The Itinerary of Alexander the Great

It is not known by whom this little work was composed. Its authorship been claimed
for Julius Valerius, an Alexandrian writer of the fourth Christian century, but on grounds
quite nugatory. It consists of one hundred and twenty chapters, mostly very short, and is
incomplete, as a few of the closing chapters are wanting. It is addressed to the Emperor
Constantius, son and successor of Constantine the Great, and was meant for the
guidance of that prince in the war against Sapor (or Shahpur), for which he was then
making great preparations. The author has worked out his purpose by presenting a plain
and succinct narrative of the Asiatic expedition of Alexander the Great, whose example
he exhorts Constantius to follow, and thus obtain like glory. Constantius undertook
expeditions against Persia - one in 338 A.D., and the other in 345 A. D. Mai refers the
composition of the Itinerary to the earlier date, but Letronne has convincingly shown that
it must be referred to the later. Its unknown author has been praised for the sound
judgment he has shown in selecting the authorities on which he based his account of
Alexander's progress through Asia. He seems to have pretty closely followed Arrian's
Anabasis. His style is terse and very difficult but not barbarous. After the manner of his
age, he uses pretty freely new-fangled terms and modes of expression.
103. Alexander, marching from Bactra, forthwith recrossed Caucasus, the same
range which we have called Taurus, whereof it is a continuation, the only change being in
the name.
104. In eleven days he effected the passage over this mountain rampart and reached
Alexandria. After passing through the country of the Parapapisamides he directed his
march towards the Indus by way of the city of Nicwa and the river Cophoen. He was
greatly assisted by Taxiles, who at that time held sway over the dominions situated on the
front through which the route to be traversed lay. This chief, who was prepared to
attempt the passage of the Indus, he sent on in advance along with his own troops. In the
course of the march they captured the leader of the enemy who had been sent to oppose
them. So they came to the end of their journey, many other tribes having been put to the
sword, and their towns captured.
105. And Alexander, no less actively engaged if any enemy harassed his forces, was
scratched on the shoulder by an arrow; and when the river Choes had been crossed, all
who came in his way were overthrown. Argacum, a town which had been set on fire, and
which the citizens thought it hopeless to save, he took care to have rebuilt on account of
its commanding position. Finding now his enemies strong in number, he divided his army
into three, and defeated them in every pitched battle. At last 230,000 oxen were captured,
and these, on account of their beauty, he resolved to send along with the prisoners into
Macedonia to cultivate the fields of his men as well as his own.

106. When after this it was found that the Acc tribes had 40,000 men under arms,
he crossed the river Gurus and pressed forward to attack them; but they dispersed
themselves into their towns, which had long before been put into a state of defence
against this invasion. But in point of fact they sallied out and set upon the Greeks while
busy pitching their camp. The Greeks cunningly made a feint of giving way, but
afterwards wheeling round, put them to rout. The fugitives shut themselves up within
their walls, which were of most formidable strength and equipped with every means of
defence. But for the besiegers it was, in sooth, no easy matter to get near men protected
by a double ring of ramparts; and there eventually Alexander was wounded in the leg by
a shaft from a bow. On the fourth day, however, of the fighting, the king of the place was
slain in an action before the walls, and the men surrendered. Alexander was most
desirous that they should take service with him, and they agreed to this; when on being
led forth they swerved from their allegiance, they were hemmed in on every side and
slain.
107. From this place he despatched Cnon, one of his generals, to besiege
Baziphara, and Attalas to besiege the city Hora, under the belief that after the downfall of
the Acc, the would be brought to ready submission. But the people, trusting more to the
strength of their position than impressed by the force of the example, held out till
Alexander, himself passing their way, without difficulty captured both towns, Bazipha
and Hora, in spite of a desperate resistance, and although the men of Baziphara had made
an attack upon the stranger induced by contempt for the paucity of their numbers. After
many had however fallen, such as survived fled all to a strongly fortified rock.
108. The rock, occupying a space of 200 stadia in circuit, rose to the height of 10
stadia, had a gentle slope, and was nearly level at the summit, where springs of water
abounded, an where a thousand peasantry had full scope for their industry. Alexander,
therefore, on coming to that locality, seized a great many cities. Then when he advanced
to the rock and was engaged in laying siege to it, deserters who acted as guides in the
difficult attempt went before him as he made the ascent. The result was that those who
showed fight were taken prisoners and led off the spoil of the victors.
109.But tidings being brought hat the Indians had again with confident ardour by
force of arms battered down the wall of the Acc, and had sent away their elephants
through the jungles, he marched to the place, and on reaching it, found the walls deserted
and the city burned down, while the inhabitants had all dispersed in quest of safer hidingplaces. Such being the state of matters, the pursuit of the Indians was entrusted to one
part of his forces, and when the elephants they went in quest of had been captured, he
came with this division of hip army to the Indus, and lost no time in despatching to his
other troops which were at a distance those supplies which it was ascertained they would
require in their transit.
110. India, taken as a whole, beginning from the north and embracing what of it is
subject to Persia, is a continuation of Egypt and the Ethiopians, and is on every side
hemmed in by the ocean-that interfluent sea of Hippalus, from which branches off the
gulf which shuts in the Persians. Under this name of India is comprehended, you must

