117 



ALEXANDER III. 



ALEXANDER III. 



118 



Alexander wished to conquer the country around the Indus and to 

 explore the course of the river down to its mouth. This had been 

 his plan when he crossed the Hydaspes for the first time, and he had 

 accordingly given orders to buUd a fleet on the Hydaspes, for which 

 there were then, as there are now, abundant materials. On his arrival 

 a great number of ships were ready for sailing, and after a short time 

 their number was increased to 1800, or, according to others, to 2000. 

 In the beginning of November, B.C. 326, the army began to move. 

 Alexander himself embarked in the fleet with about 8000 men, under 

 the admiral Nearchus, who commanded the ship in which the king 

 sailed. The remainder of the army was divided between Craterus 

 and Hephaestion, the former of whom led his forces along the right, 

 and the latter on the left bank of the river. The tribes through 

 whose territory the army passed submitted without resistance, except 

 the Malli, whom Alexander hastened to attack before they were fully 

 prepared. Their greatest and best fortified place perhaps the modem 

 Moultan, or Malli-than was taken by an assault, in which Alexander 

 himself was severely wounded. This accident threw the army into 

 the greatest consternation ; but he was soon restored, and the rest of 

 the Malli sent envoys with offers to recognise his sovereignty. The 

 submission of the Indian tribes south of the Malli took place without 

 any difficulty. When the army reached the point where the four 

 united rivers join the Indus, he ordered a town, Alexandria, and 

 dockyards to be built, which were garrisoned by some Thracians under 

 the satrap Philip, to keep the country in subjection. After having 

 reinforced his fleet, he sailed down the Indus, and visited Sogdi, where 

 he likewise ordered dockyards to be built. All the Indian chiefs on 

 both aides of the river submitted. Musicanus, one of them, was 

 seduced by the Brahmins to revolt, but he was taken and put to death. 

 All the important towns that fell into the conqueror's hands received 

 garrisons. 



Before Alexander reached the territory of the Prince of Pattala, 

 who submitted without a blow, about the third part of the army was 

 Bent, under the command of Craterus, westward through the country 

 of the Arrachoti and Drangae into Carmania. At Pattala, the apex 

 of the Indian delta, Alexander built a naval station, and then sailed 

 down the western branch of the river into the Indian Ocean, a 

 voyage which wag not without danger on account of the rapid changes 

 of the tides. He then also explored the eastern branch of the river 

 as well as the delta inclosed by 'the two arms. The end he had in 

 view was the establishment of a commercial communication by sea 

 between India and the Persian Gulf. For this purpose he ordered 

 dockyards to be built, wells to be dug, and the land round Pattala to 

 be cultivated. Pattala itself was garrisoned. Nearchus now received 

 orders to sail with the fleet from the mouth of the Indus through the 

 unknown ocean to the Persian Gulf [NEARCHUS], while Alexander 

 moved from Pattala, in the autumn of 325, and took the nearest road 

 to Persia through the country of the Arabitoe and Onto;, whose prin- 

 cipal town, Kaiubacia, he extended and fortified. After having 

 appointed a governor he proceeded towards Gedrosia (Mekran). As 

 the army advanced, the country became more barren and desolate, and 

 the roads were almost impassable. The march through the arid and 

 sandy desert of Qedrosia in the burning heat of the sun, while water 

 and provisions were wanting, surpassed all the difficulties and suffer- 

 ings which the army had hitherto experienced. Alexander did every- 

 thing in his power to alleviate the Bufferings of his men, but during 

 sixty days of exhaustion and disease a considerable part of the army 

 perished. After unspeakable sufferings they at last reached Pura. 

 Here the soldiers were allowed a short rest, and then proceeded with- 

 out any difficulty to Carmana (Kirman), the capital of Carmania, 

 where Alexander was joined by Craterus with his detachment and 

 the elephants. Soon after Nearchus also landed on the coast of 

 Carmania near Harmozia (Ormuz). The king, delighted with the 

 success of his bold enterprises, offered thanks and sacrifices to the 

 gods, and rewarded his men by festivities and amusements. 



After a short stay Nearchus continued his voyage along the coast 

 to the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates; Kephxstion led the 

 greater part of the army, the beasts of burden, and the elephants 

 along the sea-coast to Persia ; and Alexander, with his light infantry 

 and his horseguards, took the nearest road across the mountains to 

 Pasargadx, the burial-place of the great Cyrus. His tomb had been 

 plundered by robbers, and the body thrown out of the golden coffin. 

 Alexander ordered the body to be restored to its place of rest, and 

 the damage of the tomb to be repaired by skilful artists. After 

 having paid this honour to the dead, he went to PersepolLt, where he 

 is said to have felt bitter remorse at seeing the destruction which 

 he had caused. As few had expected that Alexander would return 

 from his Indian expedition, some of the Persian satraps had during 

 his absence oppressed their provinces. The Persian governor at 

 Peraepolis was put to death, and the Macedonian, Pcucestas, was 

 appointed hi bis stead, who, by adopting the manners of the Persians, 

 gave great satisfaction to the people. From Persepolis Alexander 

 marched to Susa on the Choaspea, in ac. 324. Here the army was at 

 length allowed to rest and recover from their fatigues, which the king 

 mad') them forget by brilliant festivities. All the governors who had 

 <nducted themselves during bis absence were severely punished, 

 ami after this was over, he began the great work of consolidating the 

 union between the Western and Eastern world by intermarriages. 



