Page 553 difficult Passes, and very Populous, that they had an extraordinary advantage to succeed in the Attempt, and promised that he himself would take upon him the whole Management of the War.
Hereupon, he so far prevail'd, that he got a considerable Number to join with him, and to own him for King. Then he Listed Men, prepar'd Arms, and procur'd whatever was necessary for the present State of his Affairs.
In the mean time, Alexander perceiving that the Macedonians had a design to end the War with the Death of Darius, and to return to their own Country, he call'd them together; and so courted them by an Oration fitted for the purpose, that he prevail'd with them readily to go on with the Expeditions that then yet remain'd. Then he call'd together all the Greek Auxiliaries, and having highly commended them for their Valour, bestow'd upon every Horseman as a Reward a Talent, and every Footman Ten Minas, and discharg'd them from further Service in the Army. And over and besides he paid to every one of them what was due to them for their common Pay, and gave them likewise sufficient Provision to carry them into their own Country; and to every one that was willing still to continue in the Army, he gave Three Talents. He gave indeed large Rewards to the Soldiers, being naturally of a generous Disposition, and besides, in pursuing Darius had possess'd himself of a vast Treasure: For he had receiv'd Eight thousand Talents out of the Treasures; and besides what he gave to the Soldiers, he rais'd Thirteen thousand Talents by sale of the Cups, Flaggons, and Furniture. And it was believ'd, that what was stollen and taken away by force was much more.
Having done this, he march'd with his Army towards Hircania, and the third day came near the City Hecatompylon, and there encamp'd. Here he continu'd some Days to refresh his Army, because the Country was exceeding Rich, and abounded with every thing for Man's Use. Thence he mov'd forward an Hundred and fifty Furlongs, and encamp'd near a very high Rock, at the foot of which is a Cave not unbecoming the Gods, from whence (as the Spring-head) issues the great River Stiboetes. Thence it runs with a fierce and violent Stream for the space of Three Furlongs, 'till it dash it self upon a great Rock in shape like a Woman's Pap, under which is a vast Gulph, or opening of the Earth, into which, being now divided into two Channels, it falls down with a mighty Noise, turn'd all into Froth and Spume, and there runs under-ground Three hundred Furlongs; and then appears again, as if that we e its Spring-head. Having entred Hircania with his Army, he gain'd all the Town, and Cities as far as the Caspian Sea, which some call likewise the Hircanian Sea. It's reported, that in that Sea are many Serpents of an extraordinary Bigness, and Fish of all sorts, much differing in Colour from those in our Parts. When he entred further into Hircania, he came to Towns call'd the Fortunate Towns, which are so in Deed, as well as in Name For this Country excels all the rest in fertility of Soil; for every Vine, they say, affords a Metrete of Wine: And that some Fig-trees are so very fruitful, that they'll bear Ten Medimnas of dried Figs; and that what are left upon the Tree after Harvest, fall upon the Ground, and spring up again of themselves, and bring forth abundance of Fruit to perfection. There's a Tree in that Country much like to an Oak, which distills Honey from its Leaves; and this the Inhabitants gather in great plenty for their own use. There's likewise a little Insect in this Tract call'd an Anthredon, less than a Bee, but very remarkable; it gets its living in the Mountains, sucking the Flowers that grow here and there in those places. It works its Combs within hollow Rocks, or Trees shatter'd or made hollow by the Thunder-bolts, and there makes a Liquor not inferiour to any for sweetness.
In the mean time, Alexander, while he was on his March through Hircania, and the bordering Countries, gain'd great Reputation, and was highly honour'd for his Clemency, in carrying himself with so much Humanity towards all those Commanders who fled away with Darius, and afterwards submitted themselves to him: So that Fifteen hundred brave and valiant Grecians (who sided with Darius) forthwith came unto him, and laid themselves at his Feet, whom he readily pardon'd, and plac'd them in several of his Regiments, and allow'd them the same Pay with the rest.
Having run through the Sea-Coasts of Hircania, he entred the Country of the Mardi; who being a Warlike Nation, slighted the growing Power of the King, and shew'd him not the least Respect, either by sending Ambassadors, or otherwise; but having possess'd themselves of the strait Passes of the Mountains with Eight thousand Men, stood there, waiting for the coming of the Macedonians. Hereupon the King sets upon them, kills many, and drives the rest within the Straits. But while he was burning up the Country all before him, it fell out that (some of the King's Boys who led his Horses, being at some distance from the rest of the Army) his best Horse, by a sudden Incursion of the
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.