Then he came to Taphosirion. He asked the local people why it had that name, and they replied that the sanctuary was the grave of Osiris.30 After sacrificing there also, he approached the goal of his journey and reached the site of our present city. He saw a great open space, stretching into the infinite distance, and occupied by twelve villages.31 [Their names were Steirampheis, Phanenti and Eudemos, Akames, Eupyros, Rhakotis, Hegiosa, Ypones, Krambeitai, Krapatheis and Lyidias, Pases, Teresis or Nephelites, Menuia, Pelasos. Rhakotis was the most well-known and was the capital of the group. In the twelve villages were twelve rivers running to the sea. Their outlets were dammed up, and the rivers filled in to become the streets and squares of the city. Only two continued to have an unhindered passage to the sea, of which one is the river Rhakotis, now the street of the great god Sarapis. Another canal is the site of the main square. The largest river, called Xylero, is now Aspendia. Another canal is the site of the temple of Fortune. Then there is the great river Kopronikos; then the large canal and river Nepherotes, where now the dedications are and the shrine of Isis of Nepheros, the first temple built in Alexandria. The largest river of all is the Argeos, where the Argeion now is. Then there is the canal of Areios where the statue of Areios is. Then there is the canal that comes out at the Canopic estuary by the Zephyrion. Another major river is the Heracleotic estuary.32 A-text]
Alexander marked out the plan of a city, stretching in length from the place called Pandysia as far as the Heracleotic mouth of the Nile, and in width from the sanctuary of Bendis to little Hormoupolis (it is called Hormoupolis, not Hermoupolis, because everyone who sails down the Nile puts in33 there). These were the dimensions of the city Alexander laid out, so that up to this day it is called ‘the territory of the Alexandrians’.
Cleomenes of Naucratis and Nomocrates of Rhodes advised Alexander not to build such a large city. ‘You will be unable to find the people to fill it,’ they said. ‘And if you do fill it, the ships will be unable to transport sufficient food to feed them. Those who live in the city will make war on one another, because the city is too big, endless. Small cities are harmonious in debate and take counsel together to their mutual advantage; but if you make this city as great as you have sketched it, those who live here will always be at odds with one another, because the population will be so huge.’
Alexander was persuaded, and ordered his architects to build a city on the scale they preferred. On receiving these orders, they marked out a city extending in length from the river Dracon opposite the promontory of Taphosirion as far as the river Agathodaimon, which is beyond Canobus, and in width from the sanctuary of Bendis as far as Europhoros34 and Melanthios. Then Alexander ordered all those who lived within 30 miles of the city to leave their villages and move to the city; he presented them with parcels of land and called them Alexandrians. The chief officials of the boroughs were Eurylichos35 and Melanthos, which is how those districts got their names.
Alexander took advice also from other builders, including Numenius the stone-mason, Cleomenes of Naucratis, the engineer, and Karteros of Olynthus. Numenius had a brother by the name of Hyponomos. He advised Alexander to build the city on stone foundations, and to construct water channels and drains running to the sea. So such canals are called Hyponomos after him, because of his advice.
32. [Looking out to sea from the land, Alexander spied an island, and inquired what its name was. The natives told him, ‘Pharos, where Proteus used to live. His tomb is now there, on a very high mountain, at which we make regular observance.’ They brought him to the hero’s shrine and showed him the coffin. Alexander sacrificed to Proteus the hero; seeing that the shrine had collapsed because of the passage of time, he ordered it to be restored at once. A-text]
Then Alexander gave orders for the perimeter of the city to be marked out so that he could get an impression of it. The workmen marked out the limits with wheat flour, but the birds flew down, ate up the meal and flew away. Alexander was very disturbed at the possible meaning of this omen; he sent for interpreters and told them what had happened. Their reply was: ‘The city you have ordered to be built, O king, will feed the whole inhabited world, and those who are born in it will reach all parts of the world; just as the birds fly over the whole earth.’
So he gave orders for building work to begin.
