A few short stories from Arrian’s Anabasis.
When the sky falls down.
Having subjugated the Balkans, nations came to pay respect to Alexander from surrounding lands. Among them the Celts, formidable warriors who lived in inaccessible mountain land.
Alexander asked them what they feared most in life. He hoped his reputation would had reached their lands such that they would had answered it was him who they feared the most.
However the Celts were simple people what they feared the most was for the skies to fall in their heads, and so they answered.
An honest answer, but not one Alexander’s vanity wished to hear. In life there are two kinds of people, those who are complicated and tell you what you want to hear, and those who are simple souls and fear not to tell the truth.
The unorthodox retreat.
At Pellium, Alexander walked into a trap, he lead his army to a clearing surrounded by enemies who held the high ground, while to his back there a river, he quickly realized there would not be a way out except for crossing the river to safety.
He spent days coming up with a distraction that would give him time to retreat, the distraction; a drill. His phalanx spend hours drilling in the hope of scaring their enemies. Somehow it worked and the army started crossing the river back to safety starting with artillery and the phalanx.
As the archers were about to cross, the enemy realized what was happening and they charged, the archers would certainly die.
In what is probably the first recorded instance of artillery shooting at troops in open field Alexander commanded it’s trebuchets to unleash at the enemy while he made the archers stop in the middle of the stream and shoot back. The enemy fled in shock.
Sometimes you can get out of trouble if you are overwhelmingly (or recklessly) confident.
The collective punishment.
Alexander took the title of Hegemon of the Hellenic League; protector of the Greek people. However the Thebans and the Athenians decided it would be a good time to rebel.
In a feat of ancient war logistics Alexander’s army marched all the way from the Danube to Thebes in record time. The Thebans were so surprised at the speed for they had no even prepared for war. It didn’t take long for Alexander to overwhelm the defenses of the city and take control of it.
All men were executed, all children and women sold to slavery, the city was razed to the ground. All other Greek cities, upon hearing of the faith of Thebes relinquished all desire to rebel against their hegemon.
Throughout his life, many times he would feel ashamed of what he did to Thebes, for it was arguably the darkest action of his life. It is even said that whenever a man from Thebes would come to him to ask for a favor he would chose not to give audience and instead instruct his entourage to grant them whatever they wish and even more.
No one is above throwing money at what they wish to disappear, but guilt doesn’t go away like that.
A man who forges his own faith.
In what is probably the most famous tale of Alexander, he reached Gordium in Asia where a cart tied by a knot awaited him. Legend had it that whoever could untie this knot would rule Asia [Minor], for years travelers would visit Gordium to try to unknot the cart, none had prevailed and so it had become some sort of touristic attraction to visit the knot. With no visible end or start to the rope Alexander did not hesitate to see the knot undone, he took out his sword and in one swipe cut it in two.
A straightforward solution, just like his relentless conquest of Asia. Why follow the rules if you can create your own.
