By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire (Ancient Warfare and Civilization)

Ian Worthington covers not only the rise and fall of Alexander but also the saga of Philip II, who laid the foundation for Alexander's conquests. Well written, with plenty of very detailed maps, Worthington's 'By The Spear' details all of both Philip II and Alexanders major and minor battles.GREAT read, well worth the price.

This is a fascinating book, but not an easy read. It details the rise of Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. I would call it more of historical treatise dealing with the rise of the Macedonia empire rather than a biography of either of the architects of this great empire. There is a lot of information relating to the various battles these two men fought as well as their supporters and enemies. At times I struggled with trying to figure out the pronunciation of various names, but that is something of a minor point. Even after struggling through the book I felt that the effort was worth it. The book is not for the faint-of-heart, but for real history buffs it would be worthwhile.

This excellent and very enjoyable book compares the deeds and reigns of Alexander the Great and his father Philllip the Second of Macedonia. He describes their lives and wars and then compares their accomplisments and legacies. His conclusions are original and well argued. For anyone interested in this period of history but don't expect a military history for the wars, while well described, are not presented in detail. It is more a political and personal study of these two rulers. Most of all I found it very well written and a pleasure to read.

This was a rather dense book that I thoroughly enjoyed about both Philip's and Alexander's campaigns to subdue and unify Greece and Asia under the rule of Madedonia. I didn't understand the author's need to propose that either Philip or Alexander were the greatest as each man was surely great on his own and for different reasons. If you are looking for a battle summary, this is not the book for you but if you are looking for a book outlining everything Macedonian during the reigns of Philip and Alexander this is a worthy read.

I am huge fan of Ian Worthington, I have most of his books and I even have his lectures from the teaching company. I was not sure about getting this book because I have read his book on Alexander (God and man) and his book on Phillip II. I loved both books but I felt like I would be re-reading a summary of those two books. While some if it is undoubtedly covered in his previous books I was actually quite surprised that Worthington changed some of his prior conclusions, I wont say which. I was just ask glued to this book as I was all his others, I highly recommend it.

Worthington does an excellent job of showing how Alexander's father, Philip II, played a pivotal role in setting Alexander up for the success he later achieved. Likewise, the author provides a solid explanation of how Alexander's successors made such a big impact on the Hellenization of the Western world.

I very much liked the idea of dealing with both Philip and Alexander in the same book and comparing them. The information included was useful and appropriate. For these reasons I rate it a 2 star. The difficulty I had was when I thought of the book as an empirical review of historical information. Time and time again the author appeared to draw moral lessons from the related events. I did not object to the idea that father and son were being compared. Who among us has not had to compare and contrast X and Y. The problem was that they were being compared as if we were hearing a Sunday school lesson. I was left with a feeling that we were not reading history. Rather, we were reading a lesson in virtue that we could use to apply to the past. Macaulay rather than von Ranke was the model of history.

I purchased this after listening to Prof. Worthington's "Great Couses" series on Greek history. It filled in many gaps in the series, and argues (successfully, I believe), that while Alexander was a great general and conquerer, Phillip was by far the better king. Highly recommended.

In this book, Ian Worthington gives a good concise narration of the career and power of Philip II of Macedonia and his famous son, Alexander the Great. It may be a good way to get acquainted with the conquests and accomplishments of both rulers but then it tells the story in a nutshell. This, in fact, may discourage anyone to read it to the end because it is cramped with so many facts and figures.Sadly, Ian Worthington in this book merely confirms what he previously wrote in much more details about these two great Macedonian kings in Philip II, King of Macedonia and in Alexander the Great, Man and God. I was hoping to find more information about these rulers’ effect on Macedonian in their lifetime as well as their legacy after Alexander’s untimely death. Maybe my expectations ran too high, but I fail to see the value of rewriting (even in a summarized form) what has already been said in his two previous books, especially since the last part of the promising title “Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire” has not really been developed.It is clear that the author relied on an immense bibliography, which is listed at the back of his book. This by itself is an excellent source of information. The added Timeline is rather condensed, and so is the Cast of Principal Characters. The maps at the beginning of the book are, however, excellent.

I have to say I enjoyed the history as laid out by Ian Worthington he brings to life the whole sorry saga of Philip and Alexander and the Macedonian conquest of Asia and large parts of India and the fallout after the death of Alexander.

very good book well researched on all that is known about alexander the great from his early life.and.his great battles