Critical Essay | Critical Essay by A. B. Bosworth

Critical Essay by A. B. Bosworth

SOURCE: An introduction to A Historical Commentary on Arrian's “History of Alexander,” Volume I: Commentary on Books I-III, Clarendon Press, 1980, pp. 1-41.

In the excerpt below, Bosworth studies several critical issues concerning Arrian's composition of his history of Alexander, focusing on the controversy surrounding the title and dating of the work; the historical method Arrian employed in writing the work; and Arrian's style. Bosworth concludes that while Arrian was a “sophisticated stylist,” his abilities as a historian were somewhat flawed.

… 2. the History of Alexander

Arrian's major work, the history of Alexander, is universally known by the title Anabasis Alexandri. The title occurs in the codex Vindobonensis, the known archetype of Arrian, as well as in excerpts from Stephanus of Byzantium … and the ‘Suda’. … But the ancient testimonia are not consistent. The majority of later writers, in particular Photius, refer to the work in more general terms, as τα περì Aλεξανδρου.¹ Arrian...
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