louisferdinand ([info]louisferdinand) wrote in [info]megalexandros,
@ 2005-03-01 09:59:00
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Great Commanders Magazine
Hi,

anyone bought this one already, is it interesting enough that you know?

https://store.primediamags.com/shop/thehistorynet/viewProduct?pm_id=8999

Great Commanders : Alexander the Great

Item #: MHGCAG
Price: $7.99

GREAT COMMANDERS: Alexander the Great will serve as the perfect, historically accurate, companion magazine for those just learning about Alexander and will be a must read for history enthusiasts. Leading historians and contributors to Military History and MHQ shed new light on the many conquests of the young Alexander and his place in the pantheon of history's greatest leaders. Beautifully illustrated with art and artifacts from the ages, this special issue promises to be a much sought after collectible edition. Highlights: · Hellenic Eclipse, by Jon Guttman, editor of Military History Magazine. The Battle of Chaeronea in August 338 B.C. determined the fates of ancient Greece, of King Philip II of Macedon and of his son Alexander. · Alexander's Triumph at Tyre by John R. Mixter. The siege of Tyre demonstrated that Alexander the Great was not only a master of maneuver but also a genius of siegecraft. · Conquest of a Continent by Stormie Filson. In 331 B.C., after expanding his kingdom to encompass the eastern Mediterranean, Alexander the Great turned his forces toward Babylon for the victory that would gain his sovereignty over western Asia and ensure Greek influence in that part of the world for centuries to follow. · The Battle at the Edge of the Earth by Arther Ferrell. In contrast to the fainthearted Persian King Darius III, at the Hydaspes river in India Alexander faced a giant of a man--and giant elephants. · Alexander's First Asian Victory by John R. Mixter. The Persians hoped to win the Battle of the Granicus by killing King Alexander III. But in his first major action in Asia, the Macedonian commander employed tactics that would win him an empire. · Upset at Issus by Harry J. Maihafer. King Darius II had cut off the Macedonian upstart who had dared invade his mighty empire--but then Alexander moved to slash his way out of the trap. · Alexander's Most Heroic Moment by Peter G. Tsouras. Acceding to his weary soldiers' wishes, Alexander the Great turned homeward from India--but even the journey back would require battle and conquest. · Alexander the Killer by Victor Davis Hanson. Noted historian Hanson contends Alexander's decade-long swath of conquest and butchering earned him a place as one of the true monsters of history. · PLUS: Map of Domination: The World of Alexander and A Readers Guide to Alexander the Great. Available now! Price includes shipping and handling.

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[info]shezan
2005-03-01 09:13 am UTC (link)
Victor Davis Hanson is down on Alexander? Now that's interesting. Any chance of a scan for us living in faraway lands?

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[info]shezan
2005-03-01 09:21 am UTC (link)
Golly! Even without this particular article, Hanson is not just down on Alexander as a historical figure - he loathed the movie, too. Just read this:
Well, I thought it was simply terrible. The film goes on for nearly three hours, but we hear nothing of what either supporters or detractors of Alexander, both ancient and modern, have agreed were the central issues of his life. Did he really believe in a unity of mankind, and were his mass mixed marriages, Persian dress, and kowtowing cynical, sincere, or delusions of megalomania? We see nothing of the siege of Tyre, Gaza, much less Thebes or even the burning of Persepolis. Other than the talking head Ptolemy, none of his generals have much of a character. There is nothing really in detail about the page purging other than a single reference; Stone, I would have thought, could have had a field day with Alexander’s introduction of both crucifixion and decimation.

The Gedrosian desert gets a few seconds. And what was the elephant scene in the jungle? Was that supposed to be dirty fighting in India, or the battle at the Hydaspes—which in fact was a brilliant Macedonian victory? The elephants were visually good, but without context or significance. So since Stone omitted the controversial and key issues of Alexander’s career, what do we get instead for at least over two thirds of the movie? Mostly sit-com drama, with gay and bi- subplots, in various bedrooms and banquet halls. Olympias was something out of a teen-aged vampire movie, not the sophisticated and conniving royal we read about in the sources. It is the old Dallas or Falcon Crest glossy pulp in Macedonian drag. Stone’s Alexander is a pouty, wimpy bore; the real figure, whatever your thoughts on him, was a killer and a fearful man of action. Gladiator’s Maximus was a far more engaging and forceful character—and that was a far better film as well.

There is also irony here. If we remember the embarrassing Troy, we are beginning to see, that all for all the protestations of artistic excellence and craftsmanship, Hollywood has become mostly a place of mediocrity, talentless actors and writers who spout off about politics in lieu of having any real accomplishment in their own field. I’ve heard so many inane things mouthed by Stone that I would like someone at last to address this question—why would supposedly smart insiders turn over $160 million to someone of such meager talent to make such an embarrassing film? Alexander the Great is third-rate Cecil B. Demille in drag.
Come on, Victor, don't hold back, tell us what you really think!

(Seriously, VDH is a major antiquity warfare historian, whose books on Greek warriors are absolutely brilliant, so I tedn to take what he writes more seriouly than the work of contemporary military secialists, who aren't familiar with period conditions. I never realied Alexander introduced both crucifixion and decimation, for instance.)

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[info]philoneikos
2005-03-01 10:55 am UTC (link)
I wonder what the evidence is for AtG introducing crucifixion and decimation? (I'm not suggesting VDH is wrong - it's just that I've no idea about it.)

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[info]dailyplanet
2005-03-01 02:31 pm UTC (link)
We see nothing of the siege of Tyre, Gaza, much less Thebes or even the burning of Persepolis.

That's unfair to the motion picture ALEXANDER!

Anthony Hopkins mentions those places really quickly in his opening ramble but says they were 'minor atrocities' in an otherwise super-honourable military career-Alexander-is-AWESOME-so-SHUT-UP-and-listen-to-my-30-minute-monologue-you-heartless-naysayers!!!

What do we get instead for at least over two thirds of the movie? Mostly sit-com drama, with gay and bi- subplots, in various bedrooms and banquet halls.

I consider this integral to the movie's awesomeness!!!

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[info]hulamoth
2005-03-01 11:06 pm UTC (link)
$7.99? I got it at Barnes and Noble a week ago for $4.99

I can't attest to the historical accuracy of the articles, but if anything, it does have nice, semi-glossy copies of a several paintings (notably Charles LeBrun and a HOT engraving of Philotas).

They ALSO have advertisements for the Alexander action figure, a Troy video game, a ceramic bust of Alexander (who doesn't need one?), and recreation helmets, of the Hollywood variety.

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[info]mieza
2005-03-03 10:09 am UTC (link)
Not a good one. The Biography on his life (Battle of Issus) is better.

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