A portrait of one of the ancient world\'s first political celebrities, who veered from failure to success and back again This colorful biography of Demetrius .
James Romm tells the story of Demetrius the Besieger\'s rise and spectacular fall but also explores his vibrant inner life and family relationships to depict a real, complex, and recognizable figure..
He ended his career in a rash invasion of Asia and became the target of a desperate manhunt, only to be captured and destroyed by his own son-in-law.
He succeeded temporarily, but in crucial, colossal engagements--a massive invasion of Egypt, a siege of Rhodes that went on for a full year, and the Battle of Ipsus--he came up just short.
Capitalizing on good looks, youth, and sexual prowess, Demetrius sought to weld those pieces together and recover the dream of a single world state, with a new Alexander--himself--at its head.
With no monarch able to take Alexander\'s place, his empire fragmented into five pieces. explores his rich inner life and reveals an ancient world of violence and intrigue.-- New York Times Book Review The life of Demetrius (337-283 BCE) serves as a through-line to the forty years following the death of Alexander the Great (323-282 BCE), a time of unparalleled turbulence and instability in the ancient world. . .
A portrait of one of the ancient world\'s first political celebrities, who veered from failure to success and back again This colorful biography of Demetrius
