A portrait of one of the ancient world’s first political celebrities, who veered from failure to success and back again “This colorful biography of Demetrius . . . explores his rich inner  life and reveals an ancient world of violence and intrigue.”—New York Times Book Review The life of Demetrius (337–283 BCE) serves as a through-line to the  forty years following the death of Alexander the Great (323–282 BCE), a  time of unparalleled turbulence and instability in the ancient world.  With no monarch able to take Alexander’s place, his empire fragmented  into five pieces. Capitalizing on good looks, youth, and  sexual prowess, Demetrius sought to weld those pieces together and  recover the dream of a single world state, with a new  Alexander—himself—at its head. He succeeded temporarily, but in crucial,  colossal engagements—a massive invasion of Egypt, a siege of Rhodes  that went on for a full year, and the Battle of Ipsus—he came up just  short. He ended his career in a rash invasion of Asia and became the  target of a desperate manhunt, only to be captured and destroyed by his  own son-in-law. James Romm tells the story of Demetrius the  Besieger’s rise and spectacular fall but also explores his vibrant inner  life and family relationships to depict a real, complex, and  recognizable figure.