11* 



ALEXANDER I. 



ALKX VNMEK J 



l.'O 



bfj :. 



, before b* eould safoly advance. Wl.ru 



i of the army of Darius were once broken, con- 

 i tuu*t follow; and oeor.lingly in bis campaigns he wade great 

 owof hi* WflsfaUbli cavalry, that arm to which b* I 





mainly owed all 



He could adapt himself to all circumstances, be wai 

 io resource*, and always ready to anil hiuwlf of every 

 opportunity. HU eooqueaU made a lasting impression upon Ada 

 and Africa; and although hi* empire wai dismembered after bU 

 deal*. Ibe Greek colonie* be bad founded long survived him. From 

 the ruin* of bii empire Greek kingdom* were formed as far ai India, 

 for centuric*. New fleldi were opened to 



_T ; and to him it is owing that Eastern Asia became 

 accessible to European 'tei !<*- 



Tbere U eearody an ancient writer after the time of Alexander 

 from whom auuie information respecting him may not be collected. 

 Many of U* eontompoiaries and companions wrote of hi* life and 

 exploit*, but all theee original work* are lost. The biographic of 

 Alexander, a* that by Plutarch. Arrian, Cur^ju*. and what is told of 

 bint in DiodonM and Justin, are compilations derived from earlier 

 source*. Toe most important and most trustworthy work for the life 

 of Alexander U the ' Expedition of Alexander,' by Arrian, who pro- 

 fsassi to follow the accounts of Ptolemeos, the son of Lagus, and of 

 ArMobulu* of Cassacdria, and who is himself a careful and judicious 



(Prom the Bioyrafkical Dictionary of the Society for the Difution 

 ef l'/ml Kmowltdgt.) 



ALEXANDER I., surnamed BALAS, or Bax\r,,, reigned as king of 

 Syria from B.C. 150 to 145. According to some authorities, Alex- 

 ander took bis suiname from bis mother Bala or Balle. Others regard 



Alexander B>1. 



it as a title tignifjing lord or king. The governor of Babylon, 

 Hcrsclides, being exiled to Rhodes by Demetrius I., penuaded Alex- 

 ander, who was of low birth, to feign himself a son of Antiochus 

 Epiphan**, and to claim as such the right of succeeding him. The 

 Roman senate, to revenge themselves on Demetrius, acknowledged 

 the pretender on bis appearing at Rome. The edict in his favour 

 induced Ariaratbes, king of Cappadocia, Ptolemteus, and Attalua 

 II.. kins; of Pergamus, to tend troops to assist him. Many dis- 

 contented Syrians joined his army. Demetrius I., as well as 

 Alexander lialaa, endeavoured to obtain the support of Jonathan, 

 the Maecabe*. who headed at that time the Jewish patriots. Jona- 

 than embraced the party of Alexander, who conferred upon him the 

 high priesthood, styled him friend of the king, and presented him 

 with a purple rob* and a diadem. Alexander Balas having been 

 defeated in the first battle, 152, received reinforcements and gained 

 decisive victory in the year 150. Demetrius I., who was wounded 

 by an arrow, perished in a swamp. Alexander Balas then mounted 

 the throne of Syria, and married, at Ptolcmais, Cleopatra, a daughter 

 of PtolemsM* Pbilometor. When Balas considered bis government 

 nffieiently established, be left the cares of administration to his 

 f.rouriu Ammoniiu, in order to enjoy without restraint a luxurious 

 life. Ammonias put to death those members of the royal family of 

 UM flilendJn whom b* could get into bis power, but there still lived 

 in tbe island of Cnidus two sous of the last king, the elder of whom, 

 Demetrius II.. landed in Cilicia, whilst the governor of Ccelesyria, 

 ApoUonins, rebelled against Balas in tbe year B.& 148. Apollonius 

 was beaten by Jonathan, but Balas himself was obliged to march 

 against LtaneUiu* IL Ptolemaus, who had apparently oomo to assist 



: -. 



Us f^Uvlaw, roddnly embraced the oanse of Demetrius, after 

 MMbfBaU'of an inUntiio to murder him. Balas, being defeated 



by PtolouUDua, escaped into Arabia, where he was murdered by an 

 Arabian chieftain, in the town of Abas, which was afterwards called 

 Motho ('his death'). Demetrius II, surnamed Nike-tor, then ascended 

 the throne of Syria. 



