In the Footsteps of a World-Changer

Another enticing title for the tour which Peter Sommer Travel's offers to rub shoulders with Alexander the Great!

Most of us who are interested in the ancient world eventually come to look in detail at its cultures, religion, politics and art. But for a lot of us, what first grabbed us were the stories. Stories of individuals who lived extraordinary lives and had an impact out of all proportion to their lifespan. In this tour, you travel with such an individual, and experience the world they changed forever.

Alexander’s reign was epic in so many ways – the height of his ambition in taking on the mightiest empire in the world, his personal heroism in some of the most vividly-described, fiercest battles of the epoch, his deliberate emulation of the heroes and in the scale of the transformation his reign brought to the whole Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. It’s at the beginning of that reign that some of the most powerful tales come: the spear thrown to claim the land of Asia, the visit to the temple at Troy to obtain Achilles’ shield, the brutal charge at the Granicus which saw Alexander’s nearly-lost life saved by brave Cleitus – a debt tragically betrayed in a tent in central Asia years later. This is the glittering, dynamic curtain-raiser to a journey that would darken later on, beset by demons and difficulties.

Here you get to visit the stupendous sites of the early days of this almost unbelievable turning point in history, to feel a connection with the young hero-king. Contemporaries often set this up as the latest in a clash of civilisations, East versus West. Here you’ll see the deeper story – how the Greeks and their neighbours met and fought - or embraced: unsurpassed Istanbul-Constantinople, queen of Greek Christian civilisation bridging east and west, lofty, breath-taking Sardis from whose wealthy kings the early Greeks took so many ideas, and proud Bodrum, the ancient Halicarnassus that gave the world the insatiable explorer of other worlds, Herodotus, and the great Mausoleum, the perfect blending of Greek and eastern ideas. And behind and before all, there’s Troy – the centre and origin of so much of what it means to be Greek, or western, but whose story also fittingly is about what it means to be human, whatever side you’re on. With a fine new museum housing the treasures of its long and fabled, there’s never been a better time to go – and no better experts to go with. Alexander and Troy began our journey, too. In this inspiring tour, you’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with Alexander and, like him, discover and fall in love with a rich mix of Greek and eastern civilisations. Alexander followed his yearning to find a wider world. Not a bad idea. Paul’s written about the most modern phase of this encounter here, Agamemnon returns to Troy.  29th Apr - 10th May 2019 Read More