The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
tent and related the whole affair to Ptolemy son of Lagus, one of the
confidential body-guards. He told Alexander, who ordered those whose
names had been mentioned by Eurylochus to be arrested. These, being put
on the rack, confessed their own conspiracy, and mentioned the names of
certain others.
CHAPTER XIV.
EXECUTION OF CALLISTHENES AND HERMOLAUS.
Aristobulus says that the youths asserted it was Callisthenes who
instigated them to make the daring attempt; and Ptolemy says the
same.[565] Most writers, however, do not agree with this, but
represent that Alexander readily believed the worst about Callisthenes,
from the hatred which he already felt towards him, and because
Hermolaüs was known to be exceedingly intimate with him. Some authors
have also recorded the following particulars:—that Hermolaüs was
brought before the Macedonians, to whom he confessed that he had
conspired against the king’s life, because it was no longer possible
for a free man to bear his insolent tyranny. He then recounted all
his acts of despotism, the illegal execution of Philotas, the still
more illegal one of his father Parmenio and of the others who were put
to death at that time, the murder of Clitus in a fit of drunkenness,
his assumption of the Median garb, the introduction of the ceremony
of prostration, which had been planned and not yet relinquished, and
the drinking-bouts and lethargic sleep arising from them, to which
he was addicting himself.[566] He said that, being no longer able
to bear these things, he wished to free both himself and the other
Macedonians. These same authors say that Hermolaüs himself and those
who had been arrested with him were stoned to death by those who were
present. Aristobulus says that Callisthenes was carried about with
the army bound with fetters, and afterwards died a natural death; but
Ptolemy, son of Lagus, says that he was stretched upon the rack and
then hanged.[567] Thus not even did these authors, whose narratives
are very trustworthy, and who at the time were in intimate association
with Alexander, give accounts consistent with each other of events
so well known, and the circumstances of which could not have escaped
their notice. Other writers have given many various details of these
same proceedings which are inconsistent with each other; but I think I
have written quite sufficient on this subject. Though these events took
place shortly after the death of Clitus,[568] I have described them
among those which happened to Alexander in reference to that General,
because, for the purposes of narrative, I consider them very intimately
connected with each other.
CHAPTER XV.
ALLIANCE WITH THE SCYTHIANS AND CHORASMIANS.
Another embassy from the European Scythians came to Alexander with the
envoys whom he had despatched to those people; for the king who was
reigning over them at the time when he sent these envoys, happened
to die, and his brother was reigning in his stead. The object of the
embassy was to state that the Scythians were willing to do whatsoever
Alexander commanded. They were also bringing to him from their king
the gifts which among them are deemed most valuable. They said their
monarch was willing to give his daughter to Alexander in marriage, in
order to confirm the friendship and alliance with him; but if Alexander
himself deigned not to marry the princess of the Scythians, then he
was willing at any rate to give the daughters of the viceroys of the
Scythian territory and of the other mighty men throughout the country
of Scythia to the most faithful of Alexander’s officers. He also sent
word that he would come in person if bidden, in order to hear from
Alexander’s own mouth what his orders were. At this time also came
Pharasmanes, king of the Chorasmians,[569] to Alexander with 1,500
horsemen, who affirmed that he dwelt on the confines of the nations
of the Colchians and the women called Amazons,[570] and promised,
if Alexander was willing to march against these nations in order to
subjugate the races in this district whose territories extended to the
Euxine Sea, to act as his guide through the mountains and to supply
his army with provisions. Alexander then gave a courteous reply to
the men who had come from the Scythians, and one that was adapted to
the exigencies of that particular time; but said that he had no need
of a Scythian wedding. He also commended Pharasmanes and concluded a
friendship and alliance with him, saying that at present it was not
convenient for him to march towards the Euxine Sea. After introducing
Pharasmanes as a friend to Artabazus the Persian, to whom he had
intrusted the government of the Bactrians,[571] and to all the other
viceroys who were his neighbours, he sent him back to his own abode.
He said that his mind at that time was engrossed by the desire of
conquering the Indians; for when he had subdued them, he should possess
the whole of Asia. He added that when Asia was in his power he would
return to Greece, and thence make an expedition with all his naval and
military forces to the eastern extremity of the Euxine Sea through the
Hellespont and Propontis.[572] He desired Pharasmanes to reserve the
fulfilment of his present promises until then.
Alexander then returned to the river Oxus, with the intention of
advancing into Sogdiana, because news was brought that many of the
Sogdianians had fled for refuge into their strongholds and refused
to submit to the viceroy whom he had placed over them. While he was
encamping near the river Oxus, a spring of water and near it another
of oil rose from the ground not far from Alexander’s own tent. When
this prodigy was announced to Ptolemy, son of Lagus, the confidential
body-guard, he told Alexander, who offered the sacrifices which the
prophets directed on account of the phenomenon. Aristander affirmed
that the spring of oil was the sign of labours; but it also signified
that after the labours there would be victory.
CHAPTER XVI.
SUBJUGATION OF SOGDIANA.—REVOLT OF SPITAMENES.