When the foundations for most of the city had been laid and measured, Alexander inscribed five letters: ABGDE. A for ‘Alexander’; B for Basileus, ‘king’; G for Genos, ‘descendant’; D for Dios, ‘Zeus’; and E for ektisen, ‘founded an incomparable city’. Beasts of burden and mules helped with the work. As the gate of the sanctuary was being put in place, a large and ancient tablet of stone, inscribed with many letters, fell out of it; and after it came a large number of snakes, which crept away into the doorways of the houses that had already been built. Nowadays the door-keepers reverence these snakes as friendly spirits when they come into their houses – for they are not venomous – and they place garlands on their working animals and give them a rest day. Alexander was still in the city when it and the sanctuary were being built, in the month of Tybi, which is January. For this reason the Alexandrians still even now keep the custom of celebrating a festival on the twenty-fifth day of Tybi.
33. High in the hills Alexander discovered a cult image, and the Helonian columns and a hero-shrine. He searched for the Sarapeum according to the oracle that had been given to him by Ammon in the following words:
‘O King, thus Phoebus of the ram’s horns says to you:
If you wish to bloom for ever in incorruptible youth,
Found the city rich in fame opposite the isle of Proteus,
Where Aion Ploutonios himself is enthroned as king,
He who from his five-peaked mountain rolls round the endless world.’
So Alexander searched for the all-seeing one and built a great altar opposite the hero-shrine, which is now called the Grand Altar of Alexander, and made a sacrifice there. He prayed and said: ‘That you are the god who watches over this land and looks across the endless world, is plain. Accept then this sacrifice of mine and be my helper against my enemies.’ So saying, he placed the gifts on the altar. Suddenly a huge eagle swooped down and seized the entrails of the sacrifice, carried them off into the air, and then dropped them on another altar. Alexander noted the place where they landed, and went to it and saw the entrails lying on the altar, which was one built by the men of old. There was also a sacred precinct, and within it a seated cult-image holding in its right hand a three-headed beast36 and in its left a sceptre; beside the image stood a very large statue of a maiden. He inquired of those who lived there what god dwelt in this place. They told him that they did not know, but that they had heard from their forefathers that it was a sanctuary of Zeus and Hera.37
Here Alexander also saw the obelisks that now lie in the Sarapeum, outside the present perimeter wall. On them were engraved hieroglyphic letters. [Alexander asked whose the obelisks were, and they told him, ‘King Sesonchosis’s, the ruler of the world.’ The inscription in priestly lettering ran: ‘King Sesonchosis of Egypt, the ruler of the world, erected this to Sarapis, the renowned god of the universe.’ Then Alexander turned his eyes to Sarapis and said, ‘O great Sarapis, if you are god of the universe, give me a sign.’ The god appeared to him in his sleep and said, ‘Alexander, have you forgotten what you said when you made the sacrifice? Did you not say, “Whoever you are who watch over this land and the endless world, receive my sacrifice and be my helper in my wars?” Suddenly an eagle flew down, seized the entrails, and placed them on the other altar. Did you not realize that I am the god who watches over all things?’
Then in his dream Alexander prayed to the god: ‘Tell me if this city of Alexandria that I have founded in my name will remain, or if my name will be changed into that of another king.’ He saw the god holding him by the hand and bringing him to a great mountain.
‘Alexander,’ the god said, ‘can you move this mountain to another place?’
‘No, lord, I cannot,’ he seemed to say.
‘Even so your name cannot be changed into that of another king,’ replied the god. ‘Alexandria will grow and receive great benefits, and will increase also those cities that were there before it.’
Then Alexander said, ‘Lord, show me also, when and how I am going to die.’
The god replied:
‘It is better for a mortal man, and more honourable
And less painful, not to know in advance
The time appointed for his life to end.
Men, being mortal, do not understand
That this rich, varied life is endless, as long
As they have no knowledge of its misfortunes.
You too I think will find it better
To choose not to know the future in advance.
But since you ask to learn about your fate,
You may: I will tell it you in brief.
