The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
Arsinoe, had been a concubine of Philip of Macedon, for which reason
it was generally believed that Ptolemy was the offspring of that
king. Ptolemy was one of the earliest friends of Alexander before his
accession to the throne, and accompanied him throughout his campaigns,
being one of his most skilful generals and most intimate friends. On
the division of the empire after Alexander’s death, Ptolemy obtained
the kingdom of Egypt, which he transmitted to his descendants. After
a distinguished reign of thirty-eight years, he abdicated the throne
to his youngest son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. He survived this event two
years, and died B.C. 283. He was a liberal patron of literature and the
arts, and wrote a history of the wars of Alexander, which is one of
the chief authorities on which Arrian composed his narrative. For his
beneficence, see Aelian (_Varia Historia_, xiii. 12). Not only Arrian,
but Plutarch and Strabo, derived much information from Ptolemy’s work,
which is highly commended by Athenæus.
[12] Aristobulus of Potidaea, a town in Macedonia, which was afterwards
called Cassandrea, served under Alexander, and wrote a history of his
wars, which, like that of Ptolemy, was sometimes more panegyrical
than the facts warranted. Neither of these histories has survived,
but they served Arrian as the groundwork for the composition of
his own narrative. Lucian in his treatise, _Quomodo historia sit
conscribenda_, ch. 12, accuses Aristobulus of inventing marvellous
tales of Alexander’s valour for the sake of flattery. Plutarch based
his _Life of Alexander_ chiefly on the work of this writer. We learn
from Lucian (_Macrobioi_, c. 22), that Aristobulus wrote his history
at the advanced age of eighty-four. He was employed by Alexander to
superintend the restoration of Cyrus’s tomb (_Arrian_, vi. 30).
[13] ἀναλέγομαι in the sense of reading through = ἀναγιγνώσκειν, is
found only in the later writers, Arrian, Plutarch, Dion, Callimachus,
etc.
[14] B.C. 336. He was murdered by a young noble named Pausanias,
who stabbed him at the festival which he was holding to celebrate
the marriage of his daughter with Alexander, king of Epirus. It was
suspected that both Olympias and her son Alexander were implicated in
the plot. At the time of his assassination Philip was just about to
start on an expedition against Persia, which his son afterwards so
successfully carried out. See Plutarch (_Alex._, 10); _Diod._, xix. 93,
94; Aristotle (_Polit._, v. 8, 10).
[15] It was the custom of the Athenians to name the years from the
president of the college of nine archons at Athens, who were elected
annually. The Attic writers adopted this method of determining dates.
See Smith’s _Dictionary of Antiquities_.
[16] Alexander the Great was the son of Philip II. and Olympias, and
was born at Pella B.C. 356. In his youth he was placed under the
tuition of Aristotle, who acquired very great influence over his
mind and character, and retained it until his pupil was spoiled by
his unparalleled successes. See Aelian (_Varia Historia_, xii. 54).
Such was his ability, that at the age of 16 he was entrusted with
the government of Macedonia by his father, when he marched against
Byzantium. At the age of 18 by his skill and courage he greatly
assisted Philip in gaining the battle of Chaeronea. When Philip was
murdered, Alexander ascended the throne, and after putting down
rebellion at home, he advanced into Greece to secure the power which
his father had acquired. See _Diod._, xvi. 85; _Arrian_, vii. 9.
[17] See _Justin_, xi. 2.
[18] “Arrian speaks as if this request had been addressed only to the
Greeks _within_ Peloponnesus; moreover he mentions no assembly at
Corinth, which is noticed, though with some confusion, by Diodorus,
Justin, and Plutarch. Cities out of Peloponnesus, as well as within
it, must have been included; unless we suppose that the resolution
of the Amphictyonic assembly, which had been previously passed, was
held to comprehend all the extra-Peloponnesian cities, which seems not
probable.”—_Grote._
[19] Justin (ix. 5) says: “Soli Lacedaemonii et legem et regem
contempserunt.” The king here referred to was Philip.
