Greek Texts & Translations

While Antipater was occupied with this, ^note the Lacedaemonians thought that the time had come to undertake a war and issued an appeal to the Greeks to unite in defence of their freedom. 17.62.7The Athenians had been favoured beyond all the other Greeks by Alexander and did not move. Most of the Peloponnesians, however, and some of the northern Greeks reached an agreement and signed an undertaking to go to war. According to the capacity of the individual cities they enlisted the best of their youth and enrolled as soldiers not less than twenty thousand infantry and about two thousand cavalry. 17.62.8The Lacedaemonians had the command and led out their entire levy for the decisive battle, their king Agis having the position of commander in chief.

ch. 63 17.63.1When Antipater learned of this Greek mobilization, he ended the Thracian campaign on what terms he could and marched down into the Peloponnesus with his entire army. He added soldiers from those of the Greeks who were still loyal and built up his force until it numbered not less than forty thousand. ^note 17.63.2When it came to a general engagement, Agis was struck down fighting, but the Lacedaemonians fought furiously and maintained their position for a long time; when their Greek allies were forced out of position they themselves fell back on Sparta. 17.63.3More than five thousand three hundred of the Lacedaemonians and their allies were killed in the battle, and three thousand five hundred of Antipater's troops.

17.63.4An interesting event occurred in connection with Agis's death. He had fought gloriously and fell with many frontal wounds. As he was being carried by his soldiers back to Sparta, he found himself surrounded by the enemy. Despairing of his own life, he ordered the rest to make their escape with all speed and to save themselves for the service of their country, but he himself armed and rising to his knees defended himself, killed some of the enemy and was himself slain by a javelin cast; he had reigned nine years. ^note (This is the end of the first half of the seventeenth book.) ^note

17.63.5Now that we have run through the events in Europe, we may in turn pass on to what occurred in Asia.

ch. 64 17.64.1After his defeat in the battle near Arbela, Dareius directed his course to the upper satrapies, seeking by putting distance between himself and Alexander to gain a respite and time enough to organize an army. He made his way first to Ecbatana in Media and paused there, picking up the stragglers from the battle and rearming those who had lost their weapons. ^note 17.64.2He sent around to the neighbouring tribes demanding soldiers, and he posted couriers to the satraps and generals in Bactria and the upper satrapies, calling upon them to preserve their loyalty to him.

17.64.3After the battle, Alexander buried his dead and entered Arbela, ^note finding there abundant stores of food, no little barbaric dress and treasure, and three thousand talents of silver. ^note Judging that the air of the region would be polluted by the multitude of unburied corpses, ^note he continued his advance immediately and arrived with his whole army at Babylon. 17.64.4Here the people received him gladly, and furnishing them billets feasted the Macedonians lavishly. ^note Alexander refreshed his army from its previous labours and remained more than thirty days in the city because food was plentiful and the population friendly.

17.64.5At this time he designated Agathon of Pydna ^note to guard the citadel, assigning to him seven hundred Macedonian soldiers. He appointed Apollodorus of Amphipolis and Menes of Pella as military governors of Babylon and the other satrapies as far as Cilicia, giving them one thousand talents of silver with instructions to enlist as many soldiers as possible. ^note 17.64.6He assigned Armenia as a province to Mithrines, who had surrendered to him the citadel of Sardes. ^note From the money which was captured he distributed to each of the cavalrymen six minas, to each of the allied cavalrymen five, and to the Macedonians of the phalanx two, and he gave to all the mercenaries two months' pay. ^note