Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant MedallionsUniversity of California Press, 24 nov. 2003 - 217 sidor To all those who witnessed his extraordinary conquests, from Albania to India, Alexander the Great appeared invincible. How Alexander himself promoted this appearance—how he abetted the belief that he enjoyed divine favor and commanded even the forces of nature against his enemies—is the subject of Frank L. Holt's absorbing book. Solid evidence for the "supernaturalized" Alexander lies in a rare series of medallions that depict the triumphant young king at war against the elephants, archers, and chariots of Rajah Porus of India at the Battle of the Hydaspes River. Recovered from Afghanistan and Iraq in sensational and sometimes perilous circumstances, these ancient artifacts have long animated the modern historical debate about Alexander. Holt's book, the first devoted to the mystery of these ancient medallions, takes us into the history of their discovery and interpretation, into the knowable facts of their manufacture and meaning, and, ultimately, into the king's own psyche and his frightening theology of war. The result is a valuable analysis of Alexander history and myth, a vivid account of numismatics, and a spellbinding look into the age-old mechanics of megalomania. |
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Sida iv
... Ancient. 3. Alexander, the Great, 356–323 b.c.—Numismatics. 4. Elephants in numismatics. I. Title. II. Series. CJ385.H65 2003 737'.22'0938—dc21 2003008772 Manufactured in the United States of America 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 ...
... Ancient. 3. Alexander, the Great, 356–323 b.c.—Numismatics. 4. Elephants in numismatics. I. Title. II. Series. CJ385.H65 2003 737'.22'0938—dc21 2003008772 Manufactured in the United States of America 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 ...
Sida xi
... ancient past, like some mystery unlocked by the relentless logic of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Be- cause it is a real and not imaginary case, all of its strands can never be ti- died up as neatly as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle might have done ...
... ancient past, like some mystery unlocked by the relentless logic of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Be- cause it is a real and not imaginary case, all of its strands can never be ti- died up as neatly as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle might have done ...
Sida xii
... ancient medallion — the first in our mystery — also passed through Peshawar , making its way from Afghanistan to England . Conan Doyle's Watson nearly died , so weakened by “ enteric fever ” that he was finally shipped back home in 1881 ...
... ancient medallion — the first in our mystery — also passed through Peshawar , making its way from Afghanistan to England . Conan Doyle's Watson nearly died , so weakened by “ enteric fever ” that he was finally shipped back home in 1881 ...
Sida xiii
... ancient history and numismatics will find my analysis constructive and convincing. At the same time, I have taken pains to make this work interesting and useful to university students and the general public. Matters that specialists ...
... ancient history and numismatics will find my analysis constructive and convincing. At the same time, I have taken pains to make this work interesting and useful to university students and the general public. Matters that specialists ...
Sida 4
... ancient relics of the king remain important to us today as the prizes of museums and private collections around the world . Some ex- amples underscore the intensity of this infatuation . André Malraux , when French minister of culture ...
... ancient relics of the king remain important to us today as the prizes of museums and private collections around the world . Some ex- amples underscore the intensity of this infatuation . André Malraux , when French minister of culture ...
Innehåll
1 | |
2 A Treasure | 23 |
3 Picking a Fight | 47 |
Plates | 67 |
4 Whose Pachyderm Whole or Halved? | 68 |
5 Another Treasure | 92 |
6 A Closer Look | 117 |
7 A Dark and Stormy Night | 139 |
Appendix A The Published Elephant Medallions | 167 |
Appendix B Some Possible Forgeries of the Large Medallion | 171 |
Appendix C The 1973 Iraq Hoard | 173 |
Select Bibliography | 175 |
Index | 191 |
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Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions Frank L. Holt Begränsad förhandsgranskning - 2003 |
Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions Frank L. Holt Begränsad förhandsgranskning - 2003 |
Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions Frank L. Holt Begränsad förhandsgranskning - 2003 |
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1973 Iraq hoard A. B. Bosworth Abulites Afghanistan Alexander and Porus Alexander Mosaic Alexander Romance Alexander’s American Numismatic Society Ancient World Appendix archers Arrian artifacts Asia Babylon Bactria Bank Leu battle battle of Gaugamela British Museum Bucephalus Cambridge campaign cavalry century chariots Coin Hoards coin or medal Coinage of Alexander commemorate Curtius Darius Darwin decadrachms defeat depicted Diodorus Duerr E/AB elephant medallions enemy Ernst Badian Eucratides evidence example Franks medallion Gaugamela Greece Greek Coins Hellenistic helmet History horse Hydaspes Hydaspes River Ibid Indian Kabul king king’s large medallion later London Macedonian Macedonian army Martin Price medallic coins military mintage minted mystery N. G. L. Hammond Numismatic Chronicle numismatists obverse Oxford Oxus Treasure Pandey Percy Gardner Persian phant Philip Plutarch Plutarch Alex Porus Porus's rajah reverse rider Roman sarissa satrape Schliemann scholars spear specimen Studies Taxiles tetradrachm troops types University Press victory warrior worms Xenophilos York Zeus