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Contents
Introduction xix
Part I: Ancient Greece and Rome (500 BCE–500 CE) 1
1. What Was the Primary Cause of the Peloponnesian War? 3
Background Essay 4
Perspective Essay 1. Greek Fears over Growing Athenian Power 6
Perspective Essay 2. The Significance of Cultural and Economic
Differences 9
Perspective Essay 3. The Impact of Cultural and Political Change
on Athenian-Spartan Rivalry 12
2. Why Did Alexander the Great’s Empire Fall Apart So Soon
after His Death? 16
Background Essay 17
Perspective Essay 1. Alexander’s Obsession with Conquest 21
Perspective Essay 2. Deep-Seated Cultural Differences in
Alexander’s Empire 23
Perspective Essay 3. The Problem of Succession 25
3. Why Was the Carthaginian General Hannibal So Successful
against Roman Armies but Ultimately Defeated in His War
against Rome? 28
Background Essay 29
Perspective Essay 1. The Flaws in Hannibal’s Great Enterprise 32
Perspective Essay 2. Why Hannibal Failed to Win the Second
Punic War 35
Perspective Essay 3. Beyond Battlefield Success and Failure 39
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