Gaza; source for Curtius

[agesilaos]

Sometime ago there was a thread about Gaza, posted by Dave I think. I have now tracked down the source for CurtiusGÇÖ story of AlexanderGÇÖs mistreatment of Baetis a la Achilles. It is Hegesias of Magnesia , the archetype of poor style. He was a sophist not a Historian and it is likely that his work was a display piece rather more like a Stanley Holloway monologue than CarlisleGÇÖs GÇÿHistory of the French RevolutionGÇÖ. Since it is found in Dionysius of HalicarnassosGÇÖ essay on Literary Criticism I apend it here so that no one else need buy the volume for these few lines.
GǪ.The subject which the sophist is treating is as follows. Alexander , when beseiging Gaza, a strongly fortified position in Syria, is wounded during the assault and captures the place after some time. Carried awayby anger he massacres all the surviving inhabitants, allowing his Macedonians to kill anyone they should mee; and having captured their commander, a man who was highly honoured for his position and his appearance, he gives orders that he should be bound alive to a war-chariot and the horses should be driven at full speed before the eyes of al; and he kills him in this way. No one could have a story of more terrible suffering to tell, or one containing more visual horror. Has our sophist portrayed this scene in a dignified and elevated manner, or a mean and ridiculous one ? It is worthwhile to see:
GÇÿThe King advanced leading his division(syntagma).Some plan had been formed by the enemy commanders to meet him as he approached; for they had come to the conclusion that, if they overcame this one man, they would rout his host at the same time. This hope led them on to daring, so that never before had Alexander been in danger to such a degree. One of the enemy fell on his knees, and Alexander thought he had done so in order to ask for mercy. Having allowed him to approach, he narrowly avoided the thrust of a sword (xiphos) which the man carried under the flaps of his corselet (pteruges), so that the blow was not mortal. Alexander himself dispatched the man with a blow to the head from his sabre (macheira), but the kingGÇÖs followers were inflamed with spontaneous anger. In fact, so completely did the manGÇÖs insane daring banish pity from the minds of everyone who aw or heard of it, that six thousand barbarians were cut down at the trumpet signal which followed. Baetis himself however, was brought before the king alive by Leonatos and Philotas.

[agesilaos]

And Alexander, seeing that he was corpulent and tall and savage-looking ( for he was black in colour too) , was seized with loathing for his appearance as well as for his designs against his life, and ordered that a bronze ring be drawn through his feet and that he should be dragged round, naked. Pounded with the pain of passing over many rough pieces of ground, he set up a scream. And it wasjust this detail which I mention that brought people together. The pain racked him, and he kept on yelling like a barbarian, begging Alexander for mercy and calling him GÇÿLordGÇÖ (despoten); and his peculier language made them laugh. His fat swelling flesh suggested another creature, a Babylonian beast of ample proportions. So that the troops made sport of him, mocking with the coarse mockery (hubris) of the camp an enemy who was hateful in appearance and clumsy in his manner.GÇÖ

[susan]

If there is anything real in the account, it's maybe Alexander & his men's revulsion at the attack by someone appearing to surrender. Similar events have happened in Iraq recently. I wonder what the stories were, that Curtius deemed too sensational to use ?Are you doing an MSc in Alexander sources , Karl?Susan

[agesilaos]

Sadly not, I grind away as a self-employed a/c fitter and work is slow at the moment. The big laugh is that I hated doing Alexander at University because he was too well known what a volte-face.I still think Curtius used this because of the comparison to Gaius' antics though I have to confess that Hegesias' inspiration was Homer. Incidentally it would seem that most of the Homeric allusions, the race around the tumuli at Troy, Lysimachos the Tutor's adventure outside Tyre etc may derive from sources as 'good' as Hegesias it pays to be wary.
Chaire.

[dean]

Hello Karl,
Thanks for your posts regarding Batis and the Achillean punishment mentioned in Curtius.I remember several months ago discussing with you the difference between Curtius and Arrian- and the analogy of the news of the world and the times that you used- to demonstrate Curtius' sensionalist style and Arrian's matter of fact one.This subject has always left me with a sense of horror- I remember even reading Nietschze's analysis- of the occurance- saying that no man, no matter how god-like, is at the end of the day able to rise above his condition of being a man, ie. savage, cruel, base,or to paraphrase the great man himself, human all too human.Thanks once again for the source details,Best wishes,
Dean.

[jan]

The savagery is quite interesting. I just read where Alexander, after the death of Hephaestion, and while quite drunk, became angry at Cassander and picked him up by his hair and thrust him up against a wall. It is said that Cassander was so terrifed that even after becoming King whenever he saw a statue of Alexander he trembled, and raised his eyes. I do not believe that the full capacity of Alexander's power can ever be underestimated.