Historiae Alexandri Magni

341 Pages·2016·11.87 MB·English

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A COMMENTARY ON BOOK 3
OF
Q. CURTIUS. RUFUS'
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HIS TORIAE ALEXANDRI MAGNI
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J.E. ATKINSON B.A. (Dunal..,,)
Pre~ent~d as a thesis to the University \
of ·Cape Town in fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
1971
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The copyright of th!s thesis is held by the
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Reprodtic::i:--n whn~~ or any part
may be made far s::ucy p:.irpo:;cs only, and
not for publication.
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The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No
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quotation from it or information derivedT from it is to be

published without full acknowledgemeent of the source.
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The thesis is to be used for private study or non-
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Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms
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of the non-exclusive liceinse granted to UCT by the author.
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This Commentary has an immediate claim to originality in
that it is the first full-so.ale commentary on any part of the
Histories to appear since MUtzell' s work of 1&:-1. Further it
is, as far as I know, the first extended commentaI"J on Curtius
to appear in English.
The Introduction deals first ~ith the vexed problem of
Curtius' id.entity and his dates. Korzeniewski' s thesis that
Curtius wrote in Augustus' reign, in the 20s. B.C.,is rejected,
and more recent attempts to date Curtius to other reigns are
likewise rejacted (Verdiere - Nero; Hilns-Galba; Instinsky and
Scheda - Vespasian; Robinson - Septimius Sevel'.Us; Griset -
.iUexander Severus). The internal evidence indicates a date in
Claudius' reign. Passages in the £!ist~i?-0s indicate that
Gurtius was a. Senator, ancl it is argued that the historian should
be identified as tho 1novus homo' who held at least one pro
cpnsuJ.c.r appointment in Claudius' reign. Tho Sena.tor's c_urs.1::.:!
is fully analysed. It is further argued that the hj_storian may
also have been the Curtius referred to in Suetonius' list of
rhctors.
The Introa.uction then deals vr.i. th Curtius' sources and his
narrative art. It is emphasized h8ro and throughout the ColllI!lcn
tary toot study of the primary sources on tho history of .Alexander
has generally failod to establish the features of Curtius' in
dividual style 1·1hich have to be discounted in the process of
identifying Curtius' sources. It is argued that Curtius road
Trogus1 Philippicn. and in places adopted his phraseology uhilst
taking the historical detail from other sources. Whilst Curtius
tallies rri th Arrian on many points, Tarn's argument that AristobuJ.us
uas the common sourc0 is rejected; Gurtius appears to hnvo read
Ptolemy's \7ork, uhlch like AristobuJ.us1 was a source f-:::r Arrian.1 s
Anabc.sis, but Curtius used another sourco too which included
detail suppressed by Ptol~ny. Theories that the parallels
between Curtius and Diodorus arise f'r0m their common use of'
Cleit archus or Duris arc shnwn to have little support f'rom the
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lcr10'1m fra@:lonts. Tho influence of Livy 1 ancl of the schools
of rhetoric and philosophy is also indicated.
Tho Introctuction c·:mcludos rri th a shcrt survey of olemonts
cf Gurtius1 narrative n.rt. Tho structure of the lih~~orics is
episodic, though thG episodes a.re cnref\llly interrelated, in
part, as Book 3 sh0us, by motif's uhich run right through a
book. The theory of Tan1 and others that tho inconsistent
portrayal of Alcxnnder stems froQ Curtius' clumsy .£.2U...ic..min~
of dif"forcnt sources is sho-.m to be unsa.tisfact0ry: sorae in-.
consistencies arc illusory, dispelled by exo.mine.tion of the
dramatic structure of tho episodes concerned; some of tho in
consistency arises from Curtius' inability to separate the
historical l(Lexander from the Julio-Claudian image.
The Comnentary concentrates on historical probleos, the
sources and Curtius' ne.rrative art, thcmgh some c.ttention is
given to textual problems.
