Historical Fragments Anonymous History Of Alexander in Greek
The History of Alexander is an anonymous and fragmentary Greek work concerning the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Preserved only in seven brief excerpts quoted by later Byzantine authors, primarily the patriarch Photius and the emperor Constantine VII, the original scope and character of the complete history are unknown. The surviving passages, however, indicate it was a continuous narrative. They reference specific episodes including Alexander's consultation of the oracle of Ammon at Siwa, details on the Persian king Darius III such as his age and death, Alexander's pursuit of Darius's murderer Bessus and his subsequent treatment of the Persian royal family, the appointment of the Persian Oxathres as satrap of Paractacene, and the rebuilding of the temple of Athena in Priene. As a representative of the lost early historiography of Alexander, these fragments occasionally preserve variant details absent from the major surviving accounts and are therefore of value to scholars reconstructing the development of the Alexander tradition.
| 2b,148,F 1 | [ ...... ]τ̣ους μ[ . ] . [ .. ..... θ]εάτ[ρ]ωι κα[ .. ...... ]ους απε[ ... ...... ]ε περὶ θρόν[ον ........ ]ι̣ν τοῖς Μ̣[α κεδόσι π]αρέδωκε [ν . οὗτοι δ’] ἀπετυπάν[ι σαν αὐτό]ν. τὸ δὲ σῶμ[α τοῦ Φιλ]ίππου θερά [πουσι θάψ]αι παρέδωκ[ε ....... π]ερὶ τὴν [ .. ......... ]σκλ̣[ .... |
| 2b,148,F 2 | [ ... ] . [ ........... ... ] σ̣ου [ .......... .. ] δακρυς . [ ....... Κά]δμου . [ .. ] . β . [ .. το]σοῦτο κακὸν δι̣[ .. . ]εκυλισε[ν] Θήβα[ις κ]αὶ δὴ Θῆβ[α]ι̣ ἐν ἀν [θρ]ώποισιν ἀοικοι[ ... ]δ̣ι̣κ̣ον τ’ ἄρνας τε̣[ ... ]οιμ οαρους τε λε[ ... ] . εν μ̣[ .. ] . δρη . [ |
| 2b,148,F 3 | ν̣ο̣υ̣μ ** εισιν̣ * [Θη] β̣αίων̣ ** ω ** |
| 2b,148,F 4 | *. ι[ . ]η * * ο̣μην τε̣ * * δ̣ημο̣σ̣ * * τ̣ουργο * * μ̣ον * * δια̣ * |
| 2b,148,F 5-6 | col. II κατὰ την̣ * ης ἐβασ[ίλευε (?)] ου καὶ α * στ ** δ .... [ ... ] . τε καὶ Σπιθα[ραδατ . ] βάρβαροι κα * [ε]ν̣οπλοι πρ * [τ]ὴν τοῦ σώμ̣[ατος .. ] λ̣α̣ γ̣ὰρ μο̣ν̣ * των εἶχο[ν ...... ἐκ] πληξιν[ ....... πλῆ(?)] θος τ * παρει̣ * οντε * τραι καὶ ἀν[ ....... ἀ(?)] γῶνας εχ̣ * Μακεδον * |
| 2b,148,F 44 | col. I [ἐπιχειρ]ήσειν (?) αὐτὸν φαρ μάκωι. μέλλοντος δ’ αὐτοῦ διδόναι Παρμε [νί]ων διάφορος ὢν τῶι [Φι]λίππωι γράφει πρὸς [Ἀλ]έξανδρον κελεύων φυλάξασθαι τοῦτον· ἀ κούειν γὰρ χείλια τά λαντα Δαρεῖον αὐτῶι διδόναι καὶ τὴν ἀδελ φὴν γυναῖκα, ἐφ’ ὧι αὐ τὸν ἀνελεῖ. Ἀλέξαν δρος δὲ λαβὼν τὴν ἐ πιστολὴν καὶ οὐδὲν ⟦ ι ⟧ προσποιησάμ[ε]νος π̣είν[ει ......... ] . τ̣ι̣α̣ col. II εἶχε τοὺς Μακεδόνας· ἑξήκοντα γὰρ τῶν βαρ βάρων μυριάδες ἦσαν· οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι τῶν Μακε δόνων κατεφρόνουν. Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ πλησί ον ὁρῶν τὴν κρίσιν ἐν ἀγωνί[αι] ἦν καὶ πρὸς εὐχὰς ἐτράπη Θέτιν καὶ Νηρηίδας καὶ Νηρέα καὶ Ποσειδῶνα ἐπικα λούμενος, ὧι καὶ τέτρω ρον ἅρμα ἐκέλευσεν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἀνα[γα] γόντας ῥεῖψαι· ἐσφ[αγιά] ζ̣ετο δὲ καὶ νυκτὶ κ[ ... col. III σαν οἱ Πέρσαι, εἶτα τὸ λοιπὸν τῶν βαρβάρων πλῆθος, μεθ’ οὓς οἱ ξένοι. οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἀλέξαν δρον ἱππεῖς μὲν ἱππεῦ σιν, πεζοὶ δὲ πεζοῖς ἐπηκολούθουν, καὶ τὸ πεδίον πλῆρες ἦν νε κρῶν. πολὺ δὲ μέρος τῶν Μακεδόνων ἐπὶ τὰς σκηνὰς τῶν βαρ βάρων ὥρμησεν εἰς δι αρπαγὴν τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς· πλήρεις δ’ ἦσαν ποικί λης γάζης. Ἀλέξανδρος δ’ ἐπιθυμῶν λαβεῖν [Δαρ]εῖον ἐδίωκεν με [τὰ δρ]ό̣μ̣ου (?)· πυθόμε [νος δὲ ἤδη α]ὐ̣τ̣ὸ̣ν ἀ[ . ] . [ ] col. IV ἔχοντι ὑπ’ ἀθεραπ[ε]υ σίας τῆι ἑξῆς προσ[ή] νεγκέ τις τῶν ὑπασπ[ι] στῶν λαβὼν παρὰ [βου] κόλου ἄρτου τρύφος· [ὁ] δὲ διὰ τὴν ἔνδ[εια]ν̣ φαγὼν ἀσμένως ‘πάν τες ἄρα‘ εἶπεν ‘ἄνθρω ποι ζῶσιν ἡδέωσ‘. ἀ πέθανον δὲ τῶν μὲν Μακεδόνων πεζοὶ χείλιοι καὶ ἱππεῖς δια κόσιοι· τῶν δὲ βαρβά ρων πεζοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἐ λάττους πέντε μυριά δων, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχί λιο[ι, τῶν δὲ ξ]έ̣ν̣ων πε [ρὶ ........... ]ε̣ . η̣ col. V λα ** ω . * [Ἀλέξαν(?)] δρο̣ * και * λου * επι̣ * ***** α . * ναθ * σεσθ[αι * ρα και̣ * κοι[ο]α̣ . * επο̣ * ἐν Ἰ[σσῶι(?) * βολ̣ * παιδ̣ * κεδ * ἀλλο̣ * επε * σιπα * |
| 2b,148,F 45 | ......... ]ο̣[ ....... ........ ]ας κ[αὶ ἀπο] λύσας ἅπαντας α[ ... ἔ] βαινεν ἐπὶ Δαρε̣[ῖον] διαβὰς τὸν Εὐφρ[άτην], καὶ μάχην αὐτῶ[ι συν] άπτει δευτέραν [ ..... ..... ] . ν̣[ ... ]θ̣α . |