Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/143

 nFPOUCY OF DARIUS— ARRIAN'S REMARKS. ] JBciently rested, he marched (probably about the latter hall of May) towards Paphlagonia and Kappadokia. At Ankyra h« was met by a deputation from the Paphlagonians, who submitted themselves to his discretion, only entreating that he would not conduct his army into their country. Accepting these terms, he placed them under the government of Kallas, his satrap of Hel- lespontine Phrygia. Advancing farther, he subdued the whole of Kappadokia, even to a considerable extent beyond the Ilalys, leaving therein Sabikta? as satrap.^ Having established security in his rear, Alexander marched southward towards Mount Taurus. He reached a post called the Camp of Cyrus, at the northern foot of that mountain, near the pass Tauri-pylae, or Kilikian Gates, which forms the regular communication, between Kappadokia on the north side, and Ki- likia on the south, of this great chain. The long road ascending and descending was generally narrow, winding, and rugged, sometimes between two steep and high banks ; and it included, near its southern termination, one spot particularly obstructed and difficult. From ancient times, down to the present, the main road from Asia Minor into Kilikia and Syria has run through this pass. During the Roman empire, it must doubt- less have received many improvements, so as to render the traf- fic comparatively easier. Yet the description given of it by modern travellers represents it to be as difficult as any road ever traversed by an army.^ Seventy years before Alexander, it had been traversed by the younger Cyrus with the 10,000 Greeks, in his march up to attack his brother Artaxerxes ; and Xenophen,* 1 Anian, ii. 4. 2; Curtius, iii. 1, 22; Plutarch, Alex. 18. tory. There arc now two passes over Taurus, from Erekli on the north side of the mountain — one, the easternmost, descending upon Adana in Kilikia — the other, the westernmost, upon Tarsus. In the war (1832) between the Turks and Ibrahim Pacha, the Turkish commander left the westernmost pass undefended, so that Ibrahim :*acha passed from Tarsus along it without opposition. The Turkish troops occupied the eastern- most pass, but defended themselves badly, so that the passage was forced by the Egyptians (Histoirc de la Guerre de Mchemed Ali, par Cadalv^ne ct Barrault, p. 243). Alexander crossed Taurus by the easternmost of tlic two passes. ' Xenoph. Anabas. i. 2. 21 ; Diodor. xiv. 20.
 * Respecting this pass, see Vol. IX. Ch. Ixix. p. 20 of the present His