1842.] from the West and North-west. 563 



mountains, Alexander returned to Ecbatana, (Isfahan,) and there 

 rejoining his main army, employed the winter in reorganizing his 

 troops, and dismissing homeward those Greeks whose time of service 

 was expired. This effected, early in the spring of 330, b. c. Alexander 

 crossed the Elburz mountains* at the pass near Tehran, called that of 

 Dumavund, and formed his army in two divisions, employing one of 

 them in reducing the Mardi, a poor and semi- barbarous race, who 

 occupied a tract of country between the Elboorz range and the Cas- 

 pian, while the other was destined to operate northward up the eastern 

 shore of the Caspian against Hyrcania. With this latter went Alexander, 

 his reason for reducing this wild country being that a body of Greek 

 mercenaries had retired thither. Hearing, however, while his army 

 was crossing the Elburz, that Darius was in force at no great dis- 

 tance, he countermarched and formed a light division with which he 

 went in person to attack him. 



The Persian king, assisted by Bessus and the chiefs of Bactria and 

 Darangia, (Seestan) had" appeared with an army towards Mushhud,f but 

 refused to abide another battle, and fled as the Greek force approached. 

 In this flight Darius was first deposed and made prisoner, and then 

 slain, and Bessus assuming the royal title, fled towards Bulkh in 

 Bactria. This was in the month of July 330 b. c. and, if Quintus 

 Curtius is right in naming Tabas as the place of the assassination, 

 the flight must have taken a southerly direction from near Mushhud 



* The pass is called in Arrian, the Caspian gates, and Ragcea is placed near it. 

 D'Anville's map of the ancient world gives precisely the locality of Dumavund for this 

 pass. Darius's flight cannot have taken the line of the west shore of the Caspian, so 

 as to pass the Durband Caspian gates. 



f There is much confusion in this part of Arrian's narrative. He mentions the reorga- 

 nization of the army and many arrangements made at Ecbatana, but leaves it to be 

 supposed that these were operations of a day or two, and that the pursuit of Darius to 

 Ragae and the Caspian gates was immediately taken up. But there is a winter in- 

 tervening between Alexander's march to Ecbatana and the campaign, in the course of 

 which Darius was deposed and assassinated : this season therefore was evidently devoted 

 to the reorganization of the army, and if Alexander did follow Darius to Ragse in 

 331 b. c, it was a mere excursion at the end of the season, not a continuance or renewal 

 of the campaign. Dr. Thirlwall has been misled by not allowing for a winter here. 

 He supposes that season to have been occupied in the operations near Persepolis. 

 The date given by Arrian for Darius's death, compared with that of the battle of Arbela, 

 and the stated military, and civil arrangements made at Ecbatana, prove the manner 

 of the campaign. 