A scrias of appendices covers problams concerned with the
chronology of events in 334--333 B.C., Athenian politics, Athena
on coins of Cilicia, tho idonti ty of tho River Pinc.rus, and
cataphract cavalry.
iii
Table of Contents
Page
Summary i
Preface iv
Bibliography and Abbreviations vi
Introduction
Curtius1 dates· and identity xx
A. The internal evidence xx
Commentary on C,R. x,9, 1-6 :x:xiv
Literary parallels xx.xvi
Linguistic pointers xli
Passages echoing the reigns of
Tiberus and Claudius xliv
Germanicus and Caligula xlv
B. External evidence xlvii
· Testimonia xlviii
Curtius the Senator 1
The rhetor lviii
Curtius1 sources and the composition of the
Histories lix
A. Sources
Curtius' use of Trogus 1x
Curtius and Arrian1s sources lxiii
Curtius, Diodorus and Cleitarchus bcvi
B. Elements of Curtius' style l:x:x
Episodic structure and motifs lxx
Influence of rhetoric l:x:xii
Dramatisation lxxii
Characterisation lxxiii
Commentary on Book 3 - 1 -
!J>pendices
A. Chronology 236
B. Athenian politics and Macedon 240
c.
The sacrifice to Athena at Soli 244
D~ The geography of the area around Issus 250
E. Cataphract cavalry 257
F. Sequence of events on the day of the battle 260
Sketch Maps
Map to illustrate discussion on Thapaacus 110
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Asia Minor 117
Cilicia 262
Issus and the Pinarus (based on Janke1s maps) 263
iv
Preface
The third book of Curtius' Histories is on the face of it
one of the less interesting sections of the work, o.nd one ••hose
study is less likely to ba reuarding than sorJ.e of the other
books. I should there:fore point out that this project hns not
finished as it uns originci.lly plrumed, for the intention was to
provide a commentary on tho fourth book o.s \70ll as the third.
Hm1evcr it eaerged the.t there un.s e. grec.t decl of t1ork to be
done on the third book o.ncl n.n extension of the commentary would
have resulted in an unreasonably long thesis. Analysis of the
single book hn.s, I think, shmm up the main features of Curtius'
no.rrativo o.rt nnd revealed soaething of Curtius1 use of his
sources.
I have tried to ind.ic2..tg the type of nan Curtius rr.::i.s, n.nd
the circumstances in uhich it wo.s uritten, for it is nocossa.ry
to see the uork in tho social context in rrhich it ua.s prepared.
A
critique of Curtius' ideas a.nd 0f the values of the social
cla.ss to uhich he belonged nnd for Hhich he \7.::ls \1ri ting h11s
not been included in this thesis, since such a critique should
be subsidiriry to tha a.naJ.ysis of Curtius' work per s~, o.ncl it
would cover rmch ground that is 11011 knoym a.nd not of ir:u:lediate
relevance to the Histories. Thus o.y concern has been to set
the nork in its historical context, rn.thor than to assess it
in political c:ind ethical tel'Ds.
The preparation as a thesis of a com1entu.ry on a nork like
Curtius' ~i£ries presents special probleos: if the coLlIZ!entary
is to be thorough anc:"t cooprehensive it nust cover many points
on which little c&"l be said that would be original; and it must
require of the connentator discussion of topics that are marginal
to his field of study. Thus I regret thc,t there arc severn.l topics
connectoc1 with the Histo:r:~ Book 3 on uhich I cannot clcim to
rrri te with any expert knor1ledge, for instance the tc·pogro..phy n.nd
archnsological sites of Turkey. However oy f'ield is Alexander
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studies, and no drubt the reader's interest will bE: tho sru:10.
