388 Conjectures on the march of Alexander. [July s 



It was in this province that the traitor Bessus seized the person 

 of Darius, whom he subsequently assassinated. History does not 

 record the spot where the assassination took place. From the statement 

 of Plutarch, it appears Alexander sojourned for some time in 

 Parthia. After he left this province his march became exceedingly irre- 

 gular and confused, and we find no historical elucidation of it. Some 

 historians say that he returned to Hyrcania ; Plutarch is amongst 

 those who give us this statement ; others, however, relate that he 

 marched into Bactriana. Rennel, the geographer, is of opinion, that 

 on leaving the western provinces of the Caspian Sea he passed 

 through Aria and Zarangcei to make the conquest of Arachoda, and 

 that from thence he proceeded to direct his attack upon the Bactrians. 

 I am led to be of this opinion ; and what most strongly induces me to 

 adopt it, is the death of Philotas, which was very much anterio' to 

 the murder of Clitus ; and it is well known that the former perished 

 in Zarangsei, and the latter in Sogdiana. Alexander on leaving 

 Parthia passed through Aria, which is watered by the modern Arius, 

 anciently called the Heriroud, and which passed by Herat. He here 

 built a town, which I imagine must be that called Obeh, situated ten 

 farsangs to the east of Herat : however, this latter town was built by 

 Alexander, according to the reports of its inhabitants ; but some 

 geographers refute their statement by giving as their opinion, that 

 Herat is not the Aria of the ancients. Barbie' du Bocage says, that 

 Artacvana, otherwise called Aria, was the capital of the province of 

 this name. In regard to this, I must notice that in my travels from 

 Ispahan to Yezd, I found the town of Ardecon, in its vicinity, in the 

 same route, the equally ancient town of Akda, and quite close to this 

 again was another called Beni-bit. Now these three towns bear in 

 their names the strongest resemblance to those called Aria, Artacvana, 

 and Bitaxia, that Barbie of Bocage fixes in Aria Proper. This 

 country, of which I have just spoken, is situated between Ardistdn and 

 the province of Yezd, and is no other than the Isatcechce (icraroixoi) 

 of the Greeks, where the worship of fire and the institutions of the Magi 

 were established. I must, moreover, notice that at the distance of two 

 days' journey southward of the town of Tun, we enter the territory of 

 Bucharia, and here meet with ruins, which may be attributed to the 

 ancient Persians ; but I must observe, that neither in this canton or in 

 those of the three above-mentioned towns, is any river bearing the 

 name of Arius to be found. 



From Areia, Alexander marched into Zarangaei, now called Sigis- 

 tan, but a vestige of its ancient name remains in that of the actual 

 capital called Zarang, which is no other than the town of Propthasiu, 

 where Alexander put Philotas to death. 



