Arrian - The Campaigns of Alexander
Penguin Classics,Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt
[1] At
Athens too there was a certain amount of trouble; but resistance collapsed the
moment Alexander approached and he was granted even greater honours than his
father Philip before him.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 42
[2] They
then presented themselves in the Assembly and incited the Thebans to rebel
against Alexander, making great play with the grand old words “liberty” and
“autonomy“, and urging the at long last to throw off the burden of the
Macedonian yoke.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 55
[3]
Alexander, however, made no move, but continued to wait; for he still hoped to
remain in terms with Thebans and to avoid action against them. In these
circumstances all who had their city’s interest most at heart were anxious to
approach Alexander and gain from him a general pardon for the revolt; but the
exiles and the party responsible for their recall, especially as some of them
were officers of the Boeotian Confederacy, refused to recognize the possibility
of humane treatment by Alexander and urged war by every means in their power.
But still Alexander waited and did not attack.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 56
[4] In what
followed it was not so much the Macedonians as the Phocians, Plateans, and men
from other Boeotian towns who, in the lust of battle, indiscriminately
slaughtered the Thebans who no longer put up andy organised resistance. They
burst into houses and killed the occupants;
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 59
[5] With
Thebes on the contrary it was a different matter: the lack of planning, the
rapid movement of events which led to the revolt, the suddenness and ease with
which the city fell, the slaughter, so appalling and so inevitable where men of
kindred stock are paying off old scores,
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 61
[6] The
allies troops who took part in the fighting were entrusted by Alexander with
the final settlement of the fate of Thebes. They decided to garrison the
Cadmeia but to raze the city to the ground .
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 61
[7]At Troy
his sailing-master, Menoetius, crowned him with gold, as did Chares the Athenian, who came from Sigeium
with a number of others, either Greeks or natives. One account says that
Hephaestion laid a wreath on the tomb of Patroclus; another that Alexander laid
one on the tomb of Achilles, calling him a lucky man, in that he had Homer to
proclaim his deeds and preserve his memory.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 67
[8] As an
offering to the goddess Athena, he sent to Athens 300 full suits of Persian
armour with the following inscription : Alexander, son of Philip, and the
Greeks (except the Lacedaemonians) dedicated these spoils, taken from the
Persians who dwell in Asia.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 76
[9] To the people of Zeleia he gave a free
pardon, because he knew that they had fought with the Persians only under
Pressure.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 76
[10] It
occured to him to build here a temple and altar in honour of Olympius Zeus, and
while he was considering the best site a summer storm, breaking suddenly with
violent thunder and a fall of rain over the palace of the Lydian Kings,
persuaded that Zeus himself had indicated the spot where his temple should be
raised;
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 77
[11] Calas
and Alexander, son of Aeropus, were sent to Memnon’s part of the country with
the Peloponnesians and most of the allied troops,
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 77
[12] The
mercenaries who formed the garrison of the town seized two warships and made
their escape, accompanied by Amyntas, son of Antiochus, who had left Macedonia
in order to avoid Alexander. He had not, to be sure, anything to complain of in
Alexander’s treatment; he merely disliked him and was disinclined to be made
uncomfortable by his presence.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 78
[13] All
dues previously paid to Persia he transferred to the temple of Artemis.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander book 1, page 78
[14]
Throughout the country he dispossessed the ruling cliques and established
popular government in their place, allowing every community to enjoy its own
laws and customs and discontinue payment of the taxes it had previously paid to
the Persians. Meanwhile he rremained in Ephesus, offered sacrifice to Artemis
and held a ceremonial parade of his troops, full equipped and in battle order.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 79
[15] For
Alexander felf that, with the war against Persia still on his hands it would be
dangerous to relax his severity towards anyone of Greek nationality who had
considented to fight for Asia against his own country.
Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 100
[16] Then
they sent a demand to the islanders for the abrogation of their agreements with
Alexander and the Greeks, and the observance of the terms of the Peace of
Antalkidas, which they had concluded with Persia.
the people
of Tenedos would have liked nothing better than to remain on good terms with
Alexander and the Greeks;
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 103
[17] To
celebrate this success Alexander offered sacrifice to Asclepius and held a
ceremonial parade of all his troops..
