The Anabasis of Alexander: Or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great
1884
The Anabasis of Alexander: Or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great
1884
Translated by E. J. (Edward James) Chinnock
Of all the surviving accounts of Alexander the Great, this is the one that has endured not as legend but as history. Arrian, a Roman commander who understood warfare as few writers ever have, composed his Anabasis over four centuries after Alexander's death, yet his work remains the most reliable portrait we possess. He drew from men who marched beside the king himself, particularly Ptolemy and Aristobulus, filtering myth through the lens of witnesses who knew what it meant to hold a shield in formation or to watch the Persian Empire crumble. The result is neither hagiography nor condemnation: it is the portrait of a man of insatiable hunger for glory, a leader whose strategic genius reshaped the ancient world, and whose temptations included being worshipped as a god. Here are the battles that defined empires, the marches through desert and mountain, the destruction of Tyre and the founding of Alexandria, the encounter with the Gymnosophists and the weeping at the edge of the unknown world. Arrian gives us Alexander not as statue but as flesh: brilliant, brutal, magnificent, and ultimately human. This is the book for anyone who wants to understand how one man's ambition became the hinge upon which history turned.
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“Most people, if they know they have done wrong, foolishly suppose they can conceal their error by defending it, and finding a justification for it; but in my belief there is only one medicine for an evil deed, and that is for the guilty man to admit his guilt and show that he is sorry for it. Such an admission will make the consequences easier for the victim to bear, and the guilty man himself, by plainly showing his distress at former transgressions, will find good grounds of hope for avoiding similar transgressions in the future.””
— Arrian
“It is more disgraceful for a king to tell lies than anyone else.””
— Arrian
“In these circumstances they did what most of us do, and, being ignorant of the truth, persuaded themselves into believing what they wished to believe.””
— Arrian
“Do not try to lead men who are unwilling to follow you; if their heart is not in it, you will never find the old spirit or the old courage.””
— Arrian
“Even enemies are not indifferent to honorable deeds.””
— Arrian
“At this point Alexander was visited by envoys from Syrmus, the King of the Triballians, and from the various other independent tribes along the Danube. The Celts from the Adriatic Sea also sent representatives - men of haughty demeanour and tall in proportion. All professed a desire for Alexander's friendship, and mutual pledges were given and received. Alexander asked the Celtic envoys what they were most afraid of in this world, hoping that the power of his own name had got as far as their country, or even further, and that they would answer, 'You, my lord.' However, he was disappointed; for the Celts, who lived a long way off in country not easy to penetrate, and could see that Alexander's expedition was directed elsewhere, replied that their worst fear was that the sky might fall on their heads. None the less, he concluded an alliance of friendship with them and sent them home, merely remarking under his breath that the Celts thought too much of themselves.””
— Arrian
“All the authorities, however, agree as to the following facts:”
— Arrian
“One should not inquire too closely where ancient legends about the gods are concerned; many things which reason rejects acquire some color of probability once you bring a god into the story””
— Arrian
“There are some who say that Anaxarchus the Sophist was summoned into Alexander’s presence to give him consolation. Finding him lying down and groaning, he laughed at him, and said that he did not know that the wise men of old for this reason made Justice an assessor of Zeus, because whatever was done by him was justly done; and therefore also that which was done by the Great King ought to be deemed just, in the first place by the king himself, and then by the rest of men. They say that Alexander was then greatly consoled by these remarks. But I assert that Anaxarchus did Alexander a great injury and one still greater than that by which he was then oppressed, if he really thought this to be the opinion of a wise man, that forsooth it is proper for a king to come to hasty conclusions and act unjustly, and that whatever is done by a king must be deemed just, no matter how it is done. (Chapter IX)””
— Arrian
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Arrian. The Anabasis of Alexander: Or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-anabasis-of-alexander-or-the-history-of-the-wars-and-conquests-of-alexander--f193a352-4acc-4cdb-aa0b-33ef9cdbb3df.Arrian (1884). The Anabasis of Alexander: Or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-anabasis-of-alexander-or-the-history-of-the-wars-and-conquests-of-alexander--f193a352-4acc-4cdb-aa0b-33ef9cdbb3dfArrian. The Anabasis of Alexander: Or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-anabasis-of-alexander-or-the-history-of-the-wars-and-conquests-of-alexander--f193a352-4acc-4cdb-aa0b-33ef9cdbb3df.