Therefore I have avoided loading this thesis >nth no.tori.al that
is readily available in st~1x1ard handbooks in this fiold. For
oxaw.plo, I have oo.it-Ced a c1otailoc1 discussion of each of the
prinary sources mentioned, as the relevant material can con
veniently be folll1CL in Jacoby's Fragmente, Pearson's Lost Histories
of Alexander c.nd. Hc:iail ton's cor.:u::ionto.ry on Plutarch's Alexander.
The Cor:im.;;nt2..ry is priuarily concerned with historical
problems m1.Cl textual prcblens have generally been ignored,
except where the te.'Ctuo.l crux requires the historian1 s o..icl •
.Further, as B~;.rdon1 s text is not wholly accurate. I hc:we comocnted
on a number of taxtu.:U points to illustrc"tc the deficiencies of
his edition. Dospito its weaknesses Bardon' s edition h['..s been
selected as the toxt for this commento.ry, as it is tho most
recent of the reputable ecli ticns and belongs to a series uhich
is helQ by most university libraries.
I wo.s fortw.1ate enough to have as·ExternGl Supervisor
Professor Badian, and his diligence and prompt attention to
every letter 11ssured me of ready assistance al though several
thousn.ncl 1ailes separated us. His contribution to Alexancl.er
studies is consider.::i.ble c.nct uell knorm, anc1 it 11ill be appre
ciated ho~ great an advn.ntage it is to have his assistance.
I am furthor grateful to Professor Baclian and also to Dr.
Errington far having allowed me to re.'.1d certain o.rticles ahead
of their publication date.
Professor Paap acted as Internal Supervisor and I run grate
ful to hio for his assistance, particularly in the me..tter of
securing study grDnts. Then I must record my gratitude to the
Council of the Univorsi ty of Cape Torm for granting me a year's
stuc1y leave in the period 1 69 - 1 70, and awarding me a trc..vol
grant. I am grateful to the librarians of the universities of
Mo.nchester ~d Liverpool, aru:i. of the Bodleian and. Ashmole.:m
libr.:iries, Ox:f'ord, for alloning me to stuc'..y in their libraries
during my perioL of leave •
.Finally I must thank 1:1rs. O. Corder and my nife for their
p:i. tience anc1 industry in tYlJing this thesis.
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Bibliography and Abbreviations
A. Author Abbreviations
C.R. = Curtius Rufus, and unless otherwise indicated
all references are to book 3. The text employed is Bardon's
and the le_~ give his readings with the exception that I have
preferred to use 1v' for 1u1 where this is customary.
A. "" Arri an.
D.S. Diodorus Siculus and unless otherwise
~ 9
indicated the reference is to book 1(.
Plut. = Plutarch, and the text used is that of
C. Lindskog and K. Ziegler, Plutarchi, Vitae Parallelae vol. ii,
2
fasc. 2 Teubner, Leipzig t68.
J. = Justin. .
Metz E:pit. = Metz Epitome. P.H. Thomas Incerti
Auctoris J!J.pitoma Rerum Gestarum Alexandri etc. Teubner, Leipzig,
160.
B. The abbreviation of titles of :periodocals follows the
scheme of L' .A.nne€ Philologique. This bibliography is primarily
intended to explain abbreviations employed in the text of this
I
thesis and is not intended to be a comprehensive list on Curtius
Rufus and the history of Alexander the Great1s campaigns of
333 B.C.
C. Editions of Curtius to which reference is made by the editor's
name
J. Mutzell 9, Curtii ~f'i de gestis Alexandri Magni regis
Macedonum libri ..9..._Ui supersunt octo 2 vols, Berlin,
1841.
E. Hedicke Q Curti Rufi Historiarum Alexandri libri
2nd. Edtn. Teubner, I~ipzig '08.
J. Verges Q. Curcio Rufo 1 His tori a de Alejandro Magno r
Libros III .LE_, Escuela de Filologia, Barcelona
'51.
vii
C. Editions (continued)
K. Muller and H. Schonfeld Geschichte Alexanders des
Grossen Tusculum - Thicherei, Munchen 154.
