Alexander's Tomb
Subtitle: The Two Thousand Year Obsession to Find the Lost Conqueror
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Published: June 29, 2006
Language: eng
Number of pages: 290
ISBN-13: 9780465072026
First sentence: THERE IS A SENSE OF HISTORY IN THIS PLACE-a feeling of standing where great events once unfolded.
Description: "Alexander the Great is a towering figure in world history-his military genius and flamboyant personality have perhaps never been surpassed. But despite our long-held fascination with him, we have no idea where he is buried. The search for Alexander's tomb began soon after his untimely death in 323 b.c. and continues even today. The epic pursuit of the tomb spans continents and centuries, and involves some of history's most iconic figures. This is the story not of a brief and spectacular life, but of a momentous and unexplained death, multiple burials, and the seemingly never-ending quest for a man-god's final resting place. The journey ties together marvelous, seemingly disparate moments in history, from the Muslim invasion of Alexandria in 641 to Napoleon's great defeat in the Battle of the Nile. Nicholas Saunders gives us intriguing and fresh portraits of familiar figures like Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and Howard Carter. Bringing together thousands of years of speculation, as well as new questions about the ramifications of actually solving the puzzle, Alexander's Tomb is a fascinating look at one of archaeology's greatest mysteries" -- publisher website (December 2006).