The remarkable life of Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, vividly told by one of the world's leading experts in Greek history. With all the intensity, insight, and narrative drive that made The Spartans such a hit with critics and readers, Paul Cartledge's Alexander the Great: glowingly illuminates the brief but iconic life of Alexander (356-323 BC), king of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and founder of a new world order. Cartledge, the distinguished scholar and historian long acknowledged as the leading international authority on ancient Sparta and Greece, brilliantly evokes Alexander's remarkable political and military accomplishments, leads us along the geographical path of his victorious armies, and compellingly charting the tremendous field of this warrior hero's influence. Alexander's legacy has had an astounding impact on military tacticians, scholars, and statesmen—in his own lifetime and in ours. In various countries and at various times he has been seen as hero, holy man, Christian saint, a new Achilles, philosopher, scientist, prophet, and visionary. Cartledge brilliantly explains why and how Alexander is endlessly fascinating, with a view to a better understanding of such fundamental topics as charismatic leadership, imperialism, and Middle Eastern geopolitics.

保罗·卡特利奇

著名古典学家。曾就读于牛津大学，并获得牛津大学博士学位。自1979年起执教于剑桥大学，是该校古典文学院(希腊历史专业的教授，同时在剑桥大学卡莱尔学院担任教职。著述等身，近期的著作包括：《插图本剑桥古希腊史》；《希腊人：文明的熔炉》；《斯巴达和拉科尼亚：从公元前1300至前362年的区域史》；《希腊人：自我与他者的肖像；《斯巴达人：一部英雄的史诗》；《亚历山大大帝：寻找新的历史》；《温泉关：改变世界的战役》。曾主编两套丛书并兼任三种学术刊物的编辑；达克沃斯出版社的古代历史顾问。伦敦古物专家学会会员。曾荣获希腊共和国颁发的“金十字”荣誉勋章。2004年，他被斯巴达授予荣誉市民称号，以表彰他在斯巴达历史研究领域中所作出的杰出贡献。