57.

Capture of the Sogdian Rock

¹

. . . At the first appearance of spring,¹ Alexander advanced toward the rock in Sogdiana, to which, he was informed, many of the people had fled for refuge. Among these were said to be the wife and daughters of Oxyartes the Bactrian, who had deposited them for safety in that place, as if, indeed, it was impregnable. . . . When Alexander approached it, he found that it was precipitous on all sides and that the barbarians had collected provisions for a long siege. The great quantity of snow which had fallen helped to make the approach more difficult to the Macedonians, while at the same time it kept the barbarians supplied with plenty of water. But notwithstanding all this, Alexander resolved to assault the place. . . . He then issued a proclamation that the first man who mounted should have a reward of twelve talents,² the man who came next to him the second prize, and so on in proportion, so that the last reward should be three hundred darics³ to the last prize-taker who reached the top. This proclamation excited the valor of the Macedonians still more, though they were even before very eager to begin the assault.

All the men who had gained practice in scaling rocks in sieges banded themselves together to the number of three hundred, and provided themselves with the small iron pegs by which their tents had been fastened to the ground. These they intended to fix into the snow, wherever it might be seen to be frozen hard, or into the ground, if it should anywhere exhibit itself free from snow. Tying strong ropes made of flax to these pegs, they advanced in the night toward the most precipitous part of the rock, which was on this account most unguarded. Then they fixed some of these pegs into the earth, where it made itself visible, and others into the snow, where it seemed least likely to crumble, and so hoisted themselves up the rock, some in one place and some in another. Thirty of them perished in the ascent; and as they fell into various parts of the snow, not even could their bodies be found for burial. The rest, however, reached the top of the mountain at the approach of dawn. They took possession of it and then waved linen flags toward the camp of the Macedonians, as Alexander had directed them to do. He now sent a herald with instructions to shout to the sentries of the barbarians to make no further delay, but surrender at once. . . . At the same time the herald pointed at the soldiers upon the crest of the mountain. The barbarians were alarmed by the unexpectedness of the sight and suspected that the men who were occupying the peaks were more numerous than they really were, and that they were completely armed. They surrendered at once, so frightened did they become at the sight of those few Macedonians.

The wives and children of many important men were there captured, including those of Oxyartes. This chief had a daughter, a maiden of marriageable age, named Roxana, who was asserted by the men who served in Alexander’s army to have been the most beautiful of all the Asiatic women whom they had seen, with the single exception of the wife¹ of Darius. They also say that no sooner did Alexander see her than he fell in love with her, and did not think it beneath his dignity to marry her. . . .

¹ Arrian, , iv, 18–19.

¹ Of the year 327 B. C.

² About $14,000.

³ About $1600.

¹ See page 140.