Now that we have described Alexander's activity, we shall turn our narrative in another direction.

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1 In Europe, Agis king of Sparta engaged the services of those mercenaries who had escaped from the battle at Issus, eight thousand in number, and sought to change the political situation in Greece in favour of Dareius. 2 He received from the Persian king ships and money and sailed to Crete, where he captured most of the cities and forced them to take the Persian side.
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That Amyntas who had fled from Macedonia and had gone up to Dareius had fought on the Persian side in Cilicia. He escaped, however, from the battle at Issus with four thousand mercenaries and got to Tripolis in Phoenicia before Alexander's arrival. Here he chose from the whole Persian fleet enough ships to transport his soldiers, and burned the rest. 3 He sailed over to Cyprus, took on additional soldiers and ships, and continued on down to Pelusium. Becoming master of that city, he proclaimed that he had been sent by King Dareius as military commander because the satrap of Egypt had been killed fighting p257at Issus in Cilicia. 4 He sailed up the river to Memphis and defeated the local forces in a battle before the city, but then, as his soldiers turned to plunder, the Egyptians issued out of the city, attacked his men as they were scattered looting estates located in the countryside, and killed Amyntas and all who came with him to the last man. 5 And that was the end of Amyntas, who had set his hand to great undertakings and failed when he had every prospect of success.
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His experience was paralleled by those of the other officers and troop leaders who escaped at the head of their military units from the battle at Issus and attempted to maintain the Persian cause. 6 Some got to important cities and held them for Dareius, others raised tribes and furnishing themselves with troops from them
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performed appropriate duties in the time under review. The delegates of the League of Corinth voted to send fifteen envoys with a golden wreath as a prize of valour from Greece to Alexander, instructing them to congratulate him on his victory in Cilicia. 7 Alexander, in the meantime, marched down to Gaza, which was garrisoned by the Persians, and took the city by storm after a siege of two months.
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49 1 In the archonship of Aristophanes at Athens,

the consuls at Rome were Spurius Postumius and Titus Veturius. In this year King Alexander set in order p259the affairs of Gaza and sent off Amyntas with ten ships to Macedonia, with orders to enlist the young men who were fit for military service. He himself with all his army marched on to Egypt and secured the adhesion of all its cities without striking a blow. 2 For since the Persians had committed impieties against the temples and had governed harshly, the Egyptians welcomed the Macedonians.
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Having settled the affairs of V

Now that we have run through the events in Europe, we may in turn pass on to what occurred in Asia.
5

VIa

long start and p329got away into Bactria, so Alexander suspended the chase and returned.
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That was the situation in Asia. In Europe the Lacedaemonians were forced by their defeat in a decisive battle to make overtures to Antipater. He referred his reply to the council of the Hellenic League. When the delegates came together in Corinth, there was a long discussion on both sides, and they decided to pass the issue on without a decision to Alexander. 6 Antipater took as hostages fifty of
5
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the most notable of the Spartiates, and the Lacedaemonians sent envoys to Asia asking forgiveness for their mistakes.
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VII2 Alexander founded other cities also at the distance of a day's march from Alexandria. Here he settled seven thousand natives, three thousand of the camp followers, and volunteers from among the mercenaries. 3 Then he marched his forces into Bactria, since news came that Bessus had assumed the diadem and was enrolling an army.
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Such was the state of Alexander's affairs. The generals who had been sent back to Areia found that the rebels had gathered substantial forces under the command of Satibarzanes, who was distinguished both for generalship and for personal bravery, and they encamped near them. There was constant skirmishing for a time, and numerous small engagements; 5 then it came to a general battle. The Iranians were holding their own when their general Satibarzanes raised his hands and removed his helmet so that all could see who he was, and challenged any of the Macedonian generals who wished to fight with him alone. 6 Erigyius accepted and a contest of heroic nature ensued, which resulted in Erigyius's victory. p361Disheartened at the death of their commander, the Iranians sought their safety in surrender, and gave themselves up to Alexander.
4
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XII ordered to cross the Ganges River but were frequently unruly when called into an assembly and ridiculed Alexander's pretence that Ammon was his father. For these reasons Alexander had formed this unit from a single age-group of the Persians which was capable of serving as a counter-balance to the Macedonian phalanx.
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These were the concerns of Alexander. Harpalus had been given the custody of the treasury in Babylon and of the revenues which
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accrued to it, but as soon as the king had carried his campaign into India, he assumed that Alexander would never come back, and gave himself up to comfortable living. Although he had been charged as satrap with the administration of a great country, he first occupied himself with the abuse of women and illegitimate amours with the natives and squandered much of the
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