Timothy Howe

Charlotte Dunn

David Lunt

A comprehensive collection of translated sources on the wars and world of Alexander's successors Successors to Alexander the Great brings together—for the first time in a single collection—the essential translated sources for the tumultuous period following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. Spanning Greek, Latin, Persian Babylonian, Egyptian, and epigraphic materials, this volume provides direct access to a wide range of documents that illuminate the world and the wars of the Diadochi and the complex efforts to reassemble, rule, and redefine the fragments of Alexander's empire. Organized thematically and geographically, this book allows readers to explore the Successors' ambitions, alliances, propaganda, and political innovation across a sprawling and multi-ethnic landscape. Contextual commentary throughout helps readers navigate the fragmentary nature of source evidence, the biases of ancient authors, and the evolving concepts of legitimacy and kingship. With its thematic structure and source diversity, the book offers an ideal foundation for historical, literary, and historiographical inquiry into the Hellenistic world. The first unified, carefully curated, deeply contextualized collection of primary sources on the post-Alexander Hellenistic world, Successors to Alexander the Great: Features Greek, Latin, Persian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and epigraphic material spanning multiple traditions and viewpoints Includes bibliographies with each chapter for ease of reference and deeper research engagement Highlights the complexity of succession politics, propaganda, and kingship after Alexander's death Illuminates lesser-known figures and regions often excluded from traditional Hellenistic narratives Promotes critical thinking and historiographical awareness through exposure to conflicting ancient perspectives Supports interdisciplinary teaching on identity, authority, and empire-building in the ancient world Presenting a single, coherent, and accessible narrative, Successors to Alexander the Great is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic world, and ancient Greek history. It supports degree programs in Classics, History, Ancient Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and related disciplines, and serves as a vital reference for scholars, educators, and researchers.

Historical Sources in Translation

Successors to Alexander the Great

The Crown Games were the apex of competition in ancient Greece. Along with prestigious athletic contests in honor of Zeus at Olympia, they comprised the Pythian Games for Apollo at Delphi, the Isthmian Games for Poseidon, and the Nemean Games, sacred to Zeus. For over nine hundred years, the Greeks celebrated these athletic and religious festivals, a rare point of cultural unity amid the fierce regional independence of the numerous Greek city-states and kingdoms. The Crown Games of Ancient Greece examines these festivals in the context of the ancient Greek world, a vast and sprawling cultural region that stretched from modern Spain to the Black Sea and North Africa. Illuminating the unique history and features of the celebrations, David Lunt delves into the development of the contest sites as sanctuaries and the Panhellenic competitions that gave them their distinctive character. While literary sources have long been the mainstay for understanding the evolution of the Crown Games and ancient Greek athletics, archaeological excavations have significantly augmented contemporary understandings of the events. Drawing on this research, Lunt brings deeper context to these gatherings, which were not only athletics competitions but also occasions for musical contests, dramatic performances, religious ceremonies, and diplomatic summits—as well as raucous partying. Taken as a circuit, the Crown Games offer a more nuanced view of ancient Greek culture than do the well-known Olympian Games on their own. With this comprehensive examination of the Crown Games, Lunt provides a new perspective on how the ancient Greeks competed and collaborated both as individuals and as city-states.

Archaeology, Athletes, and Heroes

The Crown Games of Ancient Greece

Golf was the most popular stick and ball game throughout the 1800s in the UK, but it wasn't the golf played in Scotland. It was 'poor man's golf' as played throughout all the former Danelaw area of England and more properly called knur and spell. This game was played by thousands of players, in hundreds or even thousands of locations, across a very wide area. It was played for centuries in all the northern counties of England including the ones which border on Scotland. It was even played it Scotland itself and was also played in Australia. Strangely enough, the Scots rarely give this game a mention when they talk about the origins of golf. How does that work?

David Lunt

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