Justin (xxxv. 12) sUtas that Balai was tbe original name by which 

 Alexander was known during the period of his private life. He is 

 called by Strabo Balas Alexandras ; where the word Balas appears to 

 be used by him as synonymous with king. In the British Museum 

 there are many silver and copper coins of Alexander Balas. On some 

 coins the head of Alexander Balas is associated with that of Cleopatra, 

 who occupies tbe foreground with a modius on her head, an indica- 

 tion of his subordination to this proud woman. 



ALEXANDER II., ZKBINAS, or ZEBIN.EUS, reigned over a 

 part of the kingdom of Syria from B.C. 128 to 122. The inhabitants of 

 Apaniea, Autiocheia, and some other cities, disgusted with the tyranny 

 of Demetrius II., requested Ptoleinious Physcon to appoint another 

 king. PtolemiBus sent them the son of a broker, Prot&rchos of Alex- 

 andria, whom he represented as having been adopted by Autiochu* 

 Sidetes. The pretender took tbo name Alexander; but the people 

 called him Zebiuos, the ' bought one,' from a report that he had been 

 purchased by Ptolemams as a slave. Demetrius being defeated near 

 Damascus, fled to Tyre, where he was murdered. Zebinas thinking his 

 kingdom firmly established, refused the annual tribute to Ptolemxus, 

 who now encouraged Autiocbus VIII., the son of Demetrius II. 

 Zebinas was in his turn defeated by the Egyptian aiuiy, and retreated 

 to Antiooh ; where, being unable to pay his troops, he permitted them 

 to pillage the temple of Victory, and took for himself the golden statue 

 of Jupiter. Expelled by the people of Autioch from their city, and 

 deserted by his troops, ho endeavoured to escape on board a small 

 vessel into Greece, but was taken by a pirate, and delivered into the 

 hands of Ptolemxus, who put him to death. The British Museum 

 contains rilver and copper coins of Alexander Zebinas. 



Alexander Zebinu. 



ALEXANDER JANN^IUS, third eon of Johannes Hyrcanus, suc- 

 ceeded his brother Aristobulus I., as king of the Jews, and as high- 

 priest, in B.C. 104, having put to death a brother who claimed the 

 crown. Taking advantage of the disturbances in Syria, ho attacked 

 Ptolemais (Acre), which, with some other cities, had made itself imlr- 

 peudeut The inhabitants called Itolcmxus Lathyrus, of Cyprus, to 

 their assistance, by whom Alexander JannmuB was beaten on the banks 

 of the Jordan, and Palestine horribly ravaged, until, by the aid of 

 Cleopatra, the mother of Lathyrua, Alexander was enabled to repel 

 his enemy. Alexander then conquered Gaza, burned the city, and 

 massacred the inhabitant* who had joined the party of Lathyrus. 

 Jannams embraced the party of the Sadducees ; and, of course, was 

 hated by the Pharisee* and by the people. On the Feast of Taber- 

 nacle*, after being pelted by the people with lemons, and insulted by 

 their opprobrious language, he caused 6000 men to be cut down, and 

 in future protected himself by a body-guard of Libyans and Pisidians. 

 Having lost his army in an unfortunate expedition against the Ara- 

 bians, the Pharisees made an insurrection, and carried on for six yean 

 a civil war against the king, in which 50,000 Jews ore said to havo 

 perished. The rebels, supported by the Arabians, the Moabites, and 

 by Demetrius Eukicros, compelled Alexander to escape into the moun- 

 tains. But a part of the auxiliaries coming over to the king's party, 

 he was now enabled to crush the rebels ; and to gratify his vengeance, 

 he crucified on one day 800 of the most distinguished captives. Their 

 wives and children were massacred before their eyes ; whilst the king 

 dined with his wires in sight of the victims. On account of this 

 cruelty he was surnamed 'the Thracinn.' 



Alexander Janntcui. 



Alexander after this engaged in several wars, by which he enlarged 

 bin dominions. Desirous to reconcile his subjects, he asked them what 



