A Historical Commentary on Arrian's History of Alexander: Volume II Books IV-V

397 Pages·1980·8.078 MB·English

by  Albert Brian Bosworth

A HISTORICAL
COMMENTARY ON
ARRIAN’S
HISTORY OF
ALEXANDER
BY
A. B. BOSWORTH

VOLUME II
COMMENTARY ON BOOKS IV-V
CLARENDON PRESS : OXFORD
1995
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PREFACE
The first volume of this commentary appeared in 1980, and 3naugur-
ated an outpouring of work on Arrian. It is fair to state that more
substantive contributions have been made in the past fifteen years
than in the entire preceding century. The new Loeb edition by P. A.
Brunt is now complete, and the Artemis edition by G. Wirth and O.
von Hinüber (Munich and Zurich 1985) has at last appeared. In
addition, there is an elegant French translation by P. Savinel (Arrien:
Histoire d' Alexandre (Paris 1984)), and two full studies of Arrian, by
P. A. Stadter and H. Tonnet, have rendered obsolete my complaint
that Arrian was largely ignored as a writer in his own right. As a
result there is far more appreciation of the complexity of Arrian's
style and understanding of his historiographical milieu. This in-
creased depth of perception has been materially assisted by the
technological revolution in data processing. In 1980 the Thesaurus
Linguae Graecae was at an early stage, and, though one could be
exhaustive in examining Arrian’s style and word usage, it was not
possible to survey the whole corpus of Greek literature. Now the
stylistic models of Arrian and—still more—his impact upon later
writing can be analysed with a sophistication that was previously
unthinkable.
The principles enunciated in my first volume have been relatively
easy to maintain. The method of comparative source criticism is the
only way of elucidating the enigmas of the reign of Alexander, and
the first step is appreciation of the aims and methods of the primary
authors. I have attempted to examine Arrian's methodology and
historical stance in my monograph From Arrian to Alexander (Oxford
1988), and the detailed commentary in this volume deepens and
enlarges the picture. I am perhaps more sympathetic in my evalu-
ation of Arrian than I was fifteen years ago. In some respects it is
genuine admiration for a master of Greek prose and a human being
who, even more than his exemplar, Xenophon, inspires affection as
one becomes familiar with him, but one must also concede that the
quality of Arrian’s work improves as it progresses. Books IV and V
are written on a broader canvas, and show a much greater capacity
for moral criticism and historical exegesis. In these books Arrian's
narrative tends to be fuller and, on the whole, more informative
than that of Curtius, and the record is impressively detailed. He is
still at the mercy of his sources, which are encomiastic and occasion-
ally tainted, but the nature of the material, particularly the episodes
of Cleitus and Callisthenes, imposed a more critical approach. Here
Alexander was the traditional villain, and the exposition could not
v
PREFACE
be entirely laudatory. In consequence the historical writing acquires
depth and colour, and the use of sources becomes more varied and
subtle.
As in the first volume I have avoided long excursuses and kept
my discussion firmly anchored to the text. There are a large number
of cross-references, and the index, as before, is constructed to aid
consultation. In addition I have combined the general bibliography
of short titles with reasonably complete sectional bibliographies. The
intention is to give the most important and influential contributions,
not an exhaustive catalogue of literature (for which one may now
consult the remarkably full compendium by J. M. O’Brien, Alexander
the Great: the Invisible Enemy (London 1992) 241-322). Even so, it was
impossible to include everything of relevance, and I particularly
regret that Waldemar Heckel’s The Marshals of Alexander's. Empire
(London 1992) reached me too late to use systematically. It should
be stated here that this work replaces Berve as the first resource for
the prosopography of Alexander's court and high command.
A large part of this volume was written during a year's study
leave in 1991, for which I must warmly thank my own University. I
owe much to the generous hospitality of Wolfson College, which
made research at Oxford a wholly undiluted pleasure, and once
again the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton offered superb
facilities, warm collegiality, and intellectual tranquillity. I could not
have been more richly endowed with the amenities for study. In the
context of Western Australia I must, acknowledge the continuous
support of my University, which still encourages the Humanities
against a national climate of increasing philistinism, and in particu-
lar the Inter-Library Loans section of the Reid Library, which
provides this isolated outpost with a vital link with the great centres
of academic thought. On a more technical level this book could not
have been prepared for publication without the word-processing
skills of Carol Freele, and I owe the maps and illustrations to Julie
Kennedy. Finally, 1 must thank the Oxford University Press for its
tolerance of ycars of delay and for what can only be termed its
author-friendly attitude, the Australian Research Council for finan-
cial support, and my colleagues at home and abroad, who have
contributed encouragement and criticism. The last word, however,
must belong to my wife, Jo, who has been the indispensable support
for it all.
A.B.B.
January 1994
CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES vii
LIST OF MAPS ix
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SHORT
TITLES xi
INTRODUCTION
I. Arrian and the Alexander History I
2. BookIV san d V 8
COMMENTARY
Book IV 13
Book V 197
Appendix: Axrian's Use of Nearchus 361
INDEXES
General 366
Greek 382
LIST OF FIGURES
page
Representation of proskynests: Sennacherib receiving the
surrender of Lachish 71
Eratosthenes’ picture of the East 237
Alexander's crossing of the Hydaspes, according to Arrian 274
The cavalry engagement at the Hydaspes 296
LIST OF MAPS
page
The campaigns in Sogdiana (summer 329 c)
[2] . 14
The campaigns of 328 Bc 109

