All quotes are from The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, translation by Pamela Mensch. Many signs and divinations appear throughout Arrian’s account of Alexander’s campaigns. The seer Aristrandros interprets the omens extremely well, at least according to Arrian. Factor in Alexander’s insistence on propitiating the gods, before and after an action, and you have […]
Tag: The Campaigns of Alexander
All quotes are from The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, translation by Pamela Mensch. I wanted to add a few words on a few things that stand out about Arrian so far in his book on Alexander. Even though Arrian writes about events occurring 400 years earlier and is reworking Ptolemy’s and Aristobulus’ accounts […]
Aerial photo of Tyre, 1934 Picture source The mole that Alexander had built out to the city has silted up over timeAll quotes are from The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, translation by Pamela Mensch. I didn’t spend much time talking about the battle of Issus but I do need to recommend The Landmark […]
Battle of Issus, Albrecht Altdorfer Picture source (be sure to click on picture for more detail) All quotes are from The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, translation by Pamela Mensch. In the previous post I mentioned Alexander undoing the Gordion (Gordian) knot as part of the myth-building process. What I didn’t mention was the […]
Alexander cuts the Gordian Knot, Jean-Simon Berthélemy Picture sourceIn addition to his brilliance at military tactics and strategy, Alexander proves to be an adept leader of his men. At the same time he takes care to cultivate his reputation, both for current impact and for future generations. All quotes are from The Landmark Arrian: The […]
In Book One Arrian establishes Alexander as trusting and generous with his friends while not hesitating to punish turncoats. The latter group includes Greeks who found it more expedient to follow or sympathize with the Persians. Greek mercenaries were harshly punished, at least at the battle of the Granicus River. However Alexander spared the small […]
A few stray thoughts during the conference call covering Book One of The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, translation by Pamela Mensch this evening, some have been bubbling beneath the surface while others were spurred by other comments. One of the first points discussed was Arrian’s assessment as a historian. For ancient historians, Herodotus […]
A few additional thoughts I wanted to add to my previous post on the battle at the Granicus River… To camp or not to camp 1. When Alexander learned of the concentration of the Persian forces, he advanced rapidly and encamped opposite the enemy, so that the Granicus flowed between the encampments. 2. The Persians, […]
Then he went to Delphi, to consult Apollo concerning the success of the war he had undertaken, and happening to come on one of the forbidden days, when it was esteemed improper to give any answers from the oracle, he sent messengers to desire the priestess to do her office; and when she refused, on […]
There are many aspects of Alexander that could be discussed from Book One such as the ingenuity demonstrated in avoiding the Thracian carts or in crossing the Danube with hay-filled tents. There is a lot to look at in his mature military tactics demonstrated at the Granicus River or his ability to improvise during the […]