Classical Studies 2902B

Alexander’s continuing campaign, to “Philotas affair”

The time covered by this lecture is even briefer than that of the last one—late July to September of 330, but the events are momentous and a great deal of ground is covered.

After briefly pursing Bessus and soon realizing that he was too far ahead to be easily caught, A. returned to his army and took them to Hecatompylus and gave them a rest for several days. Army wanted to go home; but A. persuaded them that the situation was too precarious for such a thing, espec. if in a year or so, the next Persian leader (Bessus) were to appear with an invasion force at the Hellespont! Anyway, Bessus’ capital was only a few days’ march away (a lie). Brief campaign in Hyrcania (bordering on the Caspian Sea)… to Zadracarta, capital of the satrapy, where several senior Persians came over to him (among them his old friend Artabazus, who had remained loyal to Darius to the end); soon thereafter surrender of Nabarzanes, a very senior Persian officer (Green calls him Darius “Grand Vizier”).

Problem of A.’s adoption of elements of Persian dress and double administration” (two signet rings for stamping official correspondence-Macedonian and Darius’): this was highly distasteful to A.’s Macedonian veterans and A. now appointed two officers for liaison purposes—Hephaestion for dealing with Persians and Craterus for Macedonians; and he encouraged his troops to marry local women, and provided some kind of family welfare system.

Advance eastwards towards Susia in Areia, where the Satrap, Satibarzanes, surrendered and was confirmed in office; he also informed A. of Bessus’ great success in Bactria and beyond the river Oxus is gaining support and getting recruits for his army. A then continued flat-out towards Bactria an during this advance Parmenion’s son Nicanor (commander of the Hypaspists) took ill and died. A. left N.’s brother Philotas, commander of the Companion Cavalry to see to his burial with full honours… and hurried onwards himself. Soon heard that Satibarzanes had rebelled and had massacred a Maced. garrison. Advance halted and A. hastened towards Artacoana (Areian capital) and Satibarzanes fled towards Bactria (replaced by another Persian as Satrap); A. founded a garrison strong-point in this area (Alexandria in Areia—Herat); but he was now into a campaign against the eastern Satraps that would last three years (330-327) and involve hard and difficult fighting. A. is now a long way south of his originally intended route towards the Bactrian capital—and he cannot simply change his heading slightly (see map in class). This long southwards detour around the Hindu Kush took him into areas that we know about today (S. Afghanistan) and involved the rebellion—and execution of another powerful Persian Satrap, Barsaëntes.

However, at a place called Fars (later, Phrada, or in Greek Prophthasia) there occurred the somewhat mysterious Philotas affair. Background on Philotas—his lack of tact and his failure to become part of A.’s inner circle. The so-called Dimnus (or Dymnus) conspiracy and Philotas’ knowledge of it and his failure to tell A. Exactly what happened is quite uncertain, except that A. felt betrayed and had Philotas tried before the Maced. army and executed; thereafter he felt that he had to dispose of Parmenion also—because he might have to face a rebellion to his rear; and P. was very popular with the now somewhat disaffected troops; so, somehow P. became implicated in the “conspiracy” and was chopped on A.’s orders (see the Curtius passage in Romm pp. 96-97).

There are several competing views of this episode: see especially E. Badian “The Death of Parmenio” and W. Heckel, “The Conspiracy against Philotas” (references in Cartledge, on pp. 332, 333) and quite recently, Badian again on “Conspiracies” in Ian Worthington’s book Alexander the Great. A Reader (2003) 273-295 [all of these works are available electronically through the Weldon Library]; an attempt will be made in class to summarise the main features of these differences.