you."Holt begins by saying that we cannot even be certain that these artifacts are coins at all. Obviously, he took this thought and turned it into a book! It went on my wish list as well - I thoroughly enjoyed reading *all* his arguments in the above article.By the way, the first chapter of this book can be found at:http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/1005 ... .htmlLinda Ann

[susan]

Thanks for posting this link, I enjoyed reading the excerpt very much, altough I expect that most of us would have preferred a later chapter that wasn't mainly going over Alexander's history.The article mentions Nectanebo's sarcophagus in the British Museum - it's splendid, made of green breccia with rather bright intrusions of other rocks - altough these are natural they look like brightly coloured plastic - so it was obviously fit for a king. It's quite large and covered with carved hieroglyphics. It was used as a bath in the Attarine mosque in Alexandria for some time - and at the bottom 8 holes are drilled, presumably to let the water out. Imagine having a bath in a pharaoh's sarcophagus ! There's an image here.http://www.greece.org/alexandria/tomb2/sarco.jpg
RegardsSusan