The Sands of Ammon

Last updated
The Sands of Ammon
Alexander the sands of ammon.jpg
Front cover of the book
Author Valerio Massimo Manfredi
TranslatorIain Halliday
Country Italy
Language Italian
SeriesAlexander Trilogy
Genre Historical Novel
PublisherMondadori (Italy)
Pan Books (UK)
Publication date
1998
Media typePrint paperback
Pages418 pp
Preceded by Child of a Dream  
Followed by The Ends of the Earth  

The Sands of Ammon (original title: Le Sabbie di Amon) is the second part of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's Alexander trilogy, following on from Child of a Dream . Continuing the epic story of Alexander the Great, The Sands of Ammon narrates of the Macedonian king's quest to conquer Asia. He and his men storm and conquer Persian towns and harbours; even the legendary town of Halicarnassus is defeated. Alexander's army marches on to the snow-covered Anatolia, where it records yet another few victories. Despite defeating the king Darius III, the city of Tyre and the Towers of Gaza prove to be formidable enemies, although they ultimately have to surrender to Alexander. The Macedonian army then heads south towards the mysterious and epic land of Egypt; and it's here, in the sands of the endless Libyan Desert, that the Oracle of Ammon lies. And what the divine Oracle will reveal to Alexander will change his life forever.

Contents

Plot

After the victory in Thessaly which ended the first book of the trilogy, Child of a Dream , Alexander and his army march towards the East. The first step of the expedition is to free the Greek cities from the Persian domination in order to establish a strong and united Pan-Hellenic League. Once that is achieved, the target is the Persian Empire itself and its immense Asian territory.

During his military campaign the Macedonian army records numerous victories, including those against the city of Tyre, the Towers of Giza and the legendary Halicarnassus. And it is in the midst of this campaign that Alexander meets the only opponent he believes worthy of his utmost respect: Memnon of Rhodes, the commander of the Greek mercenaries of the Persian army. He struggles in the attempt to defeat Memnon fair and square on the field, but the two end up stalemating each other with strategic cunning. Alexander's friends then suggest to end the confrontation between the two men by ordering to poison the mercenary; Alexander is however disgusted by this outrageous idea as he reckons his opponent is worthy of being defeated with respect and the only way for that to be possible is for Alexander to beat him on the battle field. However, Alexander's friends do carry out the order without Alexander's approval or knowing and Memnon is poisoned within a few weeks. The mercenary's death represents an anticlimactic end to the fantastic strategic battle between the two.

After Memnon's death, Alexander claims his former wife: the beautiful Barsine. The two grow close, which makes Leptine jealous of their relationship. After the Macedonian army finally defeats Darius, thank to a tactically perfect charge, Alexander becomes the sovereign of the greatest Empire that ever existed. Darius offers terms of unconditional surrender, but Alexander, realizing his position, rejects Darius's initial offer. Darius is thus forced to come back, offering all his territory as far as the Euphrates and a huge ransom. The surrounding nations, seeing Alexander's ruthlessness in victory, fear a similar defeat, and some of their leaders choose to abdicate power to Alexander rather than face him in battle. But the young king is certainly not satisfied: he heads towards Egypt and, after defeating the Tyrian naval force that was attempting to block his way into the country, he finally makes it to the land of the Pharaohs. Here, he is proclaimed Pharaoh and he founds the first of his cities: Alexandria.

Finally, he crosses the Libyan Desert and after a long and hard journey, he reaches the Oasis of Siwa, where the Oracle of Ammon lies. This tells him that he is not a mere human, but the son of Zeus himself.

Characters

Reception

Publishers Weekly said that "the style tends to be somewhat generic", and was disappointed to find that the author "gloss[es] over many of the personality foibles that led to Alexander's downfall". [1]

Poem

For the first part of the poem, click here.

"Who bloodied the

Star of the Argeads?
Who killed my Father?"
"Your Father?
O young, glorious and invincible one,

I am your Father!"

See also

Related Research Articles

This article concerns the period 359 BC – 350 BC.

This article concerns the period 339 BC – 330 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">320s BC</span>

This article concerns the period 329 BC – 320 BC.

Year 336 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Duillius. The denomination 336 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Year 330 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Venno. The denomination 330 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Issus</span> 333 BC battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III

The Battle of Issus occurred in southern Anatolia, on 5 November 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of Asia, and the first encounter between Darius III and Alexander the Great. The battle resulted in the Macedonian troops defeating the Persian forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antipater</span> Macedonian general (4th century BC)

Antipater was a Macedonian general and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander would eventually come to rule Macedonia as a king in his own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wars of Alexander the Great</span> Series of conflicts fought by the great Alexander III of Macedon

