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Making History
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 Tuesday 3.00-3.30 p.m |
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Sue Cook presents the series that examines listeners' historical queries, exploring avenues of research and uncovering mysteries. |
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Alexander the Great - his military achievements
Listener's query
"I have seen a list of the greatest military leaders and out of a hundred, Alexander the Great is placed third. How was he so great as a soldier?"
Brief summary
Dr David Lonsdale told Making History:
Alexander III (356-323 BC) was certainly the most successful general in the classical era. Many argue he was the greatest military leader in history. He was undefeated from his first campaign as a cavalry commander - he was then 16 - until the time of his death 17 years later. He certainly inherited an efficient war machine from his father, Philip of Macedonia. Philip had unified the many city-states of Greece, but Alexander conquered the Persian Empire and Egypt, and when he died his own empire stretched from Greece to modern Pakistan, Afghanistan and Northern India.
Alexander was a master tactician and strategist. He developed elite units and is said to have introduced the cavalry charge. He turned the Macedonian army into a terrifying and powerful force. Dr Lonsdale does not agree with the conspiracy theories surrounding Alexander's death, which he thinks was probably the result of accumulated injuries and disease, not helped by his drinking.
Further reading
David J. Lonsdale, Alexander: Killer of Men (Constable and Robinson, 2004)
Paul Cartledge, Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past (Macmillan, 2004)
Robin Lane Fox, Alexander the Great (Penguin, 2004)
Paul Doherty, Alexander the Great: Death of a God (Constable and Robinson, 2004)
Websites
- guide to about 1,000 sites
Please note: the 大象传媒 accepts no responsibility for the content of external websites.
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See AlsoThe 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external sites |
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Vanessa has presented听science and current affairs programmes for 大象传媒, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Discovery and has presented for 大象传媒 Radio 4 & Five Live and a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday, Scotsman and Sunday Herald.听