Own correspondence, Callisthenes (non-extant, draws on Homeric myth), Trogus, Nearchus (commanded Alexander's fleet from On, or is thought to have drawn on, the Ephemerides (diaries of the campaigns mostly by Eumenes-non-extant), Alexander's His main sources were Ptolemy I son of Lagus (future king of Egypt, writings are non-extant) and Aristobulus (Greek engineer, non-extant),īoth of whom were commanders who accompanied Alexander. He wanted to write a factual account free of mythology and romance. Who had not been adequately represented theretofore. He intended this work to be his masterpiece, believing Alexander to be a splendid subject His other works include 'Discourses' and 'Encheiridion' ('Handbook'), both about the teachings of Epictetus, 'The Formation against the Alans', 'Circumnavigation of the Black Sea', 'Tactical Manual', 'On the Chase' ('Cygneticus'), 'Indica', 'Events after Alexander', 'Parthian History', and 'History of Bithynia'.Īrrian does not attempt to analyze why Alexander did what he did, nor does he provide much character study or the antecedents of the war. Legions during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Arrian was made governor of Cappadocia and had command of two Roman As a Roman subject, the author probably felt he did not have free It was written during the resurgence of Greek literature that began in the era of the accession in 117 CE of the philhellenic emperor Hadrian-the era also included the writers Appian, Pausanias, Galen, & Lucian. The Campaigns of Alexander tells the story of Alexander's campaigns first in Thrace and Greece and then in North Africa and Asia. He was a Roman citizen by virtue of his father's citizenship, and a pupil of the stoic philosopher Epictetus-a man who advocated high moral The author' name in transliterated Greek is: Loukios Phlaouios Arrianos, theĪrrian was from Nicomedia in Bithynia (NW Asia Minor near Byzantium). Selected notes and impressions (extracted from the book commentary and from Alan Rawn lectures and notes): 356 and diedģ23) written by a somewhat uninspiring writer. Overall Impression: This is a detailed factual history of the campaigns of Alexander the Great (b. Some of the notes derive from various web sources

Quotations are for the most part taken from that work, asĪre paraphrases of its commentary.

Summary by Michael McGoodwin, prepared 2002Īcknowledgement: This work has been summarized using the Penguin 1971Įdition, translation by Aubrey de Sélincourt 1958.

Arrian: Campaigns of Alexander (Anabasis)

The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian