Alexander the Great

By: Arrian

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the incredible story of the world's greatest conqueror, a man who single handedly changed the course of history...and who was worshipped as a god. There have been many attempts in the 2,300 years since Alexander's death to tell the epic story of this enigmatic soldier. His deeds read like the stuff of legends. Of all the chroniclers of Alexander, and there have been many famous ones, including Plutarch and Ptolemy, none have given us a clearer and truer account than the one by Arrian.

Writing 450 years after Alexander's death, Arrian had the advantage of hindsight and the unique ability to sift through important historical material which is now lost. He was able to judge the motives of many of the detractors of Alexander and to set the record straight in many instances. Alexander's aims have always been a topic of intense debate and this history will tell you what this brilliant tactician was trying to accomplish and why. From his first encounter with the Persians at the Battle of the Granicus to his last battle on the banks of the Indus River, thrill to the extraordinary exploits of Alexander the Great as he turns the ancient world upside down. After his passing, nothing would ever again be the same....

Lucius Flavius Arrianus, or Arrian (circa A.D. 85 to 90 - circa 146) was born in Nicomedia, a Greek town which at the time was a part of the vast Roman Empire. It is fairly certain that Arrian's ancestors had been citizens for some time because his family was prominent, and he himself seems to have held an important priesthood as a young man. Arrian studied Stoic philosophy with the famous Epictetus and has left us an excellent book on the subject based on his notes. One of his fellow students was the future emperor, Hadrian, whose close friend he remained in later life. Arrian was a wealthy man with a great sense of responsibility. He put his considerable abilities to work on behalf of society and served with distinction as a senator and as a military commander. In fact, he was the first Greek ever to command Roman legions. He later served as governor of Cappadocia. In his spare moments, Arrian wrote many important books, of which his Anabasis of Alexander is by far the most popular.

©2004 Audio Connoisseur (P)2004 Audio Connoisseur

Fascinating for so many reasons

First of all, there is so much more detail available on Alexander's life than I imagined. I am assuming that Arrian didn't make any of it up and that his sources didn't make any of it up and that the translator didn't smooth things over. Second, the details of his life, the true story, is so much more rich and interesting than the soundbite rendition most of us are familiar with. Beyond that, it's interesting to see what the state of biography or scholarly writing was in Arrian's time. To see the things that he focused on or didn't focus on. It would be interesting to know how much the translator had to massage the text to get it to sound comfortable to modern ears.

Very entertaining

Arrian is interesting and very good at explaining.
Griffin is an excellent narrator.
The story is very fun to listen to, and informative.

A Heroic Historic Narrative

"Of course, one must not examine ancient tales about the divine too minutely. For stories that strike a listener as incredible because they violate our sense of what is probable begin to seem credible when an element of the divine is added."
-- Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander, Book Five

Arrian's 'Anabasis' also known as 'The Campaigns of Alexander' is an intellectual descendent of Herodotus, Xenophon and Thucydides. It is made up of seven books that detail Alexander's campaigns after he is made king (upon the death of his father Philip II of Macedon) to the time of his own death in Babylon. The structure and name of this book show Arrian's desire to emulate Xenophon's Anabasis 1-7 (which means "a journey up-country from the sea") in form, structure, and power.

This is also probably the point where I should explain how I read this book. A few years ago, I bought several of Robert Strassler's Landmark classics:
1. The Histories: The Landmark Herodotus
2. The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika
3. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War
4. The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander

For a non-Classics expert, these are fantastic introductions to some of the best classical works of history. The notes, layout, design, etc., makes the journeys of Alexander, etc., easy to trace and understand. I did, however, also listen to the Aubrey de Sélincourt translation while I followed along reading the Pamela Mensch translation of the Landmark edition. With translations, I've often found this useful. I can see how two different translators approach the same work. Sélincourt's translation is more casual, more reader friendly, but Mensch's translation give better detail. I think I prefer Sélincourt for the story and Mensch for accuracy, if that makes sense?

Anyway, the book is a classic for a reason. It is fascinating, and Alexander's life is a living example of the heroic narrative journey. Arrian, who was a retired Roman military commander and philosopher, provides rich insight into the strengths and obvious weakness of Alexander. His telling of the Battle of Guagamela is worth the entire price of admission. It really is hard to read about Alexander the Great and feel he might be too little praised. His campaign into India and back, with his focus on uniting the Persians and the Greeks under his rule, prepared the ancient rule for Greek thinking. Christianity, Islam, etc., might never have traveled as fast and as far without Alexander first planting the seeds of multiculturalism and conquest like he did. I remember once some magazine or another ranked the most influential people who changed the world. I think Alexander was on the list, but only in the top 20 or 30. I'm not sure that is correct. I think as far as influence, Alexander is definitely in the top 10, if not 5.

Alexander the Great

Even though, I had studied Alexander the Great at school a long time ago, I refreshed my memory and also got new information from the book.

Another good reading by C Griffin

Classical ancient history - gotta take it all with a grain of salt and be thankful that it came down to us. This particular text, which focuses on Alexander the Great, is an excellent resource if you want to understand one of the major pieces of evidence we have covering his campaigns. Get the "Landmark" history book (Robert Strassler) for Arian which covers the exact same text and includes all of the maps and pictures.

A good listen but a bit confusing

I overall liked this book but it is a bit to chew through. It has lots of names and facts in it and a overall good story (historical) guide line, but sometimes understanding what is going on is a bit hard.

It was written at least 1500 years ago so most of problems with the book itself is understandable as dramatic themes and verse is quite different today.

This book is not for the faint of heart when it comes to Alexander. A modern version would be about 1/3 of the lenght.

Awesome Epic, sublime Roman prose

What did you love best about Alexander the Great?

Arrian's writing is a great example of Roman prose and is well executed here.

What other book might you compare Alexander the Great to and why?

The March of the Ten Thousand by Xenophon is similarly epic in scale and both read like scripts for massive action movies with heavy metal in the soundtrack and you know...flames and skulls on poles...... Skulls are cool.

What does Charlton Griffin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice gave the book a strident tone and made it easy to picture the adventure as it unfolded.

As close to a Primary Source as you can get

Great history, too short. The context is preserved because of the closeness between the writer and the subject.

Spectacular

First of all the reader is magnificent, especially for reading history. He has the perfect intonation for every event and statement and is miraculous in his mood creation. Second, the story of Alexander is amazing not only for the history it recounts but for its revelation of the character of Alexander, the man. Someone who has no interest in military tactics or history may find it dry, but otherwise you will love it.

Lesson in humanity

I totally enjoyed the narrator's voice and the great recounts of Alexander's life. It was educational and thought provoking.