J.C. Rolfe Quintus Curtius: History of Ale3ander 2 vols.
Loeb Classical Ll.brary, London-Cambridge (Mass~ 156.
H. Bardon Qµinte Curce 'Histoires' Texte etabli et
traduit. Coll.G. Bude, Les Belles Lettres, 2 vols.
Paris, 2nd. Edtn. '61~65 (vol. 1 covers bks. 3-6).
Constant use has been made of
o.
Eichert Vollstandiges Worterbuch zu dem Geschichtswerke
3
des Q+intus Curtius Rufus Hannover, 1893,
conveniently reprinted by Olms, Hildescheim, •67.
D. Other works:
J.E. Atkinson, Primary sources and the Alexa.nderreich
A.Class. vi, 163 125 sq.
E. Badian (1) Studies in Greek and Roman Histor:y:z_
c
Blackwell, Oxford 164.
II (2) = Ha.rapalus JHS lxx:x:i, 161 16 sq.
" (3) = The death of Philip II Pho~nix xvii,
163 244 sq.
II (4) Alexander the Great and the Greeks of
Asia, in Ancient Soc~ety and Institutions:
Studies prstd. to V. Ehrenberg. Blackwell
Oxford 166 37 sq.
II (5) = Agis III Herll2_e~ xcv, 167 170 sq.
" (6) Orientals in Alexander's army JHS
l.x.xxv, 65 160-1.
I
II (7) = The Eunuch Bagoas CQ viii, '58 144 sq.
II (8) = The death of Parmenio ~ xci, '60
324 sq.
II (9) = A King's Notebooks HSCP lxxii, '68
183 sq.
II (10) =The date of Cleitarchus PACA viii,
165 5 sq.
viii
D. Other works (continued)
H. Bardon (2) = Quinte Curce LEC xv, '47 3 sq.
" (3) = Qµinte Curce historien LEC xv, 147
120 sq.
II (4) La valeur literaire de Qµinte Curce
c
LEC xv, '47, 193 sq.
II (5) ~ review of Gonzalez-Haba Zur S;pita.x
der Unter9rdmmg bei Curtius in Latomus
xx, 161, 173-4.
=
A.R. Bellinger E-ssa-ys -Essays on the coinage of Alexander
the Great New York 163.
2
K.J. Beloch Griech.Gesch. iii/iv= Griechische Geschichte
Berlin, vols. 3 and 4, 122 - 127.
II (2) = Die :Sevolkerurig der gTiech-romischen
We 1 t I4 Tei 1, Leipzig 1886.
J. Beranger Recherches = Recherches sur l' aspect
ideologique du J?rinci;eat Basle, 153.
H. Bervo i/ii = Das Alexanderreich auf prosopographischer
Grundlage 2 vols. Miinchen, 126.
B.M.C. z Catalo~e of the Greek Coins in the British
Museum. References in Appendix C.
G.W. Bowersock: = .Auzystus and tho Greek Horld Oxford t65.
H. Brandenburg Mitra = Studien zur Mitra ~ Bei tras-e zur
Waffen - u. Trachtgeschichte der
Anti_!<:..£_ (Fontes et Cornmentationes IV)
Aschendorff, Mlinster 166.
A.B. Breebaart Historiografische Aspectcn = Enige
historiografische Aspecten van Arrianus'
Anabasis Alexa.ndri diss., Leiden • 60.
T.S. Brown Onesicritusg A Study in Hellenistic.
Historiography, Univ. of California Press 149.
R.T. Bruere, Silius Italicus ~-c~ iii, 62-162 and iv,
763-822, CP xlvii, 152, 219 sq.
P.A. Brunt (1) = Alexander's Eacedonian Cavalry JHS
lxx.:x:iii, 163, 27 sq.
II (2) = Persian accounts of Alexander's
campaigns CQ xii, 162, 141 sq.
II ( 3) = The aims of Alexander G and R xii,
165, 205 sq.