Mike Roberts reveals how Alexander the Great's Macedonian homeland benefitted so little from the remarkable empire he built and explains its remarkably rapid decline following the conqueror's death. Alexander's overreaching ambition is blamed. The narrative unravels the convoluted series of civil wars, coups and invasions between the various rivals for the Macedonian throne which saw Alexander's family exterminated and his native country ravaged. Meet such colourful characters as Antigonus One-eye, Demetrius the Besieger, Pyrrhus the Eagle of Epirus and Ptolemy the Thunderbolt. The book follows events down to the bloody death of Pyrrhus of Epirus while attacking Argos, which allowed Antigonus Gonatus to regain the throne of Macedon and settle in for a long reign, but of a much-weakened and impoverished realm which would be unable to resist Roman expansion just a few generations later. The author speculates on an alternative scenario in which Philip II was not assassinated, settled for conquering and exploiting only the Western portions of the Persian empire (the half offered by Darius to Alexander after defeat at Issus) and curbed his son's ambitions, allowing a stable dynasty ruling from Pella to be established. Published to mark the 2,300th anniversary of the Galatian invasion of Macedon and the slaying of its king, Ptolemy Keraunos (whose head was impaled on a Galatian spear). Book jacket.