Abstract
‘Commander: Alexander and the Greeks’ describes what is known about Alexander's treatment of the Greek cities. The narrative accounts of Alexander's life tell us a great deal about how Alexander dealt with the Greek cities. Ancient orators and modern scholars have analysed the question of whether Alexander was a liberator or an oppressor. A better understanding of the issues can be found by looking at the inscriptions put up by the cities themselves at the time. These tell us a great deal about Alexander's actions and their impact. There are two central issues that are important for understanding Alexander's relationship with the Greek cities: the meaning of the word autonomia and the existence of factionalism and rivalry.