- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Basic Books (7 Jun 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 046507202X
- ISBN-13: 978-0465072026
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,103,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Alexander's Tomb
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"a tantalising glimpse into the possibilities surrounding Alexander's Tomb."
Publishing News
"a tantalising glimpse into the possibilities surrounding
Alexander's Tomb."
Alexander's Tomb."
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
THERE IS A SENSE OF HISTORY IN THIS PLACE-a feeling of standing where great events once unfolded. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THERE IS A SENSE OF HISTORY IN THIS PLACE-a feeling of standing where great events once unfolded. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was purchased this book for Christmas and enjoyed it so much I had finished it before the plane touched down. I found this a new twist on a very old tale, the tale being that of Alexander the Great he of a thousand books. This book covers the search for the tomb of Alexander, and, before you say but we all know about that, the visit by Augustus the golden cavalcade stolen by Ptolemy to give himself credence as pharaoh... well of course the question is where is that tomb??
This is a very well researched book with extensive footnotes and biblography so its clear that the author has thoroughly researched his subject. This however is not an academic work nor is it a book about Alexander the Great but is written by someone fascinated by history and the search for our past. The book starts with Alexander's death and ends in the present. Its filled with interesting facts for example I didn't know is that the bodies first resting place was Memphis and it was only later it was moved to Alexandria. Enter the romans, Augustus breaks the nose off, Caligula steals the armor and yet another indignity one of the pharaohs steals the golden coffin and replaces it with alabaster. Through the dark ages our author has to dig deep to find some facts to keep the story going. The fact that he does so and throughout keeps the reader's interest says much for the subject matter but also the writing style and the author's clear fascination with the subject matter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although in the beginning I expected to learn something about Alexander, the search reveals as much about the men seeking the tomb as the man of the legend. So for anyone interested in history its a fascinating insight not into the great man but man's ongoing quest for knowledge of our past.
This is a very well researched book with extensive footnotes and biblography so its clear that the author has thoroughly researched his subject. This however is not an academic work nor is it a book about Alexander the Great but is written by someone fascinated by history and the search for our past. The book starts with Alexander's death and ends in the present. Its filled with interesting facts for example I didn't know is that the bodies first resting place was Memphis and it was only later it was moved to Alexandria. Enter the romans, Augustus breaks the nose off, Caligula steals the armor and yet another indignity one of the pharaohs steals the golden coffin and replaces it with alabaster. Through the dark ages our author has to dig deep to find some facts to keep the story going. The fact that he does so and throughout keeps the reader's interest says much for the subject matter but also the writing style and the author's clear fascination with the subject matter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although in the beginning I expected to learn something about Alexander, the search reveals as much about the men seeking the tomb as the man of the legend. So for anyone interested in history its a fascinating insight not into the great man but man's ongoing quest for knowledge of our past.
Format:Paperback
Well written, ok illustrations, intelligent analysis, useful as a primer on its subject; would have been better if it gave a decent modern map of Alexandria to allow a reader new to the subject to frequent themselves with the layout of the place as being detailed in the text.
Not a taxing book at 200 pages, maybe it falls apart a little after P.113, when it shifts from classical history into the dark ages, where due to the lack of information the writer increasingly has to work with conjecture, too much time of which is taken up with trivia such as 1 or 2 eccentric treasure hunters, modern day Greek politics & obscure bits of masonry. Maybe it also goes on a bit too much about Alexander III's tomb being some sort of metaphysical "idea" instead of an actual site.
If you're new to the book's theme buy a copy, you'll learn something.
Not a taxing book at 200 pages, maybe it falls apart a little after P.113, when it shifts from classical history into the dark ages, where due to the lack of information the writer increasingly has to work with conjecture, too much time of which is taken up with trivia such as 1 or 2 eccentric treasure hunters, modern day Greek politics & obscure bits of masonry. Maybe it also goes on a bit too much about Alexander III's tomb being some sort of metaphysical "idea" instead of an actual site.
If you're new to the book's theme buy a copy, you'll learn something.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you have to read one of the two recent books following the same ground on Alexander's final resting place, then I would go for this one over the truly awful Chugg book, but that's not a high recommendation. At least Saunders writes far better than the dull and plodding Chugg, but there's very little new in this book.
They both describe the death of Alexander, the struggles of the successors and the conflict over the ownership of Alexander's remains. They both review the famous ancient visitors to the tomb until the rise of the muslim empire obscures its history, and then the re-emergence of interest with Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and the beginnings of scientific archaeology. Saunders at least doesn't end with Chugg's bizarre theory that Alexander lies under the altar of St Marks in Venice since his body was substituted for the saint's...
Overall, if you know nothing about Alexander and want somewhere to start then I would still recommend Robin Lane Fox's classic, with Peter Green's recent book as a more modern and unromantic take, and I would skip both this and Chugg's lovely looking but ultimately empty book.
They both describe the death of Alexander, the struggles of the successors and the conflict over the ownership of Alexander's remains. They both review the famous ancient visitors to the tomb until the rise of the muslim empire obscures its history, and then the re-emergence of interest with Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and the beginnings of scientific archaeology. Saunders at least doesn't end with Chugg's bizarre theory that Alexander lies under the altar of St Marks in Venice since his body was substituted for the saint's...
Overall, if you know nothing about Alexander and want somewhere to start then I would still recommend Robin Lane Fox's classic, with Peter Green's recent book as a more modern and unromantic take, and I would skip both this and Chugg's lovely looking but ultimately empty book.
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