The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
Hephaestion, son of Amyntor, Lysimachus, son of Agathocles, Aristonoüs,
son of Pisaeus, these four being Pellaeans; Perdiccas, son of Orontes,
from Orestis, Ptolemy, son of Lagus, and Peithon, son of Crateas, the
Heordaeans. Peucestas, who had held the shield over Alexander, was now
added to them as an eighth. At this time Nearchus, having sailed round
the coast of Ora and Gadrosia and that of the Ichthyophagi, put into
port in the inhabited part of the coastland of Carmania,[810] and going
up thence into the interior with a few men he reported to Alexander
the particulars of the voyage which he had made along the coasts of
the external sea. Nearchus was then sent down to the sea again to
sail round as far as the country of Susiana, and the outlets of the
river Tigres.[811] How he sailed from the river Indus to the Persian
Sea and the mouth of the Tigres, I shall describe in a separate book,
following the account of Nearchus himself.[812] For he also wrote a
history of Alexander in Greek. Perhaps I shall be able to compose this
narrative in the future, if inclination and the divine influence urge
me to it. Alexander now ordered Hephaestion to march into Persis[813]
from Carmania along the seashore with the larger division of the army
and the beasts of burden, taking with him also the elephants; because,
as he was making the expedition in the season of winter,[814] the part
of Persis near the sea was warm and possessed abundant supplies of
provisions.
CHAPTER XXIX.
ALEXANDER IN PERSIS.—TOMB OF CYRUS REPAIRED.
He himself then marched to Pasargadae in Persis, with the lightest of
his infantry, the Companion cavalry and a part of the archers; but
he sent Stasanor down to his own land.[815] When he arrived at the
confines of Persis, he found that Phrasaortes was no longer viceroy,
for he happened to have died of disease while Alexander was still in
India. Orxines was managing the affairs of the country, not because he
had been appointed ruler by Alexander, but because he thought it his
duty to keep Persia in order for him, as there was no other ruler.[816]
Atropates, the viceroy of Media, also came to Pasargadae, bringing
Baryaxes, a Mede, under arrest, because he had assumed the upright
head-dress and called himself king of the Persians and Medes.[817]
With Baryaxes he also brought those who had taken part with him in the
attempted revolution and revolt. Alexander put these men to death.
He was grieved by the outrage committed upon the tomb of Cyrus, son
of Cambyses; for according to Aristobulus, he found it dug through
and pillaged. The tomb of the famous Cyrus was in the royal park at
Pasargadae, and around it a grove of all kinds of trees had been
planted. It was also watered by a stream, and high grass grew in the
meadow. The base of the tomb itself had been made of squared stone in
the form of a rectangle. Above there was a stone building surmounted
by a roof, with a door leading within, so narrow that even a small man
could with difficulty enter, after suffering much discomfort.[818] In
the building lay a golden coffin, in which the body of Cyrus had been
buried, and by the side of the coffin was a couch, the feet of which
were of gold wrought with the hammer. A carpet of Babylonian tapestry
with purple rugs formed the bedding; upon it were also a Median coat
with sleeves and other tunics of Babylonian manufacture. Aristobulus
adds that Median trousers and robes dyed the colour of hyacinth were
also lying upon it, as well as others of purple and various other
colours; moreover there were collars, sabres, and earrings of gold and
precious stones soldered together, and near them stood a table. On
the middle of the couch lay the coffin[819] which contained the body
of Cyrus. Within the enclosure, near the ascent leading to the tomb,
there was a small house built for the Magians who guarded the tomb; a
duty which they had discharged ever since the time of Cambyses, son
of Cyrus, son succeeding father as guard. To these men a sheep and
specified quantities of wheaten flour and wine were given daily by
the king; and a horse once a month as a sacrifice to Cyrus. Upon the
tomb an inscription in Persian letters had been placed, which bore the
following meaning in the Persian language: “O man, I am Cyrus, son of
Cambyses, who founded the empire of the Persians, and was king of Asia.
Do not therefore grudge me this monument.” As soon as Alexander had
conquered Persia, he was very desirous of entering the tomb of Cyrus;
but he found that everything else had been carried off except the
coffin and couch. They had even maltreated the king’s body; for they
had torn off the lid of the coffin and cast out the corpse. They had
tried to make the coffin itself of smaller bulk and thus more portable,
by cutting part of it off and crushing part of it up; but as their
efforts did not succeed, they departed, leaving the coffin in that
state. Aristobulus says that he was himself commissioned by Alexander
to restore the tomb for Cyrus, to put in the coffin the parts of the
body still preserved, to put the lid on, and to restore the parts
of the coffin which had been defaced. Moreover he was instructed to
stretch the couch tight with bands, and to deposit all the other things
which used to lie there for ornament, both resembling the former ones
and of the same number. He was ordered also to do away with the door,
building part of it up with stone and plastering part of it over with
cement; and finally to put the royal seal upon the cement. Alexander
arrested the Magians who were the guards of the tomb, and put them to
the torture to make them confess who had done the deed; but in spite of
the torture they confessed nothing either about themselves or any other
person. In no other way were they proved to have been privy to the
deed; they were therefore released by Alexander.[820]
CHAPTER XXX.
