Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan (2005; 2nd ed. 2012) [Hellenistic Culture and Society]

What George W. Bush called the "first war of the twenty-first century" actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Accounts of Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria read eerily like news from our own day. In this vivid, meticulously researched, and elegantly narrated book, Frank L. Holt follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. Recounting the plight of the most powerful leader of the time as he led the most sophisticated army of its day into the treacherous world of tribal warlords, Holt describes those grueling campaigns and the impact they had on Alexander, his generals, their troops, and the world. Into the Land of Bones also examines the conflict from the point of view of the local warlords who pushed the invading Greeks to the limits of their endurance―and sometimes beyond, into mania and mutiny. The lively narrative situates the current war in Afghanistan in a broader historical perspective.Holt explains how the three modern superpowers that have invaded Afghanistan―Britain in the nineteenth century, the Soviets in the twentieth, and the United States in the twenty-first―are continuing the struggle that Alexander began centuries ago. That this legacy continues to play itself out today is a testament to the timeliness of Holt's fascinating and original account. What George W. Bush called the'first war of the twenty-first century'actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Accounts of Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria read eerily like news from our own day. In this vivid, meticulously researched, and elegantly narrated book, Frank L. Holt follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. Recounting the plight of the most powerful leader of the time as he led the most sophisticated army of its day into the treacherous world of tribal warlords, Holt describes those grueling campaigns and the impact they had on Alexander, his generals, their troops, and the world. Into the Land of Bones also examines the conflict from the point of view of the local warlords who pushed the invading Greeks to the limits of their endurance—and sometimes beyond, into mania and mutiny. The lively narrative situates the current war in Afghanistan in a broader historical perspective. Holt explains how the three modern superpowers that have invaded Afghanistan—Britain in the nineteenth century, the Soviets in the twentieth, and the United States in the twenty-first—are continuing the struggle that Alexander began centuries ago. That this legacy continues to play itself out today is a testament to the timeliness of Holt's fascinating and original account. "What George W. Bush called the "first war of the twenty-first century" actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Accounts of Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria read eerily like news from our own day. In this book, Frank L. Holt follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. Recounting the plight of the most powerful leader of the time as he led the most sophisticated army of its day into the treacherous world of tribal warlords, Hold describes those grueling campaigns and the impact they had on Alexander, his generals, their troops, and the world. Into the Land of Bones also examines the conflict from the point of view of the local warlords who pushed the invading Greeks to the limits of their endurance - and sometimes beyond, into mania and mutiny. The lively narrative situates the current war in Afghanistan in a broader historical perspective." "Holt explains how the three modern super-powers that have invaded Afghanistan - Britain in the nineteenth century, the Soviets in the twentieth, and the United States in the twenty-first - are continuing the struggle that Alexander began centuries ago. That this legacy continues to play itself out today is a testament to the timeliness of Holt's original account."--Jacket

into The Land Of Bones Is The Fullest Narrative Of Alexander's Campaigns In Afghanistan Available In English. It Is Informed By A Comprehensive Knowledge Of The Ancient Sources, Geography, And Archaeology Of Afghanistan. The Work Uses The History Of Alexander To Raise Provocative Questions About Current Affairs. Its Long-term Value, However, Lies In Its Detailed And Masterly Account Of Alexander's Bactrian Campaigns In Light Of The History And Geography Of Afghanistan. This Is One Of The Most Important Works On Alexander To Appear In The Last Ten Years.—stanley Burstein, Author Of outpost Of Hellenism: The Emergence Of Heraclea On The Black Sea

the Terrain, Climate, And Volatile Socio-political Milieu Of Afghanistan Have Always Been A Logistical Nightmare For Invaders. Holt's Vivid Evocation Of Alexander The Great's Grueling, Brutal, Inconclusive War, And The Telling Parallels He Draws With British, Soviet, And U.s. Attempts To Bludgeon The Region Into Submission, Make For Grim Reading.—amelie Kuhrt, Author Of the Ancient Near East, C.3000-330 Bc

Content: Cover Title Copyrght Contents List of Illustration Foreword Preface Chapter One. Introduction Chapter Two. Hunting the Enemy Chapter Three. A Desperate Struggle Chapter Four. The Hydra Heads of Bactria Chapter Five. Love and War Chapter Six. Dark Shadows Chapter Seven. The Legacy Chapter Eight. Conclusion Appendix. Ancient Sources Notes Select Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z. The so-called first war of the twenty-first century actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. In this title, the author recounts Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria, situating in a broader historical perspective America's war in Afghanistan. -- Worldcat

The so-called first war of the twenty-first century actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Frank L. Holt vividly recounts Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria, situating in a broader historical perspective America's war in Afghanistan.

Follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. This book examines the conflict from the point of view of the local warlords who pushed the invading Greeks to the limits of their endurance - and sometimes beyond, into mania and mutiny. The historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy of Alexander the Great is followed back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan in a detailed narrative that recounts the plight of Alexander as he led his army into the treacherous world of tribal warfare. Afghanistan, the world's inexhaustible wellspring of warlords and terrorists cannot escape the crosshairs of history.