The Intersectional Alexander the Great

Surveying a diverse range of topics in relation to Alexander the Great and his legacy, this book offers innovative approaches and interpretations to our historical understanding of this controversial figure in both the ancient and modern periods. A study of Alexander the Great draws in many themes such as race, sex, class, gender, disability and ethnicity, all of which are examined in this volume. This intersectional study brings the history and the impact of the Alexander legend into dialogue to show that there is never just ‘one Alexander’, but a myriad of lives and receptions.

Unlike many other studies on Alexander, this volume focuses on both the ‘elite’ – Arrian, Plutarch, Curtius Rufus, Diodorus Siculus and the Greek Alexander Romance tradition – and ‘non-elite’ narratives, such as the histories and 'folk' tales found in the Asiatic traditions. Rather than attempting to yield a greater understanding of the historical figure of Alexander, this volume argues that the varied collections of narratives from across the world and throughout history hold up a mirror to their respective ages, and also to the social classes from which they are derived. By using Alexander as a prism, we can better understand the social, political and religious attitudes of subsequent historical periods.