Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions

Frank L. Holt

Nov 2003 · Hellenistic Culture and Society Book 44 · Univ of California Press

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought up many interesting points about a topic that is not too well known by most people. I used this book as part of a research paper, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Holt makes a compelling case for his side of the argument. Some parts in the middle were a little dry to read but it was never difficult to understand. By the time I got the the final chapter and its conclusion I was as excited as if I had been reading a mystery novel. Highly recommend this book to anyone who has a deep interest in Alexander the Great. If you don't you probably won't enjoy it very much.

Nice Book

About the author

Frank L. Holt is Professor of History at the University of Houston. He is the author of Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria (California, 1999) and Alexander the Great and Bactria: The Formation of a Greek Frontier in Central Asia (1988) and editor of The Greeks in Bactria and India (1985).