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Podcast: New Books in Ancient History
Episode: Frank L. Holt, âThe Treasures of Alexander the Great: How One Manâs Wealth Shaped the Worldâ (Oxford UP, 2016)
Description: Most studies of the Macedonian conqueror Alexander III focus on the military aspects of his life and reign. Yet Alexanderâs campaigns would not have been possible had it not been for the enormous plunder his armies seized in their conquests. In The Treasures of Alexander the Great: How One Manâs Wealth Shaped the World (Oxford University Press, 2016), Frank L. Holt sifts through the ancient sources to provide new insights into an understudied aspect of Alexanderâs empire. Though he subsequently downplayed its holdings, Alexander inherited a substantial treasury when he took the throne in 336 BCE. This he used t...