The first European : a history of Alexander in the age of empire / Pierre Briant ; translated by Nicholas Elliott.

By:

Briant, Pierre

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, 2017.Description: viii, 482 p. : ill. ; 25 cmISBN:

9780674659667

Uniform titles:

Alexandre des lumiáeres. English

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

938.0707204

Contents:

Introduction: Fragments of European history -- I. Development and affirmation of a critical history -- History, morals, and philosophy -- Alexander in Europe: erudition and history -- II. A new model: the conqueror-philosopher -- War, reason, and civilization -- A successful conquest -- Affirming and contesting the model -- III. Empires and nations -- Lessons of empire, from the Thames to the Indus -- Alexander in France from the Revolution to the Restoration (c. 1790-1830) -- German Alexanders (c. 1790-1830) -- IV. The sense of history -- After Alexander? -- Alexander, Europe, and the immobile Orient -- Conclusion: Assessment and perspectives: from the past to the present.

Summary: "The exploits of Alexander the Great were so remarkable that for centuries after his death the Macedonian ruler seemed a figure more of legend than of history. Thinkers of the European Enlightenment, searching for ancient models to understand contemporary affairs, were the first to critically interpret Alexander's achievements. As Pierre Briant shows, in the minds of eighteenth-century intellectuals and philosophes, Alexander was the first European: a successful creator of empire who opened the door to new sources of trade and scientific knowledge, and an enlightened leader who brought the fruits of Western civilization to an oppressed and backward "Orient." In France, Scotland, England, and German, Alexander the Great became an important point of reference in discourses from philosophy and history to political economy and geography. Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Robertson asked what lessons Alexander's empire-building had to teach modern Europeans. They saw the ancient Macedonian as the embodiment of the rational and benevolent Western ruler, a historical model to be emulated as Western powers accelerated their colonial expansion into Asia, India, and the Middle East. For a Europe that had to contend with the formidable Ottoman Empire, Alexander provided an important precedent as the conqueror who had brought great tyrants of the "Orient" to heel. As The First European makes clear, Alexander was not an aggressive militarist but a civilizing force whose conquests revitalized Asian lands that had lain stagnant for centuries under the lash of despotic rulers."--Publisher's description.

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 4 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds	Course reserves
Reserve - Overnight loan	CYA Library Reserve	938.0707204 BRI (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		00000009444		Karavas, John

Total holds: 0

"First published as Alexandre des lumieres: fragments d'histoire europâeenne by Pierre Briant Ã Editions Gallimard, Paris, 2012."--Title page verso

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The exploits of Alexander the Great were so remarkable that for centuries after his death the Macedonian ruler seemed a figure more of legend than of history. Thinkers of the European Enlightenment, searching for ancient models to understand contemporary affairs, were the first to critically interpret Alexander's achievements. As Pierre Briant shows, in the minds of eighteenth-century intellectuals and philosophes, Alexander was the first European: a successful creator of empire who opened the door to new sources of trade and scientific knowledge, and an enlightened leader who brought the fruits of Western civilization to an oppressed and backward "Orient."
In France, Scotland, England, and German, Alexander the Great became an important point of reference in discourses from philosophy and history to political economy and geography. Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Robertson asked what lessons Alexander's empire-building had to teach modern Europeans. They saw the ancient Macedonian as the embodiment of the rational and benevolent Western ruler, a historical model to be emulated as Western powers accelerated their colonial expansion into Asia, India, and the Middle East.
For a Europe that had to contend with the formidable Ottoman Empire, Alexander provided an important precedent as the conqueror who had brought great tyrants of the "Orient" to heel. As The First European makes clear, Alexander was not an aggressive militarist but a civilizing force whose conquests revitalized Asian lands that had lain stagnant for centuries under the lash of despotic rulers."--Publisher's description.