Re: Alexander's conquest of Tyre

From: Daniel Ria–o (danielrr@mad.servicom.es)
Date: Sun Dec 07 1997 - 08:34:15 EST


Micheal Palmer wrote:

>I have been reading Arrian's account of Alexander's conquest of Tyre (Book
>II of Arrian's History of Alexander and Indica) and am amazed to find it so
>different from an account I read about six or seven years ago (or is my
>memory really getting that bad?). The problem is, I can't remember where I
>read the other account. Do any of you know what other historians of the
>hellenistic period (or perhaps a little earlier) wrote an account of this
>conquest?
>
>Yes, I know this is outside the topic of BIBLICAL Greek, but it is Greek of
>roughly the same period... and I do think reading as much as you can of the
>other hellenistic Greek literature is a great idea if you really want to
>understand biblical Greek. So, maybe I'm not all that far off-topic :-)
>
>Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

        There is another account in Plutarch's Life of Alexander chapters
24-25. Earlier is Diodorus Siculus (I a.C.): the *Tu/rou poliorki/a* is
dealt with in book 17. Their work and Arrian's are based on the earlier
work of the Hellenistic historians, most of which has disappeared or has
been transmitted very fragmentary, mainly thanks to these and other authors
(cf. Hammond, N.G.L. 1983. Three historians of Alexander the Great.
Cambridge). Iosephus also deals with the siege of Tyre in book 11 of his
Antiquitates.
        Not at all outside the topic of Koine Greek is the fabulous account
of the Life of Alexander by the Pseudo-Callisthenes, (chapters 35 ss. deal
with the siege of Tyre). In it's numerous recensions (the best account
prob. in the TLG Canon s.v. Historia Alexandri Magni) are a wonderful
document for the evolution of the Greek language from III AD to late
Byzantine times (although the original redaction could be from I BC), and
it is the primary source for the many versions and variants of the Legend
of Alexander, from Roman times to Rudyard Kipling's (and after him John
Huston's) "The Man Who Would Be King" --but *that's* out of the topic.

        Daniel

___________________________________________________________________
Daniel Rian~o Rufilanchas
c. Santa Engracia 52, 7 dcha.
28010-Madrid
Espan~a
e-mail: danielrr@mad.servicom.es



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