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Article: Troy, Alexander: Ancient wars, august warriors.
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- December 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Ed Voves
``Alexander the Great'' by Paul Cartledge; Overlook ($28.95)
``The War at Troy'' by Lindsay Clarke; St. Martin's ($24.95)
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During excavations of Pompeii, a mosaic battle scene was unearthed showing Alexander of Macedon charging toward King Darius of Persia. It was the most realistic depiction of combat to survive from ancient times. What strikes the viewer most powerfully is the fierce, inhuman glare of Alexander's eye fixed on the reeling Darius _ the killer stare of a man of war.
Such a look had been depicted centuries earlier, in Homer's "Iliad,'' as the poet describes Achilles preparing for battle:
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