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Virtual Macedonia Bookstore - Alexander's Lovers
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List Price: $25.50
Our Price: $21.63
Your Save: $ 3.87 ( 15% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 930
EAN: 9781411699601
ISBN: 1411699602
Label: Lulu.com
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 220
Publication Date: 2006-04-29
Publisher: Lulu.com
Studio: Lulu.com
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing book! I recommend it!
Comment: This book is so different than any other Alexander books I have read because it focuses on something other than Alexander's conquests. This gives you a look at Alexander's private life and shows how passionate he was towards those he loved. The most intriquing part for me was the chapter dedicated to Alexander's one true love and life long companion, Hephaestion. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Alexander the Great. It's a different perspective and a very well written book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Alexander and Hephaistion. Opps, and yes, Alexander and the others.
Comment: King Alexander III of Macedon is the first monarch to whom both Greece and the Persian Empire (the East, Asia), for one or another reason were forced to accept as undistinguished ruler. It did not last long. Alexander the unifier, the autocrat, the warrior, the hero, the intellectual, the "philosopher king", and Alexander, the human being, the lover, the man needing affection, warmth, closeness, and fondness did not live a long existence on earth.
This book may sound a bit out of contest when considering the Great Alexander. Scholarship has struggled trying to sketch Alexander's private life, his sexual preferences, the women, and men in his life, and more. I have read with interest this book. I do read a lot about Alexander - sometimes I come to believe there is not one book about Alexander I have not bought for my personal library. I also must admit that many are just debris, a petulant repetition of what has been said - (or hypothesized) in the millennia. Initially I believed this was going to be another of those books. I am most glad to say IT WAS NOT. This book is excellent. It is a very thorough essay about what has been written in the past about Alexander's love life. It acquires consistency by elaborating a credible and thorough panorama of customs, sexual practices, socially and culturally moral beliefs beginning with Archaic Greece, the Golden age of Athens, the classic age, and sexual practices available in the kingdom of Macedonia, included what (or what not) did water Philip the Second's mouth (Alexander's father).
I will never stop emphasizing how much of Alexander's persona can best be understood through an in-depth reading of the Iliad, the myth of Achilleus and Patroklos, and the subsequent literature that has been produced by some of the most eloquent writers in the history of drama and tragedy (Aeschylus, Euripides, etc.).
This book will not give definitive answers: However, the hypotheses are consistently supported by available reliable sources. Furthermore, they are presented, and elaborated in a very intelligible and sensible fashion. It is this consistent use of sources, fragments, artworks, as well as an accurate depiction of that Era that render justice to this excellent essay.
I recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those who more or less are familiar with Alexander's age, classical works, as well as archaic and classic philosophy. I personally believe that only two people have been most important in Alexander's affective development. The first one is the sorcerer, the Great Mother, the arcane Olympia, and the second one is Hephaistion, the mythical Patroklos, the only one who did generously offer continued sincerity, fondness, and love for his lifelong friend, Alexander, and not the great king Alexander the third.
Alexander is not the gay icon many would like him to be. Alexander is the dwarfish king (he was a short man) who, with enormous sacrifices brought the Greek poleis, the whole Persian Empire, and Asia at his feet.
Alexander's lovers, sexual partners, women and men (or eunuchs, if at all), were probably just a little slice of his overall vision. He was most interested in unifying the known world and in many ways an idealized society where all spoke the same language: yes, old Greek. Alexander's partner was elevated to the prestigious role of Chiliarch, someone that was second only to Alexander. Hephaistion was the only one that a great king such as Alexander, the true Achilleus, and Heracles, the son of the Gods, could trust always and forever.