He therefore crossed the river with a part of his army and entered
Sogdiana, leaving Polysperchon, Attalus, Gorgias, and Meleager there
among the Bactrians, with instructions to guard the land, to prevent
the barbarians of that region from making any revolutionary change,
and to reduce those who had already rebelled. He divided the army
which he had with him into five parts; the first of which he put under
the command of Hephaestion, the second under that of Ptolemy, son of
Lagus, the confidential body-guard; over the third he put Perdiccas;
Coenus and Artabazus commanded the fourth brigade for him, while he
himself took the fifth division and penetrated into the land towards
Maracanda.[573] The others also advanced as each found it practicable,
reducing by force some of those who had fled for refuge into the
strongholds, and capturing others who surrendered to them on terms of
capitulation. When all his forces reached Maracanda, after traversing
the greater part of the land of the Sogdianians, he sent Hephaestion
away to plant colonies in the cities of Sogdiana. He also sent Coenus
and Artabazus into Scythia, because he was informed that Spitamenes
had fled for refuge thither; but he himself with the rest of his army
traversed Sogdiana and easily reduced all the places still held by the
rebels.
While Alexander was thus engaged, Spitamenes, accompanied by some of
the Sogdianian exiles, fled into the land of the Scythians called
Massagetians,[574] and having collected 600 horsemen from this nation,
he came to one of the forts in Bactriana. Falling upon the commander
of this fort, who was not expecting any hostile demonstration, and
upon those who were keeping guard with him, he destroyed the soldiers,
and capturing the commander, kept him in custody. Being emboldened by
the capture of this fort, a few days after he approached Zariaspa; but
resolving not to attack the city, he marched away after collecting a
great quantity of booty. But at Zariaspa a few of the Companion cavalry
had been left behind on the score of illness, and with them Peithon,
son of Sosicles,[575] who had been placed over the royal household of
attendants at Zariaspa, and Aristonicus the harper. These men, hearing
of the incursion of the Scythians, and having now recovered from their
illness, took their arms and mounted their horses. Then collecting
eighty mercenary Grecian horsemen, who had been left behind to guard
Zariaspa, and some of the royal pages, they sallied forth against the
Massagetians. Falling upon the Scythians, who had no suspicion of
such an event, they deprived them of all the booty at the first onset,
and killed many of those who were driving it off. But as no one was in
command, they returned without any regard to order: and being drawn
into an ambush by Spitamenes and other Scythians, they lost seven of
the Companions and sixty of the mercenary cavalry. Aristonicus the
harper was also slain there, having proved himself a brave man, beyond
what might have been expected of a harper. Peithon, being wounded, was
taken prisoner by the Scythians.[576]
CHAPTER XVII.
DEFEAT AND DEATH OF SPITAMENES.
When this news was brought to Craterus, he made a forced march against
the Massagetians, who, when they heard that he was marching against
them, fled as fast as they could towards the desert. Following them
up closely, he overtook those very men and more than 1,000 other
Massagetian horsemen, not far from the desert. A fierce battle ensued,
in which the Macedonians were victorious. Of the Scythians, 150
horsemen were slain; but the rest of them easily escaped into the
desert, for it was impossible for the Macedonians to pursue them any
further. At this time, Alexander relieved Artabazus of the viceroyalty
of the Bactrians, at his own request, on the ground of his advanced
age; and Amyntas, son of Nicolaüs, was appointed viceroy in his
stead.[577] Coenus was left with his own brigade and that of Meleager,
400 of the Companion cavalry, and all the horse-archers, besides the
Bactrians, Sogdianians, and others who were under the command of
Amyntas. They were all under strict injunctions to obey Coenus and to
winter there in Sogdiana, in order to protect the country and to arrest
Spitamenes, if anyhow they might be able to draw him into an ambush,
as he was wandering about during the winter. But when Spitamenes saw
that every place was occupied by the Macedonians for a garrison, and
that there would soon be no way of flight left open to him, he turned
round against Coenus and the army with him, thinking that he would be
better able to fight in this way. Coming to Bagae, a fortified place in
Sogdiana, situated on the confines of the countries of the Sogdianians
and the Massagetian Scythians, he easily persuaded 3,000 Scythian
horsemen to join him in an invasion of Sogdiana. It is an easy matter
to induce these Scythians to engage in one war after another, because
they are pinched by poverty, and at the same time have no cities or
settled abodes, to give them cause for anxiety about what is most dear
to them. When Coenus ascertained that Spitamenes was advancing with his
cavalry, he went to meet him with his army. A sharp contest ensued, in
which the Macedonians were victorious, so that of the barbarian cavalry
over 800 fell in the battle, while Coenus lost 25 horsemen and twelve
foot-soldiers. The consequence was, that the Sogdianians who were still
left with Spitamenes, as well as most of the Bactrians, deserted him in
the flight, and came to Coenus to surrender. The Massagetian Scythians
having met with ill-success in the battle, plundered the baggage of
the Bactrians and Sogdianians who were serving in the same army as