Alexander the Great: the unique history of Quintus Curtius

Abstract

In recent years much attention has been given to evaluating the surviving ancient histories of Alexander and their own sources. In order to understand what any ancient historian preserved about Alexander, it is necessary to explore the historian's approach to the sources, his methods, his own attitude toward his subject, and the degree to which his own times may have influenced his attitudes. With a fresh approach Baynham examines these issues concerning Curtius' account of Alexander, which, until now, has received very little attention from Alexander historians. Starting from the view that Quintus Curtius lived in the first century A.D., Baynham explores Curtius' rhetorical, literary heritage, the influence of his predecessors, and the importance of style. Baynham highlights the disadvantages of sorting the Alexander historians according to their sources without making allowance for the authors' own adaptations, intentions, and literary backgrounds. And she also argues that Curtius' work, although episodic, was a carefully planned narrative, resting on the development of two themes - fortuna and regnum. This allows Curtius to explore a subtext of contemporary issues with implications for our understanding of imperial politics.