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 109
[18] With
the infantry and the Royal Squadron of horse he then went to Magarsus, whence
after offerring sacrifice to the local Athene, he proceeded to Mallus, where he
performed all proper ceremonies in honour of the demi-god Amphilochus. In this
latter place he found political troubles in progress, and settled them, remitting
the tribute which the town paid to Darius on the ground that Mallus was a
colony of Argos and he himself claimed to be descended from the Argive
Heracleide
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 109
[19]Amyntas,
son of Antiochus, a deserter from Alexander’s army urged him [Darius] not to
move from such favourable ground, for plenty of space was precisely what the
Persian army most needed, its numbers and equipment being what they were.
Darius took Amyntas’ advice
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 110
[20] There
are Greek troops, to be sure, in Persian service –but how different is theirs
cause from ours ! They will be fighting for pay— and not much of it at that; we
on the contrary shall fight for Greece,
and our hearts will be in it. As for our
FOREIGN troops —Thracians, Paeonians, Illyrians, Agrianes — they are the best and stouder
soldiers of Europe, and they will find
as their opponents the slackest and softest of the tribes of Asia.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 112
[21]Hephaestion stepped back, and one of the Queen’s attendant’s
rectified her mistake by pointing to Alexander; the Queen withdrew in profound
embarassment, but Alexander merely remarked that her error was of no account,
for Hephaestion too, was an Alexander – a “protector of men”
Arrian “the Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 123
[22]Iphicrates, from affection for Athens and the memory of his father’s
faith, he retained in his personal suite, treating him with ever mark of
honour, and when he fell ill and died sent his bones to his relatives in
Athens.
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 129
[23]The
Egyptians also worship a Heracles, but not the Heracles of Tyre or Greece;
according to Herodotus he is regarded by the Egyptians as one of the twelve
gods.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 2, page 130
[24]he
[Alexander] himself designed the general layout of the new town, indicating the
position of the market square, the number of temples to be built, and what gods
they should serve – the gods of Greece and the Egyptian Isis – and the precise
limits of its outer defences. He offered sacrifice for a blessing on the work;
and the sacrifice proved favourable.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 149
[25]Meanwhile Hegelochus arrived in Egypt by sea with the news that
Tenedos, which had been forcibly annexed by Persia, had now revolted and come
over to Macedon. Chios, too in spite of the puppet government introduced by
Autophradates and Pharnabazus, had invited the Macedonian in; [..]Amphoterus
had been dispatched with sixty ships to Cos, at the invitation of its people.
Alexander
longed to equal the fame of Perseus and Heracles; the blood of both flowed in
his veins
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 151
[26]At
Memphis he was visited by a number of deputations from Greece and not a man of
them did he send away without a favourable answer to his requests.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 151
[27]The
governnorship of the neighbouring country of Libya was given to Apollonius, son
of Charinus and of Arabia by Heroopolis to Cleomenes of Naucratis
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page
154-155
[28]At Tyre
he found the fleet awaiting him, and here, once again, he did honour to
Heracles by religious celebrations and games.
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 155
[29]and his
brother Laomedon who happened to be as fluent in the Persian language as in
Greek, was put in charge of prisoners of war
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 157
[30]for there
fell into Alexander’s hands all the treasures which Xerxes had brought there
from Greece, among them bronze statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton. These
statues Alexander sent back to Athens, where they now stand in Cerameicus
Arrian “The campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 174
[31]Alexander’s answer was that he wished to punich the Persians for
their invasion of Greece; his present act was retribution for the destrucion of
Athens, the burning of the temples, and all the other crimes hey had commited
against the Greeks.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 179
[32]The
Greek delegates asked for terms for all Greek mercenaries now prisoners of war;
this, however Alexander caterigorically refused: Greek soldiers, he maintained,
who fought for Persia against their own country were little better than
criminals and had acted contrary to the resolution of the Greeks.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 187
[33] There
Alexander sacrificed to Apollo- and arrested one of his personal guards named
Demetrius on suspicion of complicity with Philotas’s plot.
Arrian “The Campaigns of Alexander”, book 3, page 189
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