The king himself set the example, and took a second wife, Barsine, 

 the eldest daughter of Darius, and according to some authorities, a 

 third, Parysatis, the daughter of Ochus. About eighty of his generals 

 also received each an Asiatic wife, who was assigned by the king, and 

 Hephsestion, the dearest friend of Alexander, received another daughter 

 of Darius, that their children might be of the same blood. About 

 10,000 other Macedonians chose Persian women for their wives, with 

 whom they received rich dowries from the king. These marriages 

 were celebrated with the most brilliant festivities and amusements 

 that Greek taste, and ingenuity could devise. Another stap was also 

 taken towards establishing a union between Europeans and Asiatics. 

 The Asiatics, who had hitherto been regarded as an inferior race, and 

 only served as auxiliary troops in the army of Alexander, were now 

 trained and armed in the European fashion : they were organised in 

 separate regiments, and partly incorporated with those of the Mace- 

 donians, and placed on an equality with them. This policy was wise 

 and necessary ; for, not to mention more obvious reasons, Macedonia 

 must at that time have been nearly exhausted by the frequent rein- 

 forcements sent into Asia. While he was thus engaged in Persia, 

 Alexander did not neglect his plans for the extension of commerce ; 

 he made the rivers Eulacus and Tigris more suitable for navigation by 

 removing the bunds, or masses of masonry, by which the current of 

 the water was impeded, for the purpose of irrigation. To carry his 

 plans into effect, and to gain' a clear view of the matter himself, ho 

 sailed down the Eulacus and returned up the Tigris as far as Opis. 



The Macedonians were dissatisfied with the new arrangements 

 which Alexander had made in the army, and also with his conduct : 

 he seemed to despise the customs of his forefathers. They only 

 waited for an opportunity to break out in open rebellion. This 

 opportunity was offered in 324, during a review of the troops at Opis, 

 when Alexander expressed his intention to dismiss the Macedonians 

 who had become unfit for further service, which they took as an 

 insult. He succeeded however in quelling the mutiny, partly by 

 severity and partly by prudence, and at last a solemn reconciliation 

 took place, and 10,000 Macedonian veterans were honourably seut 

 home under the command of Craterus, who at the same time was to 

 take the place of Autipater as governor of Macedonia, while Autipater 

 was to come to Asia with fresh reinforcements. Soon after the 

 departure of these veterans Alexander paid a visit to Ecbatana, and 

 while in the autumn the festival of Dionysus (Bacchus) was cele- 

 brated there, his friend Hephaestion died : an event which caused 

 Alexander the deepest grief, and is said to have thrown him into a 

 state of melancholy from which he never recovered. HephoDstion's 

 body was conveyed to Babylon, and buried there in a manner worthy 

 of the friend of Alexander. Soon after the king with his army like- 

 wise marched to Babylon, and on his way thither he endeavoured to 

 dissipate his grief by warring with the Cossaei, a race of mountaineers, 

 whom he nearly extirpated. Before he reached Babylon, there 

 appeared before him ambassadors from the remotest parts of the 

 world to do homage to the conqueror of Asia. Among other nations 

 of Western Europe the Romans also are said to have honoured him 

 with an embassy : and there is indeed nothing surprising in this, for 

 at that time the name of Alexander must have been familiar to all 

 nations from the shores of the Atlantic to the borders of China. 



On the arrival of Alexander at Babylon vast plans of conquest, and 

 the establishment of useful institutions in his new dominions, occu- 

 pied him, and he 'seems now more than ever to have required active 

 occupation. His next object waa the conquest of Arabia ; and to 

 open the navigation from the Persian Gulf round the Peninsula of 

 Arabia into the Red Sea. This conquest, according to some accounts, 

 was to be followed by expeditions against Africa, Sicily, Italy, and 

 Iberia. Babylon, as the centre between the Western and Eastern 

 world, was chosen for the capital of this gigantic empire, and prepara- 

 tions were made to restore the ancient splendour of the city. But 

 Alexander's body sank under the exertions which were required for 

 the superintendence of his great preparations, combined with excesses 

 in whicL he is said to have endeavoured to forget his grief. At the 

 end of May B.C. 323, he was attacked by a fever which terminated 

 his life in the course of eleven days. Alexander died at the early age 

 of thirty-two years, after a reigu of twelve years and eight months, 

 during which he had extended his empire from the coasts of the 

 Mediterranean to the eastern tributaries of the Indus. Ho died 

 without having declared his successor, which was probably owing to his 

 having lost the power of speech during the last days of his illness. 

 He gave his seal-ring to Perdiccas ; but this may have meant no more 

 than that Perdiccas should be regent during the minority of tho 

 lawful heir ; Roxaua was pregnant at the time of Alexander's death. 

 His body was embalmed, and in B.C. 321 it was conveyed to Memphis, 

 and theuco to Alexandria. A sarcophagus now in the British Museum, 

 which was brought over from Alexandria, has been called tho sarco- 

 phagus of Alexander, but without sufficient evidence. 



Alexander belongs not to the history of Macedonia only. From tho 

 borders of Chiua to the British islands in the West, his name appears 

 in the history of tho early poetry of every country. In Asia he is 

 still the hero of ancient times ; and the tales of the great exploits of 

 Iskander are even now listened to with delight by tho people of Asia. 

 As a military commander he had great merit. His movements wero 

 rapid and well directed. He knew what might bo neglected, and 



