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Book Review: Before & After Alexander

Before & After Alexander is a work of history that challenges the traditional, highly romanticized "great man" myth of Alexander the Great.  Yes, it’s true.  Columbia University professor Richard A. Billows attempts a take down of the world’s greatest general, all by analyzing the geopolitics of the ancient world before his birth and after his sudden death. Notably, he mostly skips the period of Alexander’s time as general of the armies of Macedon. Buy it on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/43MlHtX But let’s dig in a bit.   Alexander can basically be split into two parts, with a short part that acts as a pivot in the middle.    The first part is all about the formation of Macedon prior to Alexander’s time as king, and primarily during the period when Alexander’s father Philip built Macedon into a regional power. In fact, there is a great deal of information on the development of Macedon from a historical perspective, including political, cultural and military...