The Treasures of Alexander the Great Ho One Man's Wealth Shaped the World [Hardcover]

War, the most profitable economic activity in the ancient world, transferred wealth from the vanquished to the victor. Invasions, sieges, massacres, annexations, and mass deportations all redistributed property with dramatic consequences for kings and commoners alike. No conqueror ever captured more people or property in so short a lifetime than Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BC.

For all its savagery, the creation of Alexander's empire has generally been hailed as a positive economic event for all concerned. Even those harshly critical of Alexander today tend to praise his plundering of Persia as a means of liberating the moribund resources of the East. To test this popular interpretation,The Treasures of Alexander the Greatinvestigates the kinds and quantities of treasure seized by the Macedonian king, from gold and silver to land and slaves. It reveals what became of the king's wealth and what Alexander's redistribution of these vast resources can tell us about his much-disputed policies and personality.

Though Alexander owed his vast fortune to war, battle also distracted him from competently managing his spoils and much was wasted, embezzled, deliberately destroyed, or idled unprofitably.The Treasures of Alexander the Greatprovides a long-overdue and accessible account of Alexander's wealth and its enormous impact on the ancient world.

List of Illustrations

Chapter One. Introduction
Chapter Two. Poor Alexander?
Chapter Three. Conquest, Up Close and Costly
Chapter Four. Reciting the Sword's Prayer
Chapter Five. A King's Priorities
Chapter Six. (Mis)Management
Chapter Seven. Conclusion

Appendices
Notes
Bibliography
Index

This book is in many ways a compelling study of the economics of conquest...The book is extremely well-written and a pleasure to read throughout, no small achievement given that Holt's story is at least in part a story of numbelC#