On Alexander the Great's State of Finances at the Outset of His Expedition to Asia: A Note
The essay deals with the ancient literary tradition on the financial position of Alexander the Great on the eve of his expedition to Asia. Author concludes that this evidence is not a mere figment but it fixes the real fact of Alexander's acute need of funds (not the catastrophic state of his finances, though) at the moment. The ancient writers' special attention to this fact was caused, in all likelihood, by the following circumstance: it gave them the opportunity if not to create but, at any rate, to develop the literary topos already in existence - a young king goes to war, remaining nothing for himself but debts, and then, only due to his own merits, achieves unprecedented success.