Anson Edits Latest Book on Alexander the Great and Philip II

A UA Little Rock history professor and expert in the Hellenistic period has finished a new book featuring the history of Alexander the Great and his father Philip II.

A longtime historian of Alexander the Great, Dr. Edward Anson, distinguished professor of history, added to that body of knowledge with the publication of “Brill’s Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great.” This is Anson’s 12th book.

The book covers the strategy and tactics of Alexander the Great and Philip II, the logistics of military campaigns, military recruitment and training, the care of diseased and injured soldiers, military organization and equipment, and more.

“The book has 22 chapters written by various scholars about warfare in the time of Philip and Alexander, and it covers areas that have never been covered before,” Anson said. “We have a chapter about the medical corps. There are some scholars that think you would have had a better chance to survive if you were a soldier wounded in Alexander’s army compared to a soldier in the Civil War. There are chapters about war crimes and insurrections. It’s a very unique and interesting book.”

Anson, who served as the book’s editor, also wrote two chapters in the book – “Modern Military Technology and Ancient Practices” as well as “We are the Champions: The Underlying Reality of Ancient Greek Warfare.”

Additionally, Anson’s fellow Alexander the Great scholars have published a book in his honor. The book, “Macedon and its Influences: Narrative of Politics and War in Honor of Edward M. Anson,” was published in December by the University of Leiden, Peeters Publishers.

Anson said that the book was a complete surprise for him. He was set to give a keynote session at the 9th Annual International Alexander the Great Symposium at the University of Nebraska Omaha in September, and his fellow scholars presented him with a cover of the book.

“I contributed to a number of books for these scholars, and this was such a surprise that I almost forgot about the talk that I was giving,” Anson said.