By my command, you shall subdue while young
All the races of the barbarians; [and then,
Dying but not dying, you shall come to me.]
This city you found will be the apple of the world’s eye.
As the years and the ages go by, it will grow
In greatness, and it will be adorned
With numerous temples, magnificent sanctuaries,
Exceeding all in their beauty, size and number.
Everyone who comes to dwell in it
Will forget the land that bore him.
I myself shall be its protector,
Unaging and uncorrupted, and shall establish it
So that it remains firm for ever.
I shall level its deeps and inspire its flames,
I shall forbid the unhealthy south wind to blow upon it,
So that the evil influence of the wicked spirits
Will be unable to trouble the city at all.
There shall be earthquakes only for a short time,
Famine and plague will be brief also
And war will bring but little slaughter,
Drifting rather like a dream through the city.
Many people from many lands will worship you,
Even in your lifetime, as a god.
After death you shall be deified and worshipped
And will receive the gifts of kings. You shall live in it
For all time, dead and yet not dead.
The city you have built shall be your tomb.’ A-text]
‘Work out, now, Alexander, who I am: put together two hundred and one, then a hundred and one again, then eighty and ten; then take the first letter and put it at the end, and thus you shall know who I am who have appeared to you.’
With this oracular pronouncement he disappeared. Alexander remembered the oracle and recognized the name of Sarapis.38
The administration of the city remains just as Alexander drew it up, and the city, once founded, grew day by day in strength.
34. Then Alexander hastened with his army towards Egypt. When he reached Memphis, the Egyptians put him on the throne of Hephaestus39 as king of Egypt. In Memphis Alexander saw a very tall statue of black stone which was treated as holy. On its base was this inscription: ‘This king who has fled will return to Egypt, no longer an old man but a young one, and will subject our enemies the Persians to us.’ Alexander inquired whose statue this was, and the prophets told him: ‘This is the statue of the last king of Egypt, Nectanebo. When the Persians came to sack Egypt, he saw, through his magic art, the gods of the Egyptians leading the army of the enemy, and the land of Egypt being ravaged by them. So, knowing what was to come as a result of their betrayal, he fled. We, however, searched for him, and asked the gods where our king, Nectanebo, had fled to. They gave us this oracle: “This king who has fled will return to Egypt, no longer an old man but a young one, and will subject our enemies the Persians to us.”’
When Alexander heard this, he sprang up and embraced the statue, saying: ‘This is my father, and I am his son. The oracle that was given you did not he. I am amazed only that you were overcome by the barbarians, when you have these invincible walls, which could not be thrown down by any enemy. But this is the affair of Providence above and the justice of the gods, that you, with a fertile land and a river to nourish it – blessings not made with hands – should be subdued by those who do not have these things, and should be ruled by them. For without their help the barbarians would have perished.’
Then Alexander demanded of them the tribute they had formerly paid to Darius. ‘It is not so that I may transfer this to my own treasury,’ he said, ‘but so that I may spend it on your city of Alexandria which lies before Egypt, and is the capital of the whole world.’ At this the Egyptians gladly gave him a great deal of money, and escorted him with great pomp and honour out of the country via Pelusium.
35. Alexander now led his army on to Syria, where he raised a force of 2,000 armoured warriors and marched on Tyre. The Tyrians resisted, and refused to let him enter their city, because of an ancient oracle that had been given to them in these terms: ‘When a king comes against you, people of Tyre, your city will be levelled with its foundations.’ Therefore, they made every effort to prevent his entry into their city. They built a wall round the whole city and prepared to resist. In a ferocious battle the Tyrians killed a great many of the Macedonians. Alexander, defeated, withdrew to Gaza. When he had recovered himself, he began to prepare for a siege of Tyre. In his sleep he had a vision of a figure saying to him, ‘Alexander, do not think of going yourself as a messenger to Tyre.’ When he rose from sleep, he sent ambassadors to Tyre, bearing letters whose contents were as follows:
‘King Alexander, the son of Ammon and of Philip the king, also supreme king of Europe and all Asia, Egypt and Libya, to the Tyrians who are as nothing. I wished in the course of my march through the regions of Syria to make my entrance into your city in peace and good order. But since you Tyrians are the first to resist me in the course of my march, it must be from you that the other cities shall learn how much stronger the Macedonians are – by the example of your foolishness – and be terrorized into submission. The oracle that was given you is true: I shall destroy your city. Farewell, then, if you will be wise; but if not, then farewell in misery!’
