Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/232

 200 HISTORY OF GREKCE. letters sent home from his army to Macedonia, detected siioh stroniT expressions of indignation, that he thought it prudent to transfer many pronounced malcontents into a division by them- selves, parting them off from the remaining army.^ Instead of appointing any substitute for Philotas in the command of the Companion-cavalry, he cast that body into two divisions, nomi- nating Hephajstion to the command of one and Kleitus to that of the other. '^ The autumn and winter were spent by Alexander in reducing Drangiana, Gedrosia, Arachosia, and the Paropamisadaj ; the modern Seiestan, Afghanistan, and the western part of Kabul, lying between Ghazna on the north, Kandahar or Kelat on the south, and Furrah in the west. He experienced no combined resistance, but his troops suffered severely from cold and priva- tion.* Near the southern termination of one of the passes of the Hindoo- Koosh (apparently north-east of the town of Kabul) he founded a new city, called Alexandria ad Caucasum, where he planted 7000 old soldiers, Macedonians, and others as colonists.'* 1 Curtius, vii. 2, 30 ; Diodor/xvii. 80 ; Justin, xii. 5. ^ Arrian, iii. 28, 2. About the geography, compare Wilson's Ariana Antiqua, p. 173-178. " By perambulator, the distance from Herat to Kan daliar is 371 miles; from Kandahar to Kabul, 309: total 688 miles (English)." The principal city in Drangiana CSeiestan) mentioned by the subsequent Greek geographers is, Prophthasia ; existing seemingly before Alexander's arrival. See the fragments of his mensores, ap. Didot, Fragm. Hist. Alex. Magn. p. 135; Pliny, H. N. vi. 21. The quantity of remains of ancient cities, still to be found in this territory, is remarkable. Wilso.x observes this (p. 154). Ariis is probably Herat; Alexandria in Arachosia is probably Kandahar. But neither the one nor the other is mentioned as having been founded by Akxander, either in Arrian or Curtius, or Diodorus. The name Alexan- dria does not prove that they were founded by him; for several of tiie Diodochi called their own foundations by his name (Strabo, xiii. p. 593)* Considering how very short a time Alexander spent in these regions, the wonder is, that he could have found time to establish those foundations which are expressly ascribed to him by Arrian and his oilier historians. The aatliority of Pliny and Steph. Byzant. is hardly sufficient to warrant us in ascribing to him more. The exact site of Alexandria ad Caucasum cannot be determined, for want of sufficient topographical data There seems much
 * Arrian, iii. 27, 8.
 * Arrian, iii. 28, G; Curtius, vii. 3, 23; Diodor. xvii. 83. Alexandria in