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A review by bahnree
Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Empire by Kenneth W. Harl
4.0
I really liked this for the most part. It's very comprehensive, beginning with a few lectures on Macedon, Greece, Persia, and Phillip II; then Alexander; then a few lectures covering the war of succession and the Macedonian Empire in partition. As a good overview to Alexander, especially if you know nothing, this is really good and well-organized, as well as entertaining (Harl has an extremely dry humor that I loved).
Harl REALLY likes Alexander, though. There seems to be no happy medium between Alexander historians who think he was the worst tyrant ever and historians who think he was the best conqueror ever. Harl falls into the trap of justifying even Alexander's worst moments.
An example of this is the question of whether Alexander was a drunk. In one lecture, Harl explains that Alex didn't drink that much, especially for a Macedonian, and was basically a social drinker. IN THE VERY NEXT LECTURE, Harl explains that it's not Alex's fault that he murdered Cleitus because he was INCREDIBLY DRUNK. Then later, re: Alexander's death, Harl dismisses poison and names "heavy drinking" as a factor.
Harl REALLY likes Alexander, though. There seems to be no happy medium between Alexander historians who think he was the worst tyrant ever and historians who think he was the best conqueror ever. Harl falls into the trap of justifying even Alexander's worst moments.
An example of this is the question of whether Alexander was a drunk. In one lecture, Harl explains that Alex didn't drink that much, especially for a Macedonian, and was basically a social drinker. IN THE VERY NEXT LECTURE, Harl explains that it's not Alex's fault that he murdered Cleitus because he was INCREDIBLY DRUNK. Then later, re: Alexander's death, Harl dismisses poison and names "heavy drinking" as a factor.