A Few Questions

This moderated forum is for discussion of Alexander the Great. Inappropriate posts will be deleted without warning. Examples of inappropriate posts are:
* The Greek/Macedonian debate
* Blatant requests for pre-written assignments by lazy students - we don't mind the subtle ones ;-)
* Foul or inappropriate language

Moderator: pothos moderators

Post Reply
Ambrosia
Pezhetairos (foot soldier)
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 3:22 pm

A Few Questions

Post by Ambrosia »

Hello everyone, I have a few questions that I am sure some of you will be able to assist me with. I will try my best to make it clear to everyone. I don't really have time to double check my grammar I am at work and must make this quick. So forgive me.

1) What happened to Alexander's cousin Alexander of Lyncestis? (Amyntas) If he was killed which I believe he was where did this take place? Was it at Prophtasia along with Philotas?

2) Was Cleitus to be left behind to govern Bactria? And did Alexander begin to have his successors trained in Macedonian tactics after the death of Cleitus or before? How many of these young Persians where being trained? Also in Sogdiana did Alexander send many of his veterans and wounded home after the death of Clietus or before? Which may have caused some resentment between Clietus and Alexander?

3) I am not sure where I came across this tale but prior to Alexander entering the city of Persepolis he came into contact with some Greeks who were expelled from the city. They had been severely tortured and mutilated. When Alexander discovered they were Greek he freaks out and orders his troops to "Take the city, it is yours". Any truth to this tale?

4) When did Alexander cross the Hindu Kush?
What season was it?
How long did it take?
How large was his force when he did it?

5) When did Alexander meet Bogoas? Did Parmenio find him in Damascus after Issus along with the royal family? Or was it shortly after the death of Darius in the Parthian region when many of Darius's colleagues came over to Alexander's side?

Thanks everyone, look forward to your answers.
User avatar
marcus
Somatophylax
Posts: 4785
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2002 7:27 am
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: A Few Questions

Post by marcus »

Ambrosia wrote:Hello everyone, I have a few questions that I am sure some of you will be able to assist me with. I will try my best to make it clear to everyone. I don't really have time to double check my grammar I am at work and must make this quick. So forgive me.

1) What happened to Alexander's cousin Alexander of Lyncestis? (Amyntas) If he was killed which I believe he was where did this take place? Was it at Prophtasia along with Philotas?

2) Was Cleitus to be left behind to govern Bactria? And did Alexander begin to have his successors trained in Macedonian tactics after the death of Cleitus or before? How many of these young Persians where being trained? Also in Sogdiana did Alexander send many of his veterans and wounded home after the death of Clietus or before? Which may have caused some resentment between Clietus and Alexander?

3) I am not sure where I came across this tale but prior to Alexander entering the city of Persepolis he came into contact with some Greeks who were expelled from the city. They had been severely tortured and mutilated. When Alexander discovered they were Greek he freaks out and orders his troops to "Take the city, it is yours". Any truth to this tale?

4) When did Alexander cross the Hindu Kush?
What season was it?
How long did it take?
How large was his force when he did it?

5) When did Alexander meet Bogoas? Did Parmenio find him in Damascus after Issus along with the royal family? Or was it shortly after the death of Darius in the Parthian region when many of Darius's colleagues came over to Alexander's side?

Thanks everyone, look forward to your answers.
Can't answer all of them fully at the moment, but here's a start:

1. Yes, Alexander of Lyncestis was executed, most probably at Prophthasia. He wasn't Alexander's cousin, though - his cousin was Amyntas, who was done away with on Alexander's accession.

2. Cleitus was due to take up the post of satrap of Bactria, but was gutted before his term of office began.

3. The story of the mutilated Greeks is in Curtius (maybe Justin and Diodorus, too?). Quite possible that it isn't true, but I don't think there's any definitive answer on that one.

