Successors to Alexander the Great

Historical Sources in Translation

Timothy Howe, Charlotte Dunn, David Lunt

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781119688280
• eBook ISBN: 9781119688310
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Ancient & Classical Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

A comprehensive collection of translated sources on the wars and world of Alexander's successors

Successors to Alexander the Great brings together—for the first time in a single collection—the essential translated sources for the tumultuous period following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. Spanning Greek, Latin, Persian Babylonian, Egyptian, and epigraphic materials, this volume provides direct access to a wide range of documents that illuminate the world and the wars of the Diadochi and the complex efforts to reassemble, rule, and redefine the fragments of Alexander's empire.

Organized thematically and geographically, this book allows readers to explore the Successors' ambitions, alliances, propaganda, and political innovation across a sprawling and multi-ethnic landscape. Contextual commentary throughout helps readers navigate the fragmentary nature of source evidence, the biases of ancient authors, and the evolving concepts of legitimacy and kingship. With its thematic structure and source diversity, the book offers an ideal foundation for historical, literary, and historiographical inquiry into the Hellenistic world.

The first unified, carefully curated, deeply contextualized collection of primary sources on the post-Alexander Hellenistic world, Successors to Alexander the Great:

• Features Greek, Latin, Persian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and epigraphic material spanning multiple traditions and viewpoints
• Includes bibliographies with each chapter for ease of reference and deeper research engagement
• Highlights the complexity of succession politics, propaganda, and kingship after Alexander's death
• Illuminates lesser-known figures and regions often excluded from traditional Hellenistic narratives
• Promotes critical thinking and historiographical awareness through exposure to conflicting ancient perspectives
• Supports interdisciplinary teaching on identity, authority, and empire-building in the ancient world

Presenting a single, coherent, and accessible narrative, Successors to Alexander the Great is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic world, and ancient Greek history. It supports degree programs in Classics, History, Ancient Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and related disciplines, and serves as a vital reference for scholars, educators, and researchers.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Acknowledgements
• Translators' Note
• Timeline
• Introduction
• 1 Dramatis Personae
• 2 Articulations of Royal Power, Identity, and Interpretation Before the Successors
• 3 Administration and the Army Under Alexander
• 4 With Alexander: Conquest and Empire
• 5 Symbols and Propaganda: Alexander's Image Among the Successors
• 6 The Successors at War
• 7 The Regency to the Deaths of Alexander IV and Herakles
• 8 The Fight for Macedonia
• 9 Fortress Egypt
• 10 The Fight for Asia
• 11 The Greek Cities and the Successors
• 12 Hellenistic Kingship
• Index
• End User License Agreement