As soon as the leaders of the council had read the letter, they ordered the messengers sent by Alexander to be strappadoed, and they asked them, ‘Which of you is Alexander?’ When they replied that none of them was, the Tyrians crucified them.
Now Alexander began to look for a way to make an entry and overthrow Tyre; he regarded his first defeat as inconsiderable. He saw in a dream a satyr, one of the attendants of Dionysus, giving him a curd cheese; he took it from him and trampled it underfoot. When he awoke, Alexander related his dream to an interpreter, who told him: ‘You will rule over all Tyre, and it shall become subject to you, because the satyr gave you the cheese, and you trampled it underfoot.’40
Three days later Alexander took his army and the men of three neighbouring villages who had fought bravely on his side. They opened the gates of the city by night, entered and killed the guards. Alexander sacked the whole city, and levelled it to its foundations. To this day ‘the miseries of Tyre’ is a proverbial expression. The three villages that had fought on his side were united by Alexander into a single city and given the name of Tripolis.
[Supplement D]
36. Alexander established a satrap in Tyre to rule over Phoenicia and marched on down the Syrian coast. Presently he was met by ambassadors from Darius, who brought him letters, a whip, a ball and a chest of gold. Alexander took the letter of Darius, the king of Persia, and read as follows:
‘The king of kings, of the race of the gods, who rises into heaven with the sun, the very god Darius, to Alexander my servant. I order and command you to return home to your parents, to be my slave and to rest in the lap of your mother, Olympias. That is what suits your age: you need still to play and to be nursed. Therefore I have sent you a whip, a ball and a chest of gold, of w
hich you may take what you prefer: the whip, to show that you ought still to be at play; the ball, so that you may play with your contemporaries instead of inducing such numbers of arrogant young men to come with you like bandits and terrorize the cities. Even if the whole world becomes united under a single ruler, it will not be able to bring down the Persian Empire. I have so many troops that one might as well count the sand on the seashore as attempt to number them, and I have enough gold and silver to fill the whole world. I have sent you a chest full of gold, so that if you are unable to feed your fellow-bandits you can now give them what they need to return each to his country. But if you do not obey these orders of mine, I shall send my soldiers to pursue you until you are captured. Then you will not be treated like a son of Philip, but crucified like a rebel.’
37. When Alexander read this out to his army, they were all terrified. Alexander observed their fear and said, ‘Men of Macedon and fellow-soldiers, why are you so scared at this letter of Darius? Do you think there is any truth in his boastful words? There are some dogs which, though weak in body, bark very loudly as if they could make an impression of strength by their barking. Such a one is Darius: though he can do nothing in practice, he pretends in his letters to be a somebody, just like a barking dog. But let us suppose his threats are realistic; he has thereby only given us an indication of how bravely we must fight for victory, in order not to be shamed by defeat.’ So saying, he ordered the messengers of Darius to be tied up and carried off for crucifixion.
‘What harm have we done you, Alexander?’ they pleaded. ‘We are messengers only; why do you wish us to be killed so cruelly?’
‘Blame Darius, not me,’ replied Alexander. ‘It was he who sent you here, bearing letters more suitable for a bandit than a king. So I will treat you as if you had come to a desperado and not to a king.’
They replied, ‘Darius wrote what he did in ignorance; but we can see your magnificent army, and recognize that you are a great and intelligent king, the son of King Philip. We beg you, lord, great king, spare our lives.’
The Greek Alexander Romance Page 8