All I can do for the moment. Hope it helps as a start. :)

ATB
Marcus
Sine doctrina vita est quasi mortis imago
At Amazon US
At Amazon UK
Callisto
Pezhetairos (foot soldier)
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:14 pm

Re: A Few Questions

Post by Callisto »

marcus wrote: 1. Yes, Alexander of Lyncestis was executed, most probably at Prophthasia. He wasn't Alexander's cousin, though - his cousin was Amyntas, who was done away with on Alexander's accession.
Maybe Ambrosia refers to a theory invented by Hammond that Alexander the Lyncestian was most likely a Temenid, descending from a parallel line of Perdiccas II, hence a distant cousin of ATG. His theory was based solely on name similarities of the Lyncestian's Alexander family with Temenids but i dont find it much convincing.
User avatar
marcus
Somatophylax
Posts: 4785
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2002 7:27 am
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: A Few Questions

Post by marcus »

Ambrosia wrote:5) When did Alexander meet Bogoas? Did Parmenio find him in Damascus after Issus along with the royal family? Or was it shortly after the death of Darius in the Parthian region when many of Darius's colleagues came over to Alexander's side?
On this one, if I recall correctly it was when Alexander was in Hyrkania, after the death of Darius. Bagoas was sent/offered/passed to Alexander by Nabarzanes (?). I really should check these things before answering, but I think that's right. So, in mid-330BC.

ATB
Marcus
Sine doctrina vita est quasi mortis imago
At Amazon US
At Amazon UK
User avatar
marcus
Somatophylax
Posts: 4785
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2002 7:27 am
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: A Few Questions

Post by marcus »

Hi Callisto,
Callisto wrote:
marcus wrote: 1. Yes, Alexander of Lyncestis was executed, most probably at Prophthasia. He wasn't Alexander's cousin, though - his cousin was Amyntas, who was done away with on Alexander's accession.
Maybe Ambrosia refers to a theory invented by Hammond that Alexander the Lyncestian was most likely a Temenid, descending from a parallel line of Perdiccas II, hence a distant cousin of ATG. His theory was based solely on name similarities of the Lyncestian's Alexander family with Temenids but i dont find it much convincing.
Quite possibly. I also agree that it's rather too suppositional. I assume Hammond came up with this one to give the Lyncestian more of a "motive" for plotting against Alexander - i.e. some (distant) claim to the throne.

ATB
Marcus
Sine doctrina vita est quasi mortis imago
At Amazon US
At Amazon UK
busboy

slave market

Post by busboy »

I have just finished the work by Thomas Ault Dodge on Alexander and am perplexed by the statements made that after numerous victories-no matter what group or where- many "were sold as slaves". This occurred just before Alexander went into the Gedrosia desert for example. My question is- sold to whom? To individual soldiers who were with his army? Was there a group of "slave brokers" who followed in the train who bought them and transported them to other places?

On an aside I would comment that as terrible a condition as slavery is it gave the victors another option other than death. How many of us would not be here if slavery had not existed? How many genocides could have been eliminated even in the 20th century if this option was available? I am in no way advocating same and I assume liberty is now worth more than freedom for many but it is a thought that occurred to me. We have made eliminaton of the enemy more of an option when the victor has the will and the way. We have erradicated slavery in most places on this earth but most assuredly we have not done so with genocide. Our methods just become more efficient. I am sure that the problems that exist in the middle east would not fester as it has if it occurred in 400 b.c. One side would have prevailed and simply eliminated the whole other society-or perhpas not. Maybe war with your enemy from time to time and the rewards of having a supply of slaves would make keeping your vanquished enemy around a profitable thing....

As we judge the ancients with our modern morality what would they think of us? Hey we no longer have slavery but look at our neat nuclear missles!
User avatar
Paralus
Chiliarch
Posts: 2875
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:13 am
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: slave market

Post by Paralus »

busboy wrote:I have just finished the work by Thomas Ault Dodge on Alexander and am perplexed by the statements made that after numerous victories-no matter what group or where- many "were sold as slaves". This occurred just before Alexander went into the Gedrosia desert for example. My question is- sold to whom? To individual soldiers who were with his army? Was there a group of "slave brokers" who followed in the train who bought them and transported them to other places?
On the mechanics - the transportation and sale of "slaves" etc in places such as India - I can't help. I would suspect the army took these as prisoners initially and corralled them along until “civilization” was reached and a ready market found.

Slavery, in the ancient world, was an institution upon which “civilization” rested. Most of what we would now call “production” was accomplished by slaves (the silver mines of Laurium in Attica come to mind as do the estates of the Romans). There was, then, always a market for such.

In “civilised” areas (the western parts of Alexander’s empire) there will have been markets for these slaves – same in Greece proper – where the slaves were transacted. In later Hellenistic and Roman times (the second century BC), Delos was the single largest “slave market” of the ancient world and Strabo reports the transaction of 10,000 or more slaves in a single day.
Paralus
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;
Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

Academia.edu
Post Reply