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Secondary sourceBookc. 150 AD

Anabasis of Alexander

Arrian · c. 150 AD

A Greek history of Alexander's campaigns written centuries later by Arrian, based on lost eyewitness accounts, and the fullest surviving record of his conquests.

This later history, based on lost eyewitness accounts, is the fullest surviving narrative of Alexander's conquests.

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Title page of a 1575 printed edition of Arrian's Anabasis of Alexander, in Greek and Latin. Title lines read Arrianou peri anabaseos Alexandrou, with Arriani De expedit. Alex. Magni, Historiarum Libri VIII. Woodcut of a man beneath a tree with a banner reading Nolo Altum Sapere.
Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander, written c. 150 AD. Title page from a 1575 printed edition.

About this source

What it is

The Anabasis of Alexander is a history in seven books written by the Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia in the second century AD, long after Alexander's death. Arrian based his account on now-lost writings by two men who had been with Alexander: the general Ptolemy and a military engineer named Aristobulus.

Why it matters

This is considered the most complete and reliable surviving account of Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire, covering his battles, sieges, and controversies such as the killing of Cleitus. Because Arrian relied on sources written by people close to Alexander, including Ptolemy, who later became a king himself and may have shaped the story to flatter his own role, the text reveals as much about how Alexander's companions wanted him remembered as about Alexander himself.

Look closer

  • Why might Ptolemy's account of events differ from what actually happened?
  • What does it mean that our best source on Alexander was written centuries after he died?
  • Why do you think Arrian felt the need to correct other popular stories about Alexander?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Alexander the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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