Hi Lausanne, I saw Alex on the title and thought you might have a good recommendation for Alexander III of Macedonia? Specifically, I am looking for reference to him mining gold and silver or melting his stores to pay up his armies; also I have heard that he also conquered parts of South Asia? I am trying to see how that fits with the evolution of coinage. Thanks!
Oh my! Unfortunately, MY Alex is only named after yours. I'm many hundreds of years on.
One of my major research resources is www.academia.edu , but it takes a lot of digging around for details like this. He was definitely all over Persia/Central Asia. I see a National Geographic reference that his army would not travel past the Ganges.
Thanks for finding these short gems! I thought you were writing about this Alex 😁 the coinage is an interesting tangent! If there were so much of his coins, it supports the thesis that the war machine pays out in these silver drachmas. All I need now is to read up on his battles and why they stopped before? The Ganges river...
Hi Lausanne, Was Syria at its height in 635 AD or on the wane, thus the siege? In the British Museum I was entranced by the Syrian room and the docent explained how powerful they were and how they led the world for a long while w/ their innovations. Also the entrance to the room and everything in it were simply incredible.
In my story's time, Syria was the easternmost part of "East Rome" - we'd call it early Byzantine. Unfortunately for Syria, it was the battleground between Rome and Persia (Parthian and Sassanid). When my story begins, Rome had ousted the Persians one last time only seven years prior. Both empires were exhausted - just in time for the new Muslim forces to sweep in and take them both--before they knew what hit them. I'm not sure the year of the Syrian room you speak of. Could be much early as the ancient Assyrians were a major force from the 14th - 7th century BC. They were eventually overtaken by the Babylonians... on it goes. Being stuck between ambitious neighbors is not a great position.
Oh, you're right. It was the ancient Assyrians, sorry. The docent even spoke about how innovative they were w/ chariots. Smaller wheels, spokes made from different materials. The Teslas of their day (just kidding). Thanks for the info and continued success with your story.
It's amazing how, that far back we reference 700-year chunks in a sentence or two. Teslas indeed. By AD 635 the roads were so rutted people used the verge instead. Very few wheeled vehicles used anymore. Definitely a step backwards.
Hi Lausanne, I saw Alex on the title and thought you might have a good recommendation for Alexander III of Macedonia? Specifically, I am looking for reference to him mining gold and silver or melting his stores to pay up his armies; also I have heard that he also conquered parts of South Asia? I am trying to see how that fits with the evolution of coinage. Thanks!
Oh my! Unfortunately, MY Alex is only named after yours. I'm many hundreds of years on.
One of my major research resources is www.academia.edu , but it takes a lot of digging around for details like this. He was definitely all over Persia/Central Asia. I see a National Geographic reference that his army would not travel past the Ganges.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/alexander-great/#
I don't know if this article would be of any help:
https://www.brown.edu/academics/archaeology/publications/alexander
I lived in Indonesia and every town/village has a street named after him. So, he left a huge impression, didn't he?
Thanks for finding these short gems! I thought you were writing about this Alex 😁 the coinage is an interesting tangent! If there were so much of his coins, it supports the thesis that the war machine pays out in these silver drachmas. All I need now is to read up on his battles and why they stopped before? The Ganges river...
Ah, history is so full of little tangents! LOL!
Hi Lausanne, Was Syria at its height in 635 AD or on the wane, thus the siege? In the British Museum I was entranced by the Syrian room and the docent explained how powerful they were and how they led the world for a long while w/ their innovations. Also the entrance to the room and everything in it were simply incredible.
In my story's time, Syria was the easternmost part of "East Rome" - we'd call it early Byzantine. Unfortunately for Syria, it was the battleground between Rome and Persia (Parthian and Sassanid). When my story begins, Rome had ousted the Persians one last time only seven years prior. Both empires were exhausted - just in time for the new Muslim forces to sweep in and take them both--before they knew what hit them. I'm not sure the year of the Syrian room you speak of. Could be much early as the ancient Assyrians were a major force from the 14th - 7th century BC. They were eventually overtaken by the Babylonians... on it goes. Being stuck between ambitious neighbors is not a great position.
Oh, you're right. It was the ancient Assyrians, sorry. The docent even spoke about how innovative they were w/ chariots. Smaller wheels, spokes made from different materials. The Teslas of their day (just kidding). Thanks for the info and continued success with your story.
It's amazing how, that far back we reference 700-year chunks in a sentence or two. Teslas indeed. By AD 635 the roads were so rutted people used the verge instead. Very few wheeled vehicles used anymore. Definitely a step backwards.
Well done!
Thank you!