After Alexander The Wars of the Diadochi
Alexander seemingly didn’t plan for his empire’s survival without him. On his deathbed, when asked about his successor, he simply said, “the strongest.” This vague response fueled a decade of power struggles among his...
The Final March and the Legacy of Alexander
If Alexander’s soldiers believed the war had concluded, they were mistaken. Darius, still evading capture, hid in Ecbatana. In the spring of 330 B.C., Alexander redirected north in pursuit. Though Darius contemplated surrender, his...
Gaugamela Triumph and the Persian Conquest
The pivotal clash that reshaped history unfolded on October 1, 331 B.C., at the Battle of Gaugamela. Employing a strategic masterpiece, Alexander leveraged the superior speed and discipline of his troops and exploited Darius’s...
Christians of various stripes
By the fourth century, historians must pay much more attention to Christians of various stripes and their doings. No reader has to search very far to find stories about the triumph of Christianity after...
Their fellow travelers Theoderic’s name
Augustus, princeps—those are the most solemn titles of empire. The Latin voice here belongs to the grandee in charge of draining the swamps, who was rewarded with real estate from the reclaimed land. When...
Theoderic assures the Verrucans
Not, Theoderic assures the Verrucans, that they need to be so cautious “in our times”—but it’s always good to prepare for storms in times of calm, for winter in mild weather. A charming riff...
The Story of Abou Hassan the Wag or the Sleeper Awakened part 7
It was then the close of the night, and Abou Hassan, awaking, and hearing the sounds of the lutes, and tambourines, and flutes, and the singing of the slave girls, cried out, O my...
Jamshid and Zuhak part 9
I fear some secret bond between fortune and him, but it is better to fling ourselves into battle than to delay here.” Thus he spoke, and, giving rein to his spirited horse, he raised...
Jamshid and Zuhak part 8
Give me back this one, my only son; think how my heart will burn with grief, the whole length of my life. What crime have I committed? Even tyranny must have a pretext, and...
Jamshid and Zuhak part 7
“What reason has he for hating me?” cried out the impure Zuhak.
“Because his father will die at your hands.”
The king heard and thought on this, fell from his throne, and swooned away. When his...