Read the Iliad: When the ghost of Patroklos appeared to Achilleus asking him for help in the underworld. Patroklos longed the moment when finally he could rest along with Achilleus in the golden urn (or vase with two handles) that had been given to Achilleus by his mother Thetis. Hephaistion died in November 324 BCE -- Alexander died in June 323 B.C.E in Babylon, probably from malaria. Alexander was a natural survivor; one who had endured all kinds of wounds, warship, and sacrifices. I am skeptical about the hypothesis that Alexander's death is ascribed to excessive use of uncut wine. The wine was probably more kind of a self-medication. It made him forget about the ever-growing emptiness in his affective and emotional life. Who knows how many times Alexander waited for Hephaistion to appear in his dreams. It was time for him to rest in the metaphorical (and mythological) urn made out of gold mentioned by Patroklos. Alexander had already accomplished so much in his short but glorious life. It was time for him to join Hephaistion, in the same fashion as Achilleus did with Patroklos. Malaria would have not killed him had he the wish to live longer. Yes, I should not forget he already had made plans to invade Arabia, the northern coast of Africa, and finally Rome. Nevertheless, without Hephaistion, things would not have been the same anymore.
I must admit that mine is only a possible hypothesis that some authors have already postulated back in time. In fact, the eloquent author of this book offers lots of reliable alternative hypotheses to which I often agree. My suggestions: Well, buy this book at your convenience, and then find yourselves time to read it. Believe me: It is worth the risk!!!!
The Iliad of Homer, Translated by Lattimore 1961
Customer Rating:
Summary: Couldn't have been better
Comment: "Alexander's Lovers" by Andrew Chugg is a fascinating and helpful book about Alexander the Great and his lovers. What information is included in the book?
The first 60 pages or so are about Alexander's life and accomplishments, including sections on "The Pursuit of Darius", "The Brahmins and the Mallian Arrow" and "The Mutiny at Opis". Then there is a lengthy section on Hephaistion (pgs 64-130). The wealth of information here is astounding. Many different sources are quoted and credited for their input, allowing us to see where the similarities and differences are in their information. There are also various sketches of statues and copies of paintings (black and white). Compared to Hephaistion, the other sections in the book are quite small. But considering how important he was to Alexander, this makes sense.
After Hephaistion, pages 131-143 are on Barsine. Next is the section on Bagaos the eunuch. (pgs 144-154). Many histories have left out Bagoas entirely, preferring that he not existed. However there is undeniable evidence that he did exist, and again there is a wealth of information here on him. Bagoas is followed by the section on Thalestris (Queen of the Amazons) and Cleophis (Queen of Massaga) from pages 155-163.
One of the greatest mysteries about Alexander was why he married Roxane. Many argue that she was the only woman he ever loved. Roxane's section is 164-184, followed by Stateira and Parysatis (The Persian Princesses). Pages 185-197 deal with the Persian Princesses, including their backgrounds, and their political importance. A short epilogue follows this section, and includes the fates of Alexander's relatives- including his brothers/sisters/mother/ and children.
I quite enjoyed this book. As another review stated, this is perhaps the most written about Hephaistion anywhere, and it is very helpful to finally have it all in one place instead of constantly cross referencing. As Alexander once stated, "He too is Alexander." It is sad that there isn't more information on him, considering his importance to Alexander. It even seems that his successes were downplayed, although after reading this book you will see that he was a brilliant strategist and general. In closing, Alexander the Great is an important figure in history, and true scholars will want to pick up Chugg's story.
For more on Hephaistion and Bagoas (if you are at all interested in historical fiction), I'd recommend Mary Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy- Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy (A personal favorite!), Funeral Games.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Comment: This books delves into the personal side of the great king and looks at those who are thought to have been linked in a romantic way with him. The best sections are on Hephaistion and Bagoas. This may be the most written on Hephaition in a book, so it's worth the money strictly for his section.
All-in-all, an excellent addition to any Alexander collection.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Alexander's Lovers is the eagerly awaited second book by the author of The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great (see www.alexanderstomb.com) and will surely prove no less fascinating a read for those with an interest in the King. It is an exploration of Alexander's character through the mirror of the lives of the people with whom he pursued romantic relationships, including his friend Hephaistion, his queen Roxane, his mistress Barsine and Bagoas the Eunuch. Alexander's Lovers is aimed at the large range of Alexander enthusiasts who have been frustrated to find his rather intriguing love life relegated to little more than embarrassed footnotes in the conventional histories of his career. It is also rendered accessible to a wider audience with a casual interest in Alexander, through the incorporation of an 18,000-word prologue providing a concise introductory biography of the King. (Includes 44 images)
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