The wars of Alexander the Great were a series of conquests that were carried out by Alexander III of Macedon from 336 BC to 323 BC. They began with battles against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, then under the rule of Darius III of Persia. After Alexander's chain of victories against Achaemenid Persia, he began a campaign against local chieftains and warlords that stretched as far from Greece as the region of Punjab in South Asia. At the time of his death, he ruled over most regions of Greece and the conquered Achaemenid Empire ; he did not, however, manage to conquer the Indian subcontinent in its entirety according to his initial plan. Despite his military accomplishments, Alexander did not provide any stable alternative to the rule of the Achaemenid Empire, and his untimely death threw the vast territories he conquered into a series of civil wars, commonly known as the Wars of the Diadochi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Granicus</span> Battle fought between Alexander the Great and the Achaemenids

The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydus to Dascylium, at the crossing of the Granicus in the Troad region, which is now called the Biga River in Turkey. In the battle Alexander defeated the field army of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor, which defended the river crossing. After this battle, the Persians were forced on the defensive in the cities that remained under their control in the region.

<i>Reign: The Conqueror</i> Television series

Alexander Senki, released in North America as Reign: The Conqueror and in Europe as Alexander the Great, is a Korean-Japanese anime first released in 1999. A re-imagination of the life of Alexander the Great based on the novel of the same name by Hiroshi Aramata, the series was produced by an international crew that drew from the resources of the worldwide animation community. Character designs and original designs for the show were conceived by Peter Chung while the show was written by Sadayuki Murai and directed by Yoshinori Kanemori. Most of the production work was handled by Korean animators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memnon of Rhodes</span> 4th-century BCE Greek mercenary commander

Memnon of Rhodes was a prominent Rhodian Greek commander in the service of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Related to the Persian aristocracy by the marriage of his sister to the satrap Artabazus II, together with his brother Mentor he served the Persian king for most of his life, and played an important role during the invasion of Alexander the Great and the decades before that.

Parmenion, son of Philotas, was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. A nobleman, Parmenion rose to become Philip's chief military lieutenant and Alexander's strategos. He was assassinated after his son Philotas was convicted on a charge of treason. His siblings Asander and Agathon would also become prominent members of Alexander's Macedonia.

Mentor of Rhodes was a Greek mercenary and later Satrap of the Asiatic coast. He fought both for and against Artaxerxes III of Persia. He is also known as the first husband of Barsine, who later became mistress to Alexander the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artabazos II</span> 4th-century BC Persian satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia

Artabazos II was a Persian general and satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. He was the son of the Persian satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia Pharnabazus II, and younger kinsman of Ariobarzanes of Phrygia who revolted against Artaxerxes II around 356 BC. His first wife was an unnamed Greek woman from Rhodes, sister of the two mercenaries Mentor of Rhodes and Memnon of Rhodes. Towards the end of his life, he became satrap of Bactria for Alexander the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal relationships of Alexander the Great</span>

The historical and literary tradition describes several of Alexander's relations, some of which are the subject of question among modern historians.

Alexander, son of Aeropus of Lyncestis, was a native of the upper Macedonian district called Lyncestis, whence he is usually called Alexander of Lynkestis or Alexander Lyncestes. Justin makes the singular mistake of calling him Alexander's brother, while in other passages he uses the correct expression.

Pharnabazus III was a Persian satrap who fought against Alexander the Great. His father was Artabazus II, and his mother a Greek from Rhodes.

<i>Child of a Dream</i>

Child of a Dream is an Historical Novel, the first part of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's Alexander trilogy, released in 1998. It narrates the childhood of Alexander the Great, son of King Philip II of Macedon and Queen Olympias. He is tutored by the great Greek philosopher Aristotle until the age of 16, thanks to the friendship of Hephaestion and Ptolemy, he becomes a charismatic and mighty warrior, ready to take on the challenge of expanding the Macedonian Empire following the assassination of his father.

<i>The Ends of the Earth</i> (novel)

The Ends of the Earth is the third and last part of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's trilogy on Alexander the Great. After the Oracle of Ammon told him he is the son of Zeus, Alexander feels invincible and marches north towards the historic town of Babylon. The beautiful city is ravaged and the Palace of Persepolis, the former residence of King Darius, is burnt to ashes together with the memories of the old Empire. It is now time to start anew, and Alexander decides on yet another hard task: unify the Persian people with the Macedonians. As he struggles to convince his countrymen to come to cultural compromises with the Persians, he falls in love with Queen Roxane. And it is this love that gives him the strength to fulfil his epic destiny.

<i>Porus</i> (TV series) Indian television series

Porus is a historical drama television series based on the Battle of the Hydaspes, visualizing the lives of Indian warrior and ruler Porus, King of the Paurava Kingdom and Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. It aired from 27 November 2017 till 13 November 2018 on Sony Entertainment Television. Another historical drama Chandragupta Maurya replaced it.

References

  1. "ALEXANDER VOLUME II: The Sands of Ammon". pubhsersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. 2002-04-03. Retrieved 2014-09-07.