Ghost on the Throne, James S. Romm
Ghost on the Throne, James S. Romm
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Ghost on the Throne
The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

Author: James S. Romm

Narrator: Michael Page

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/21/2020

Synopsis

When Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-two, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs—a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an infant son, Alexander IV, born after his death—were jointly granted the kingship. But six of Alexander's Macedonian generals, spurred by their own thirst for power and the legend that Alexander bequeathed his rule "to the strongest," fought to gain supremacy. Perhaps their most fascinating and conniving adversary was Alexander's former Greek secretary, Eumenes, now a general himself, who would be the determining factor in the precarious fortunes of the royal family. James Romm, professor of classics at Bard College, brings to life the cutthroat competition and the struggle for control of the Greek world's greatest empire.

About James S. Romm

James Romm is James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He has written two books on the ancient Greek world, The Edges of the Earth in Ancient Thought and Herodotus, and edited Arrian's Campaigns of Alexander, part of the distinguished Landmark series of works by ancient Greek historians.

Reviews

Goodreads review by William on August 03, 2023

Felt in the mood for some non-fiction, so I decided to jump into this work about the death of Alexander the Great and the chaos that ensued. This was absolutely fascinating. A great choice for those who know very little about the time, but also for those who have a far deeper knowledge. James Romm i......more

Goodreads review by Allen on May 26, 2023

Just fantastic. Romm writes with the narrative style that I love reading in my nonfiction. It reads like a political thriller, though it cuts off after only the 2nd Diodachi War. Strongly recommend for anyone interested in the Alex and post-Alex time period. Romm is now up there with Everitt and Fre......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on March 18, 2024

The disputes among Alexander’s contemporaries over the cause of his death make it hard to accept any evidence on its face. This is a hall-of-mirrors world where the more convincing an account seems, the more it might be suspected to be the work of clever assassins concealing their crimes. But his......more

Goodreads review by Nicky on January 28, 2013

Ghost on the Throne is a pretty in-depth analysis of the years after the death of Alexander the Great, and the struggles of those close to him to maintain the empire he built and become his successor. I studied Alexander himself at A Level, but we never went beyond his death, so this was mostly new......more

Goodreads review by Victor on January 12, 2022

I was recommended the book as a way to make sense of the extremely complex and convoluted situation that followed the death of Alexander the Great and the struggle between his diadochoi. It didn't help that much; rather, it confirmed the idea that the situation was extremely complex. It does give yo......more

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