thumb|Cavalryman on the [[Alexander Sarcophagus from Sidon, Lebanon]]

The Anabasis of Alexander (, Alexándrou Anábasis; ) was composed by Arrian of Nicomedia in the second century AD, most probably during the reign of Hadrian. The Anabasis (which survives complete in seven books) is a history of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, specifically his conquest of the Persian Empire between 336 and 323 BC.

The Anabasis is by far the fullest surviving account of Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire. It is primarily a military history, reflecting the content of Arrian's model, Xenophon's Anabasis; the work begins with Alexander's accession to the Macedonian throne in 336 BC, and has nothing to say about Alexander's early life (in contrast, say, to Plutarch's Life of Alexander). Nor does Arrian aim to provide a complete history of the Greek-speaking world during Alexander's reign.

Historical background

Both the unusual title "Anabasis" (literally "a journey up-country from the sea") and the work's seven-book structure reflect Arrian's emulation (in structure, style, and content) of the Greek historian Xenophon, whose own Anabasis in seven books concerned the earlier campaign "up-country" of Cyrus the Younger in 401 BC.

Arrian's Anabasis is our most complete account of Alexander's campaigns. Arrian writes his own anabasis roughly 400 years after the campaigns of Alexander occurred. As such, he relies on several participants in the campaigns as primary sources for his writings. His main sources for his own writing are Ptolemy and Aristobulus.

Arrian relies on the lost contemporary histories of Alexander's campaign by Ptolemy and Aristobulus and, for his later books, Nearchus. One of Arrian's main aims in writing his history seems to have been to correct the standard "Vulgate" narrative of Alexander's reign that was current in his own day, primarily associated with the lost writings of the historian Cleitarchus.

Ptolemy was a general within the army and would later become a king in his own right, establishing the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. Ptolemy’s writings are thought to have exaggerated his own role within the campaign. He also actively excluded detailing the successes of his rivals, following the death of Alexander. Ptolemy also reconfigured his closeness to Alexander alluding that they were half-brothers, which we know is not the case. This was likely to boost his status, potentially leading him to his monarchical position.

Aristobulus is thought to have been a military engineer or some other non-fighting member of the army. His writings are seemingly more favorable towards Alexander. When compared between multiple sources he always seems to be the kindest towards the King.

Book 1: This book covers the early years of Alexander's reign (336–334 BC), including notable descriptions of Alexander's sack of Thebes in 335 and the battle of the Granicus in summer 334 BC. It also details the siege and capture of Miletus, and the siege and destruction of Halicarnassus.

Arrian is known to idealize Alexander often writing of him as saint or god.

Probably the most widely used scholarly English translation is the Loeb Classical Library edition (with facing Greek text), in two volumes. The work first appeared in 1929 and was later revised with a new introduction and appendices by P. A. Brunt in 1976.

An English translation by Aubrey de Sélincourt appeared in Penguin Classics in 1958. This edition was revised and annotated by J. R. Hamilton in 1971.

The Landmark Ancient Histories, edited by Robert B. Strassler, includes The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander, edited by James Romm (Professor of Classics at Bard College, 2010) and translated by Pamela Mensch. The Landmark edition includes extensive margin notes and maps.

A new translation by Martin Hammond with introduction and notes by John Atkinson appeared in the Oxford World's Classics series in 2013.

References

Further reading

  • Arrian, Life of Alexander the Great, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, 1958 and numerous subsequent reprints.
  • Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander, translated by P.A. Brunt, with Greek and English text, edited by Jeffrey Henderson, The Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. Books I–IV: Books V–VII and Indica:
  • Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri, (section 1.13–16) (pp. 18–19), Battle of the Granicus, from the Loeb edition.
  • Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri, (section 4.18.4–19.6) , Sogdian Rock, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt