Re: the rest of it

[smittysmitty]

my apologies Nick, Arrian has this capture and return take place whilst amongst the Uxians.
cheers!

[smittysmitty]

lol, sorry with overposting nick, I just got the gist of your thread, captured in 326, hmmm, can't see where that comes from. Maybe a typo error.

[gb]

I haven't read the offending passages, but it sounds a bit like the way Arrian made my ears prick up. First he tells of the naming of a town for the horse, th+¬n he says that Alexander "lost" the horse once, in Uxia.You have to be careful you get these asides put in their proper perspective, maybe a slight mix-up/lapse of concentration happened? Which is okay for a first draught, things like that happen, but should obviously have been edited later on.

[ruthaki]

I'm just buying Worthington's reader. I only had time to finish reading a few chapters of it which I found fascinating and informative. I'll look for the parts you mentions. I think it's an excellent book though, worth having in the reference library.

[nick]

Hi Smitty -Yes, I'm aware of the Uxian/Mardi stories. I just wonder why Worthington says Bucephalas was stolen by the Malli in 326, months after Hydaspes?Regards -
Nick

[nick]

Hi Smitty -Definitely not a typo, I would say. Worthington says Bucephalas was stolen, therefore Alexander attacked the Malli town in the lower Punjab where the infamous arrow-accident happened and Alexander's lung was pierced.Regards -
Nick

[nick]

Nice explanation Marjolein, thanks.It reminds me of the book by Ashley (The Macedonian Empire). Ashley claims that the son of the Indian king Porus was called Aristobulos.I don't know the Greek text, but my English Arrian translation reads at one point: "According to Aristobulos, Porus son was..." etcetera etcetera. Now Ashley is an amateur who must have been very happy to get his book published. But I wouldn't expects misreadings like this in an article by Missouri-Columbia's professor of Greek history.Regards -
Nick

[nick]

Thank you, Tre. I was alraedy beginning to doubt myself. It seems we share the same interpretation here. Can you please tell me where I can find Holt's articles?To put it clear: I am the last one who would object a study that questions Alexander's greatness for the sake of historical accuracy. However, that study needs to put forward proper arguments.Best regards -Nick

[Tre]

Sorry, Nick the Ancient History Bulletin was pulled off the internet for whatever reason.However there were four articles total, two by Worthington (one a reply to Holt's first response) and two by Holt as I recall, in 1999 (13.2, 13.3, 13.4)Regards,Tre

[marcus]

Hi Tre,I think AHB pulled its articles from the net because people kept downloading them without subscribing! :-)Just to add to all of this - I'm sure I have great respect for Worthington, but his articles and, I'm sorry to say, his most recent book, are filled with inaccuracies and inconsistencies. Either he needs a better copy editor, or he's so concerned to prove his argument that he allows some very naughty things to get through.Like referring to the deaths of Parmenion, Philotas, Kleitos, Callisthenes [and Coenus] as a paranoia-induced frenzy of killing... which I find hard to reconcile with the relatively small number of deaths and the timeframe in which they occurred - 5 deaths (if you include Coenus) in 4-5 years is hardly a frenzy!All the bestMarcus

[marcus]

Well, I think the mistakes and errors are catching. I was reading Stoneman's book on Alexander (not 'Legends' but the Lancaster Pamphlets one), in which he mentions Parmenion and puts his dates as 400-327BC. This is, of course, only 4 or 5 paragraphs before mentioning Parmenion's death in 330BC.Some of these publishers need to get some better proof readers!All the bestMarcus

[amyntoros]

I think that one of Holt's articles being referred to is: Alexander the Great Today: In the Interests of Historical Accuracy. And yes, it was pulled off the web by the Ancient History Bulletin, but it can still be accessed by going to the Isadore of Seville site at:http://isidore-of-seville.com/alexander/top.htmlWhen you click on the link for Holt's article, you are taken to a "Wayback" page, with a link that works. Only you might want to be quick about it, before the AHB requests this also be taken down. :-)All the best,
Linda Ann