BOOKS:Alexander to Actium

Battle of Actium

Peter Green loves history. You can tell by his massive book, "Alexander to Actium The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age." However, as good and as elegantly written this book is and as enjoyable it is to read, it is marred by factual errors and a disregard in certain areas for recent scholarship. Objectivity in historical writing is another question, see the book: ("The Noble Dream The Objectivity Question and the American Historical Profession".) for an excellent discussion. In Green's work, impressive by its weight, 4.5 pounds and the time it must have taken to write it, 970 pages, Green attempts and succeeds at giving a comprehensive picture of the period in the Mediterranean from the death of Alexander the Great to the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.) where Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Generally this period has been seen as a time of degeneration from the high classical and moral ideals of the Greeks(Hellenistic Age) to the final utilitarian war lust of Rome. However there are other interruptions__ mainly seeing the period as a shift in political power from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, using Greek culture as a unifying force. Green takes the degeneration approach. Taking into account the art, architecture, philosophy and government of the period Green weaves the narritive into an interesting and elegant read. But on the other hand there are some mistakes, an example being, that Greek conquerors were like "business men" who paid little attention to the customs and practices of indigenous peoples, however recent research shows that much of the governmental administration in Ptolemaic Egypt was based on Egyptian influences. Influence was obviously flowing both ways in many areas not just Egypt__Green plays this down. Scholarly nitpicking aside the general reader may just want to enjoy the grand scope and sweep of Green's elegantly written book. It certainly is worth reading.