Description
Book SynopsisThis biography of Alcibiades, the charismatic Athenian statesman and general (c. 450–404 BC) who achieved both renown and infamy during the Peloponnesian War, is both an extraordinary adventure story and a cautionary tale that reveals the dangers that political opportunism and demagoguery pose to democracy. As Jacqueline de Romilly brilliantly...
Trade ReviewWith this translation, Rawlings makes available to Anglophones a biography of Alcibiades by esteemed Franco-Greek scholar Jacqueline de Romilly... The Life of Alcibiades is a remarkable adventure story of political intrigue, warfare, and betrayal carried out by an egomaniacal leader... The Life of Alcibiades offers warnings for contemporary readers about the dangers of blind ambition and unchecked power on the part of charismatic leaders.
* Choice *
While thoroughly rooted in serious scholarship – de Romilly gives us an excellent analysis of the sources – The Life of Alcibiades is written for the lay reader, yet her insights and analysis will prove of interest even for the well-versed student of the period.
* The NYMAS Review *
Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface
Author's Preface
Chronology
1. Richly Endowed
2. Insults and Scandals
First Interlude: Alcibiades between Two Lifestyles
3. Political Debut: The Argive Alliance
4. The Grand Design
5. The Scandals
6. Exile: Defending Treason
7. In Asia Minor
8. With the Athenians on Samos
Second Interlude: Alcibiades between Two Historians
9. A Triumphal Return
10. Slightly More Than One Hundred Days
11. A Final Appearance
12. Repercussions
Conclusion
Index
