Greece, Macedon and Persia

Book excerpt: Greece, Macedon and Persia contains a collection of papers related to the history and historiography of warfare, politics and power in the Ancient Mediterranean world. The contributions, written by 19 recognized experts from a variety of methodological and evidentiary perspectives, show how ancient peoples considered war and conflict at the heart of social, political and economic activity. Though focusing on a single theme – war – the papers are firmly based in the context of the wider social and literary issues of Ancient Mediterranean scholarship and as such, consider war and conflict as part of a complex matrix of culture in which historical actors articulate their relationships with society and historical authors articulate their relationships with history. The result is a rich understanding of Ancient World history and history-writing. The volume is presented in honour of Waldemar Heckel, a foremost scholar of Alexander the Great and ancient warfare.