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The Seventeenth Book of Diodorus: in Two Parts
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After he had taken a number of other
cities1
by storm and had slaughtered their defenders, he came to the "rock" called Aornus.2 Here the surviving natives had taken refuge because of its great
strength.
[2]
It is said that Heracles of old thought to lay siege
to this "rock" but refrained because of the occurrence of certain sharp earthquake shocks and
other divine signs, and this made Alexander even more eager to capture the stronghold when he
heard it, and so to rival the god's reputation.3
[3]
The circumference of the "rock"
was one hundred furlongs, and its height sixteen. Its surface was even and circular on all
sides. Its southern side was washed by the Indus River, the largest of those in India, and on
the other sides it was surrounded by deep gorges and sheer cliffs.
[4]
Alexander surveyed these difficulties and decided that its forcible capture was
impossible, but then there came to him an old man with two sons.4
[5]
He lived in extreme poverty and had for a long time supported
himself in the region, occupying a cave in which three beds had been cut out of the rock. Here
the old man camped with his sons, and had come to know the country intimately. When he appeared
before the king, he told his story and offered to guide the king through the hills and bring
him to a point where he would be above the people who occupied the rock.
[6]
Alexander promised him rich gifts.5 Using the old man as a guide, he first occupied the path which led up to the
rock ; since there was no other egress, he had thus enclosed the defenders in a hopeless siege.
Then he put many hands to work filling up the chasm at the foot of the rock, drew near to it,
and mounted a vigorous attack, assaulting continuously for seven days and seven nights with
relays of troops.6
[7]
At first the defenders had the advantage because of holding
the higher ground, and they killed many of those who attacked rashly. As the embankment was
finished, however, and the dart-throwing catapults and other engines were emplaced, and the
king also made it evident that he would not break off the siege, the Indians were alarmed, and
Alexander, craftily anticipating what would happen, removed the guard which had been left in
the path, allowing those who wished to withdraw from the rock. In fear of the Macedonian
fighting qualities and the king's determination, the Indians left the rock under cover of
darkness.
2 For the term "rock" see above on chap. 28.1, note. For the whole story cp. Curtius 8.11; Justin 12.7.12-13; Plut. Alexander 58.3; Arrian. 4.28.7-30.4. The location has been identified by Sir A. Stein, On Alexander's Track to the Indus (1929), chaps. 16-21.
3 Curtius 8.11.2; Justin 12.7.12. The tradition is rationalized by Arrian. 4.28.1-2.
4 Curtius 8.11.3. Arrian. 4.29.1 says "some of the neighbouring tribesmen."
5 Curtius 8.11.4 says "eighty talents."
Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes with an English Translation by C. H. Oldfather. Vol. 4-8. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989.
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References (14 total)
- Cross-references to this page
(2):
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), AORNUS
- Smith's Bio, Heracles or HERCULES
- Cross-references in notes from this page (9):
- Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page
(3):
- LSJ, ἄορνος
- LSJ, καταλαμβάνω
- LSJ, προστιβάς
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Citation URI: http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.perseus-eng1:17.85
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