[20] See _Justin_, xi. 3; Aeschines, _Contra Ctesiphontem_, p. 564.
[21] The Triballians were a tribe inhabiting the part of Servia
bordering on Bulgaria. The Illyrians inhabited the eastern coast of the
Adriatic Sea, the districts now called North Albania, Bosnia, Dalmatia
and Croatia.
[22] We learn from _Thucydides_, ii. 96, that these people were called
Dii.
[23] The Nessus, or Nestus, is now called Mesto by the Greeks, and
Karasu by the Turks.
[24] Now known as the Balkan. The defiles mentioned by Arrian are
probably what was afterwards called Porta Trajani. Cf. Vergil
(_Georg._, ii. 488); Horace (_Carm._, i. 12, 6).
[25] πεποίηντο:—Arrian often forms the pluperfect tense without the
augment. διασκεδάσουσι:—The Attic future of this verb is διασκεδῶ. Cf.
Aristoph. (_Birds_, 1053).
[26] The Agrianes were a tribe of Eastern Paeonia who lived near the
Triballians. They served in the Macedonian army chiefly as cavalry and
light infantry.
[27] Perhaps Neapolis and Eion, which were the harbours of Philippi and
Amphipolis.
[28] This officer was commander of the royal body-guard. His father was
Parmenio, the most experienced of Alexander’s generals.
[29] Thucydides says (Bk. ii. 96): “On the side of the Triballians,
who were also independent, the border tribes were the Trerians and the
Tilatæans, who live to the north of mount Scombrus, and stretch towards
the west as far as the river Oscius. This river flows from the same
mountains as the Nestus and the Hebrus, an uninhabited and extensive
range, joining on to Rhodope.” The Oscius is now called Isker. It is
uncertain which river is the Lyginus; but perhaps it was another name
for the Oscius.
[30] Also named _Danube_. Cf. Hesiod (_Theog._, 339); Ovid (_Met._, ii.
249); Pindar (_Olym._ iii. 24).
[31] It is uncertain in what part of the Danube this island was. It
cannot be the Peuce of Strabo (vii, 3). Cf. _Apollonius Rhodius_ (iv.
309); _Martialis_ (vii. 84); _Valerius Flaccus_ (viii. 217).
[32] These two generals are mentioned (iii. 11 infra) as being present
at the battle of Arbela. Sopolis is also mentioned (iv. 13 and 18
infra).
[33] Bottiaea was a district of Macedonia on the right bank of the
Axius.
[34] The classical writers have three names to denote this
race:—Celts, Galatians, and Gauls. These names were originally given
to all the people of the North and West of Europe; and it was not till
Cæsar’s time that the Romans made any distinction between Celts and
Germans. The name of Celts was then confined to the people north of the
Pyrenees and west of the Rhine. Cf. _Ammianus_ (xv. 9); _Herodotus_
(iv. 49); _Livy_ (v. 33, 34); _Polybius_ (iii. 39).
[35] Arrian is here speaking, not of Alexander’s time, but of his own,
the second century of the Christian era. The Quadi were a race dwelling
in the south-east of Germany. They are generally mentioned with the
Marcomanni, and were formidable enemies of the Romans, especially in
the reign of Marcus Aurelius, when Arrian wrote. This nation disappears
from history about the end of the fourth century.
[36] The Marcomanni, like the Quadi, were a powerful branch of the
Suevic race, originally dwelling in the south-west of Germany; but
in the reign of Tiberius they dispossessed the Boii of the country
now called Bohemia. In conjunction with the Quadi, they were very
formidable to the Romans until Commodus purchased peace from them. The
name denotes “border men.” Cf. Cæsar (_Bel. Gal._, i. 51).
[37] The Iazygians were a tribe of Sarmatians, who migrated from the
coast of the Black Sea, between the Dnieper and the Sea of Azov, in the
reign of Claudius, and settled in Dacia, near the Quadi, with whom they
formed a close alliance. They were conquered by the Goths in the fifth
century. Cf. Ovid (_Tristia_, ii. 191).
[38] Called also Sarmatians. Herodotus (iv. 21) says that these people
lived east of the Don, and were allied to the Scythians. Subsequent
writers understood by Sarmatia the east part of Poland, the south of
Russia, and the country southward as far as the Danube.
[39] These people were called Dacians by the Romans. They were
Thracians, and are said by Herodotus and Thucydides to have lived south
of the Danube, near its mouths. They subsequently migrated north of
this river, and were driven further west by the Sarmatians. They were
very formidable to the Romans in the reigns of Augustus and Domitian.
Dacia was conquered by Trajan; but ultimately abandoned by Aurelian,
who made the Danube the boundary of the Roman Empire. About the Getae
holding the doctrine of immortality, see _Herodotus_ (iv. 94). Cf.
Horace (_Carm._, iii. 6, 13; _Sat._, ii. 6, 53).
[40] The Scythians are said by Herodotus to have inhabited the south of
Russia. His supposition that they came from Asia is doubtless correct.
He gives ample information about this race in the fourth book of his
History.
[41] Herodotus (iv. 47) says the Danube had five mouths; but Strabo
(vii. 3) says there were seven. At the present time it has only three
mouths. The Greeks called the Black Sea πόντος εὔξεινος,
_the sea kind to strangers_. Cf. Ovid (_Tristia_, iv. 4,
55):—“Frigida me cohibent Euxini litora Ponti, Dictus ab antiquis
Axenus ille fuit.”
[42] The _sarissa_, or more correctly _sarisa_, was a spear peculiar to
the Macedonians. It was from fourteen to sixteen feet long. See Grote’s
_Greece_, vol. xi. ch. 92, Appendix.
[43] Son of Parmenio and brother of Philotas.
[44] The parasang was a Persian measure, containing thirty stades,
nearly three and three-quarter English miles. It is still used by the
Persians, who call it _ferseng_. See _Herodotus_ (vi. 42) and Grote’s
_History of Greece_, vol. viii. p. 316.
[45] Son of Neoptolemus. After Alexander’s death Meleager resisted the
claim of Perdiccas to the regency, and was associated with him in the
office. He was, however, soon afterwards put to death by the order of
his rival.
[46] Son of Machatas, was an eminent general, slain in India. See vi.
27 infra.
[47] The Macedonian kings believed they were sprung from Hercules. See
_Curtius_, iv. 7.
[48] The Adriatic Sea.
[49] Cf. Aelian (_Varia Historia_, xii. 23); _Strabo_, vii. p. 293;
Aristotle (_Nicom. Ethics_, iii. 7; _Eudem. Eth._, iii. 1):—οἷον οἱ
Κελτοὶ πρὸς τὰ κύματα ὅπλα ἀπαντῶσι λαβόντες; _Ammianus_, xv. 12.
[50] The Paeonians were a powerful Thracian people, who in early times
spread over a great part of Thrace and Macedonia. In historical times
they inhabited the country on the northern border of Macedonia. They
were long troublesome to Macedonia, but were subdued by Philip the
father of Alexander, who, however, allowed them to retain their own
chiefs. The Agrianians were the chief tribe of Paeonians, from whom
Philip and Alexander formed a valuable body of light-armed troops.
[51] Bardylis was a chieftain of Illyria who carried on frequent wars
with the Macedonians, but was at last defeated and slain by Philip,
B.C. 359. Clitus had been subdued by Philip in 349 B.C.
[52] This Glaucias subsequently afforded asylum to the celebrated
Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, when an infant of two years of age. He took
the child into his own family and brought him up with his own children.
He not only refused to surrender Pyrrhus to Cassander, but marched into
Epirus and placed the boy, when twelve years of age, upon the throne,
leaving him under the care of guardians, B.C. 307.
[53] The Taulantians were a people of Illyria in the neighbourhood of
Epidamnus, now called Durazzo.
[54] These were an Illyrian people in the Dalmatian mountains.