Alexander the Great, arguably the most exciting figure from antiquity,
waged war as a Homeric hero and lived as one, conquering native peoples
and territories on a superhuman scale. From the time he invaded Asia in
334 to his death in 323, he expanded the Macedonian empire from Greece
in the west to Asia Minor, the Levant, Egypt, Central Asia and "India"
(Pakistan and Kashmir) in the east. Although many other kings and
generals forged empires, Alexander produced one that was without
parallel, even if it was short-lived.
And yet, Alexander could not have achieved what he did without the
accomplishments of his father, Philip II (r. 359-336). It was Philip who
truly changed the course of Macedonian history, transforming a weak,
disunited, and economically backward kingdom into a military powerhouse.
A warrior king par excellence, Philip left Alexander with the greatest
army in the Greek world, a centralized monarchy, economic prosperity,
and a plan to invade Asia.
For the first time, By the Spear offers an exhilarating military
narrative of the reigns of these two larger-than-life figures in one
volume. Ian Worthington gives full breadth to the careers of father and
son, showing how Philip was the architect of the Macedonian empire,
which reached its zenith under Alexander, only to disintegrate upon his
death*. By the Spear* also explores the impact of Greek culture in the
East, as Macedonian armies became avatars of social and cultural change
in lands far removed from the traditional sphere of Greek influence. In
addition, the book discusses the problems Alexander faced in dealing
with a diverse subject population and the strategies he took to what
might be called nation building, all of which shed light on contemporary
events in culturally dissimilar regions of the world. The result is a
gripping and unparalleled account of the role these kings played in
creating a vast empire and the enduring legacy they left behind.
