pothos.org

Dear colleagues,Most kindred regards. The questions which I ask relates to Alexander's admiral Nearchus.I was wondering:
1)Is there any solid biographical work on Nearchus?
2)How intimate was he to Alexander?
3) His book, primarily about the campaigns in India, is now lost. Do any later historians strongly ascribe to it as their source?Additionally, by one more comprehensive than myself, a list of Alexander's companions along with their closeness to Alexander would be much appreciated. It will be interesting to see how opinions vary.Sincere regardsYassar

Nearchus was very close to Alexanderfor this you can best consult Waldemar Heckel's book "The Marshals of Alexander's empire" (London: Routledge 1993) and if you can read German Helmut Berve's "Das Alexanderreich auf prosopographische Grundlage" (1926).the ancient source: Arrian's Indica

And as far as other companions go, it's probably impossible to state categorically how 'close' Alexander was to each of them.It is stated categorically in the sources that Alexander was very close to both Hephaestion and Craterus. I don't think any other companion is specifically described as being that close, but it is clear that many of them were friends as opposed to being just people he felt he had to include in his Companions. You need to look at what the sources *do* say to make judgments - inviting Cleitus to share some fruit, for example, tells us something of the state of play between the two; and so on.REading Heckel's "Marshals" is certainly a good idea. Reading the sources and making your own judgments is just as good!All the bestMarcus