Frank L. Holt Bücher

War, the most profitable economic activity in the ancient world, transferred wealth from the vanquished to the victor. Invasions, sieges, massacres, annexations, and mass deportations all redistributed property with dramatic consequences for kings and commoners alike. No conqueror ever captured more people or property in so short a lifetime than Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BC. For all its savagery, the creation of Alexander's empire has generally been hailed as a positive economic event for all concerned. Even those harshly critical of Alexander today tend to praise his plundering of Persia as a means of liberating the moribund resources of the East. To test this popular interpretation, The Treasures of Alexander the Great investigates the kinds and quantities of treasure seized by the Macedonian king, from gold and silver to land and slaves. It reveals what became of the king's wealth and what Alexander's redistribution of these vast resources can tell us about his much-disputed policies and personality. Though Alexander owed his vast fortune to war, battle also distracted him from competently managing his spoils and much was wasted, embezzled, deliberately destroyed, or idled unprofitably. The Treasures of Alexander the Great provides a long-overdue and accessible account of Alexander's wealth and its enormous impact on the ancient world.

The so-called first war of the twenty-first century actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. In this title, the author recounts Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria, situating in a broader historical perspective America's war in Afghanistan.

Drawing on ancient historical writings, the array of information gleaned over years from the study of Hellenistic coins, and startling archaeological evidence newly unearthed in Afghanistan, this book sets out to rediscover the ancient civilization of Bactria. It provides a chronicle of the search for one of the world's enigmatic empires.

This book recounts the eventful life of Ankh-Hap, a Ptolemaic-era mummy seized in the nineteenth century from infamous mummy-pits of Egypt. In piecing together Ankh-Hap's story, including details of his life in Egypt and the journey his mummy took to and through America, A Mystery from the Mummy-Pits provides a fascinating glimpse into a dark chapter of mummy history.