know, a vast extent of country which breeds a great multitude of races of men, and
especially of gigantic beasts, such as elephants and acre-long snakes; for in comparison
with these, leopards, lions, or even tigers are tame.
111. Now at that time of which I am speaking, Porus was the ruler of India, a man of
astonishing stature, quite transcending that of other men, while in mental capacity he did
not fall below the level of the endowments of his outward person. On his learning that
Alexander was directing his march towards him, he warned him to keep his distance, but
this only more sharply stimulated the foe whom he defied, and in a fierce battle he was
defeated and made prisoner. This king was notwithstanding admitted into the circle of
Alexander's friends, and, on account of his distinguished merits, had the administration of
his kingdom restored to him. Thus it is unquestionably the duty of a man of right
principle, who rules a state because he is more powerful than others, equally so to yield it
up at once to another who is more powerful than himself, since whoever is aware of his
own mediocrity has sufficiently done his part by his knowing himself.
112. From thence he proceeds to attack the wide dominions of Pecanus and
Musicanus, and annexes them to his sway. His next attempt was the rock called Aornis,
which towers to an altitude of forty stadia, and on its upper parts maintains a large body
of husbandmen whose wealth is in proportion to the security they enjoy. It derives its
name from its being so lofty that even birds cannot fly over it. But, nevertheless, he won
this rock also, having assaulted it by fixing pegs in the path which had to be climbed, and
by resorting to stratagem.
113. There now arose among his chief officers complaint of the magnitude of the
war, because he had forced them to evermore contending with nations of warlike
capacity. With what ardour was he inspired for a conflict with such? But soldiers,
recounting their wounds and their yearnings after the families during an absence of
twelve years, begged to be excused undergoing further toils and dangers for this object.
As he granted in consequence a period of rest to the outworn, his commands were
willingly obeyed. When they were, however, dismissed to fill up vacancies, he ordered
others to be sent from Macedonia to supply their place. And thus urged on by his lust of
conquest he reached the ocean.
114. On this element also his unbounded ambition displayed itself, since, embarking
in boats made of wickerwork, he wished to put nature to the proof and to try what more
would permitted either to himself or to any one who might choose attempt the same. All
of a sudden, through the violence with which the winds were blowing, the tide of the
ocean, return after it had ebbed with more than its usual impetuosity, dashed against the
boats, and engulfed the boatmen who were not prepared for the shock. Nor was it
difficult to see from this that the gods were opposed to his wishes, though for his part he
gave out that it was his endeavour to abstain from daring attempt anything impious.
However, he sent Anomarchus and Neon, men of ready daring but who yet dared not
refuse the king anything, to circumnavigate the ocean and report their discoveries. The
provisions necessary for a long voyage were collected and shipped for the use of such as
volunteered to join the expedition.

115. Although Alexander is said to have had an unbending and indomitable control
over his appetencies, yet on the following occasion, as on that just related, he omitted all
proper to consideration. There was a city in India into which many had fled for refugeone that was of immense size and of impregnable strength. Alexander, when in the act of
besieging it, calling for ladders of unusual length, such as were in proportion to the height
of the wall; and when the defenders were breaking these when brought up by hurling
great pieces of rock down upon them, that ladder alone escaped destruction by which the
king with two attendants had succeeded in gaining the top, even though many from
above, each to the best of his power, were trying to thrust him down. Then though he had
seen all the ladders of his men shattered to pieces, and knew that he would be exposed to
danger without any adequate help at hand, he nevertheless flung himself alone as he was
into the midst of many thousands of the enemy along with the attendants already
mentioned (Peucestas, namely, and Ptolomus), and he forthwith brought upon himself
the whole population of that city.
116. So then, seconded by his attendants, he all day long did the fighting of an entire
army, and would have held on, were it not that he was wounded in the side at the part
highest up, and his strength began to fail, since the steel had pierced far inward. The
Macedonians who were fighting outside, conjecturing this, and fearing lest anything
worse should befall (for they saw that all the people within the walls were to a man
engaged in attacking the king, while no one was posted on the ramparts to prevent any
one forcing his way inside), stormed the gates and brought succour to the king just at the
critical moment when he was yielding to despair. Then the soldiers, made merciless by
rage which added new strength to their arms, forthwith slew all alike without distinction
of age or sex, till every soul perished in the massacre.
117. Thereafter the soldiers united in firmly representing to the king that in his
battles he should no longer put himself to a wrong use, nor be so lavish of his blood,
considering the insignificance of the gain and the magnitude of the loss accruing from the
risk, and they obtained his promise that he would no longer do so, but return to Babylon.
And this he did, and the Babylonians received him with honour.

From: McCrindle, J.W. Ancient India: As Described in Classical Literature.

Westminister, England: Archibald Constable, 1901, 150-155.