» Parapamisadae and the approach to India
n 144
o The campaigns in Swat 150—1
R
Operations at Mt. Aornus 188

g
o The Hermus valley 248
The lower Maeander valley 250

u
o The modern topography around Jhelum 266
The Punjab
317
0
O
India east of the Hyphasis
P»: 9 339

ABBREVIATIONS AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
OF SHORT TITLES
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AC L' Antiquité classique
AHR American Historical Review
AJA American Journal of Archaeology
AJAH American Journal of Ancient History
AJP American Journal of Philology
Altheim-Stichl F. Altheim and R. Stichl, Geschichte Mitlelasiens im Altertum
(Berlin 1970)
AncSoc Ancient Society (Louvain)
AncW The Ancient World (Chicago)
ANET? Ancient Near Eastern Texts: Relating to the Old Testament, ed.J .
B. Pritchard (3rd cdn.: Princeton, NJ 1969)
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der rómischen Welt, ed. H. Temporini
and W. Haase (Berlin and New York 1972-. )
Anspach A. E. Anspach, De Alexandri Magni expeditione Indica (Leipzig
1903)
ASNP Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (classe di lettere c
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Ath, Mitt Mitteilungen des deulschen archdologischen Instituts: athenische
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Atkinson J. E. Atkinson, A Commentary on Q, Curtius Rufus’ Historiae
Alexandri Magni Books 3 and 4 (Amsterdam and Uithoorn
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Avenarius G. Avenarius, Lukians Schrift zur Geschichtsschreibung (Mcisen-
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Aymard, Etudes A. Aymard, Études d'histoire ancienne (Paris 1967)
BAB Bulletin de la Classe des Letires de l'Académie Royale de Belgique
BABesch Bulletin Antieke Beschaving
Badian, Studies E. Badian, Studies in Greek and Roman History (Oxford 1964)
BCH Bulletin de correspondance hellénique
BE J. and L. Robert, Bulletin épigraphique (published initially in
REG and reprinted as a series with indexes, Paris 19727. )
Beloch K. J. Beloch, Griechische Geschichte (and cdn.: 4 vols.:
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Berve H. Berve, Das Alexanderreich auf prosopographischer Grundlage (2
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Bickerman, Institutions — E. Bikerman, Institutions des Séleucides (Paris 1938)
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Billows R. A. Billows, Antigonus the One-Eyed and the Creation of the
Hellenistic State (Berkeley, Calif. 1990)
BMC Ionia B. V. Head, Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Ionia (London
1892)
BMC Palestine G. F. Hill, Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Palestine: Galilee,
Samaria, and Judaea (London 1914)
Bosworth, Conquest and A. B. Bosworth, Conguest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander
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Bosworth, From Arrian A. B. Bosworth, From Arrian to Alexander: Studies in Historical
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Breebart A. B. Breebart, Enige historiografische Aspekten. van Arvienus’
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Breloer B. Brclocr, Alexanders Kampf gegen Poros (Bonner Orien-
talische Studien 4: Stuttgart 1933)
Briant, L’Asie Centrale P. Briant, L’Aste Centrale εἰ les royaumes proche-orientaux. du
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Briant, Etat et pasteurs P. Briant, État εἰ pasteurs au Moyen-Orient ancien (Cambridge
and Paris 1982)
Briant, RTP P. Briant, Rois, tribuls εἰ paysans: Études sur les formations
tributaires du Moyen-Orient ancien (Paris 1982)
Brown, Onesicritus T. S. Brown, Onesicritus: A Study in Hellenistic Historiography
(Berkeley, Calif. 1949)
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CAH The Cambridge Ancient History
Caroe, Pathans Sir Olaf Caroe, The Pathans (London 1962)
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Casson, PME L. Casson, The Periplus Maris Erythraci (Pringcton, NJ 1989)
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Cauer F. Caucr, ‘Philotas, Klcitos, Kallisthencs', Jahrbücher für
classische Philologie Suppl. 20 (1894) 1-79
CE Chronique d' Égypte
CHI The Cambridge History of India
CHiran The Cambridge History of fran
CQ, Classical Quarterly
CRAI Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions el belles-lettres
ew The Classical World
Dahlquist A. Dahlquist, Afegasthenes and Indian Religion (Uppsala
1962)
Denniston J. D. Denniston, The Greek Particles (and cdn.: Oxford 1951)
Denniston, Greek Prose J. D. Denniston, Greek Prose Style (Oxford 1952)
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xii