PREFACE
This book originated in an invitation to participate in the conference on the origin of the Hellenistic world that took place in Edinburgh in 2006. By most ancient and modern accounts, the Hellenistic world was the creation of Alexander’s great successors. Without denying these individuals’ contribution, I try to focus in this study on their soldiers’ input into and view of the post-Alexander era. The case of Alexander’s veterans calls for special attention both because they played a significant role in the early wars of the Successors and because they exemplified the veteran experience, which has been a neglected topic in Greek history.
I thank Maria Tsimibidou-Avloniti and Lilian Acheilara of the 16th Ephorate and the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic for giving me permission to use the image on the book’s cover.
Only Diodorus (book 18) explains that Alexander ordered the return of the exiles not only in order to gain fame (doxa) but also because he wished to have in each polis many people who would entertain goodwill (eunoia) toward him and so allow him to curtail revolutions and stases among the Greeks. In response to the proclamation of this decree at the Olympic Games, the crowd shouted their approval, welcomed Alexander’s favor, and praised his benefaction (euergesia).
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Roisman, Joseph. Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2012
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