Page 786 his Bulwarks as he saw occasion to use, that the Townsmen being busie in assaulting, Craterus might have no leisure to come in to the assistance of other Cities. The King himself, as soon as he came to Gaza, forthwith at the first approach commanded his Men to set Scaling-Ladders round the Walls, which were but of Earth, and not very high. Upon which, the Slingers, Darters, and Archers, together with the Foot, made an Assault, ply'd and gall'd them that defended the Walls with their Darts, and shot out of the Engines, so that by Showres of Darts and Arrows the Wall was presently clear'd of its Defendants, and the Scaling-Ladders in a trice were set to the Walls, and the Macedonians enter'd, and put all the Men to the Sword (for so Alexander had commanded) but the Women and Children, with the rest of the Prey, they carry'd away. Thence the King forthwith march'd to another City (fortified much like unto Gaza) which he took much after the same manner the very same day, and dealt with the Prisoners after the same manner as with them at Gaza. After this, he made to a third City, which he took the next day upon the first Assualt.
In the mean time, while he was reducing these Cities with his Foot, he sent away his Horse to two other neighbouring Cities, with Orders to watch 'em, lest the Inhabitants hearing of the taking of the Cities bordering upon 'em, and o • the King's near approach, should fly and leave the Cities, so as he should not be able to pursue with any hopes to overtake 'em. And indeed it fell out as he thought, which evidenc'd the sending forth of the Horse to be necessary: For the Barbarians, who still were possess'd of two other Cities, seeing the Smoak of the City which was burnt, and was over-against 'em (besides some who escap'd out of the Overthrow, brought them news of the City being taken) with all speed in whole droves fled out of the Cities, and fell in among the Horse that were sent forth, and multitudes of 'em were knock'd on the Head.
The King having taken and raz'd these five Towns in the space of two days, march'd away to Cyropolis, the greatest of their Cities: The Walls of this City were higher than any of the rest, the Town being built by Cyrus. And forasmuch as there were many stout Men and good Soldiers, the Inhabitants of the Country were got together into this place; the Macedonians could not easily (like to the other places) take it at the first Assault, and therefore Alexander order'd, that with the Battering-Rams and other Engines they shou'd batter the Walls, and where-ever any Breach was made, there forthwith to make an Assault. But the King observing the Channel of the River (which ran through the City like a little Brook) to be then dry, and not contiguous or near the Walls, but affording a direct Passage for his Soldiers into the City, he took with him his Guard Targateers, Archers, and the Agrians (the Barbarians then busie in observing the Engines and those that manag'd 'em) and secretly with few at first enter'd through the Channel into the City, and broke down the Gates that were in that part, and readily let in the rest of the Soldiers: Upon which, the Barbarians perceiving the City to be enter'd, however set upon Alexander's Soldiers, and fought and resolutely, in which Conflict Alexander receiv'd a Blow on his Head and Neck with a Stone. Craterus and many others were wounded with Darts and Arrows; but at length the Barbarians were driven out of the Market-place. In the mean time, those that assaulted the Walls enter'd, all being clear of those that should have defended them. In the first Conflict at the entring of the City, there were slain of the Enemy about eight thousand, the rest (for they were eighteen thousand that had there put in themselves) fled into the Castle, who after one day's siege for want of Water surrender'd themselves. The seventh City the King took at the first Assault: Ptolemy indeed says that it was surrender'd; but Aristobulus relates that it was taken by storm, and that all in it were put to the Sword. Ptolemy writes, that all the Prisoners were distributed in the Army, and order'd to be kept bound till the King left the Country, lest any one of 'em that revolted should be left behind.
While these things were on foot, the Army of the Asian Scythians came to the Banks of the River Ganais, because they heard that some of the Barbarians inhabiting beyond the River had revolted from Alexander; and their aim therefore was, that if there were any considerable Defection, they likewise might act their part in falling upon the Macedonians. At the same time Intelligence was brought, that Spitamenes had besieg'd those that were left in Garison in the Castle of Patachades. Alexander therefore sent Andromachus, Medemenus, and Caranus against Spitamenes, with sixty Horse of the Social Band, and eight hundred of the Mercenaries, who were under the Command of Caranus: But of Foot there were Fifteen hundred Mercenaries; with them the King join'd in Commission one Pharnuches for an Interpreter, a Lycian by Nation, who was well skill'd in 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.