Envy of the Gods: Alexander the Great's Ill-Fated Journey Across Asia

280 Pages·2004·39.312 MB·English

by  John Prevas

ENVY
OF THE
GODS
ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S ILL-FATED
JOURNEY ACROSS ASIA
JOHN PREVAS
$26.00 US / $36.95 CAN
By the time Alexander the Great was
twenty-six, he had conquered the world's
mightiest empire, Persia. He possessed
more wealth than any Greek had ever
imagined existed. He was the envy of
every man.
Alexander, however, had an even higher
aspiration—to be the envy of the gods.
Like the legendary Heracles, he wanted
to reach the ends of the earth; surpassing
Heracles, he wanted to rule the world.
Turning his ambition and army east,
Alexander embarked on a long campaign
of conquest across Asia. He and his army
marched through the mountains of
Afghanistan, then over the Hindu Kush
and through the Khyber Pass to the
Indian subcontinent. But as he pressed
his men forward in the wild pursuit
of glory and immortality, his empire,
his army, and even his own life were
unraveling.
Alexander grew increasingly unpre-
dictable, sporadically violent, megaloma-
niacal, and suspicious of both friends
and enemies. He had become a com-
plicated mix of ruthless tyrant and
incurable romantic, a danger to himself
and those around him. In the end, only
seven years after he had conquered
Persia, Alexander the Great was de-
feated not by any external enemy but by
himself, unable to control his passions-
he died after a night of heavy drinking.
Writer and intrepid explorer John Prevas's
narrative is informed by his personal
retracing of much of Alexander's route
through what is now Iran, Afghanistan,
and Pakistan. The author's research and
travels brilliantly bring to life this rivet-
ing story of Alexander's decline and
fall—in the land where he sought his
greatest glory.

ENVY OF THE OOPS

ENVY
OF
THE CODS
Alexander the Great's
Ill-Fated Journey across Asia
JOHN PREVAS
V4
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Copyright© 2004byJohn Prevas
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ISBN0-306-81268-1
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12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 08 07 06 05 04
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Chronology xi
Introduction 1
CHAPTER
I
Through the Gate of All Nations 8
CHAPTER 2
Beyond the Caspian Gates 45
CHAPTER
3
From Parthia to Bactria 73
chapter
4
Over the Hindu Kush 111
chapter
5
Down
the Indus River 153
CHAPTER 6
Return to Babylon 183
Epilogue 207
Who Was Who in the World of Alexander 211
Notes 217
Bibliography 231
Index 237
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