PEUCESTAS APPOINTED VICEROY OF PERSIS.
Thence he proceeded to the royal palace of the Persians, which he
had on a former occasion himself burnt down, as I have previously
related, expressing my disapprobation of the act[821]; and on his
return Alexander himself did not commend it. Many charges were brought
by the Persians against Orxines, who ruled them after the death of
Phrasaortes. He was convicted of having pillaged temples and royal
tombs, and of having unjustly put many of the Persians to death. He
was therefore hanged by men acting under Alexander’s orders[822]; and
Peucestas the confidential body-guard was appointed viceroy of Persis.
The king placed special confidence in him both for other reasons,
and especially on account of his exploit among the Mallians, where
he braved the greatest dangers and helped to save Alexander’s life.
Besides this, he did not refuse to accommodate himself to the Asiatic
mode of living; and as soon as he was appointed to the position of
viceroy of Persis, he openly assumed the native garb, being the only
man among the Macedonians who adopted the Median dress in preference
to the Grecian.[823] He also learnt to speak the Persian language
correctly, and comported himself in all other respects like a Persian.
For this conduct he was not only commended by Alexander, but the
Persians also were highly delighted with him, for preferring their
national customs to those of his own forefathers.
BOOK VII.
CHAPTER I.
ALEXANDER’S PLANS.—THE INDIAN PHILOSOPHERS.
When Alexander arrived at Pasargadae and Persepolis,[824] he was seized
with an ardent desire to sail down the Euphrates and Tigres[825] to the
Persian Sea, and to see the mouths of those rivers as he had already
seen those of the Indus as well as the sea into which it flows. Some
authors[826] also have stated that he was meditating a voyage round the
larger portion of Arabia, the country of the Ethiopians, Libya (_i.e._
Africa), and Numidia beyond Mount Atlas to Gadeira (_i.e._ Cadiz),[827]
inward into our sea (_i.e._ the Mediterranean); thinking that after he
had subdued both Libya and Carchedon (_i.e._ Carthage), he might with
justice be called king of all Asia.[828] For he said that the kings
of the Persians and Medes called themselves Great Kings without any
right, since they did not rule the larger part of Asia. Some say that
he was meditating a voyage thence into the Euxine Sea, to Scythia and
the Lake Maeotis (_i.e._ the Sea of Azov); while others assert that
he intended to go to Sicily and the Iapygian Cape,[829] for the fame
of the Romans spreading far and wide was now exciting his jealousy.
For my own part I cannot conjecture with any certainty what were his
plans; and I do not care to guess. But this I think I can confidently
affirm, that he meditated nothing small or mean; and that he would
never have remained satisfied with any of the acquisitions he had made,
even if he had added Europe to Asia, or the islands of the Britons to
Europe; but would still have gone on seeking for unknown lands beyond
those mentioned. I verily believe that if he had found no one else to
strive with, he would have striven with himself. And on this account
I commend some of the Indian philosophers, who are said to have been
caught by Alexander as they were walking in the open meadow where they
were accustomed to spend their time.[830] At the sight of him and his
army they did nothing else but stamp with their feet on the earth, upon
which they were stepping. When he asked them by means of interpreters
what was the meaning of their action, they replied as follows: “O
king Alexander, every man possesses as much of the earth as this upon
which we have stepped; but thou being only a man like the rest of us,
except in being meddlesome and arrogant, art come over so great a part
of the earth from thy own land, giving trouble both to thyself and
others.[831] And yet thou also wilt soon die, and possess only as much
of the earth as is sufficient for thy body to be buried in.”
CHAPTER II.
ALEXANDER’S DEALINGS WITH THE INDIAN SAGES.
On this occasion Alexander commended both the words and the men who
spoke them; but nevertheless he did just the opposite to that which he
commended. When also in the Isthmus he met Diogenes of Sinope, lying
in the sun, standing near him with his shield-bearing guards and foot
Companions, he asked if he wanted anything. But Diogenes said that he
wanted nothing else, except that he and his attendants would stand out
of the sunlight. Alexander is said to have expressed his admiration
of Diogenes’s conduct.[832] Thus it is evident that Alexander was
not entirely destitute of better feelings; but he was the slave of
his insatiable ambition. Again, when he arrived at Taxila and saw
the naked sect of Indian philosophers, he was exceedingly desirous
that one of these men should live with him; because he admired their
power of endurance.[833] But the oldest of the philosophers, Dandamis
by name, of whom the others were disciples, refused to come himself
to Alexander, and would not allow the others to do so.[834] He is
said to have replied that he was himself a son of Zeus, if Alexander
was[835]; and that he wanted nothing from him, because he was quite
contented with what he had. And besides he said that he saw his
attendants wandering over so much of the land and sea to no advantage,
and that there was no end to their many wanderings. Therefore he had
no desire that Alexander should give him anything which was in his
own possession, nor on the other hand was he afraid that he should
be excluded from anything which Alexander ruled over. For while he
lived the country of India, which produces the fruits in their season,
was sufficient for him; and when he died he should be released from
the body, an unsuitable associate. Alexander then did not attempt