I
FTER Alexander had conquered Persia, he was determined to expand his empire all the way to . India. In 330 BC, Alexander’s Macedonian army of more than thirty thousand marched east from Ecbatana (Hamadan, Iran) following the course of the caravan route (Silk Route) through the high desert to Rhaga (Tehran). They threaded through the “Caspian Gates,” a narrow defile in the Elburz Mountains, and reached fertile Hyrcania on the southern Caspian shore. Alexander encamped, about fifteen miles northwest of the ancient city of Hecatompylus, at a huge rock and cavern with a spring. From this base, Alexander and part of his army subdued Hyrcanian towns and received envoys from neighboring tribes pledging allegiance (Map 20.1).
But the Mardians, tough horse archers to the west, resisted. Alexander took a contingent and followed the southern Caspian coastline west to try to defeat the nomad force of eight thousand. The Macedonians killed many Mardians, but the rest melted back into their mountain fastness.1
The wily Mardians had the upper hand. They withdrew into an impregnable hillside “fortress” made of intertwined living trees. Both sides continued to suffer casualties in skirmishes, and the Mardians captured some Macedonians who lost their way in the rough terrain. Frustrated, Alexander ordered his men to burn the countryside. His pages led the royal horses to a safe pasture while the Mardians observed from the heights. Suddenly a party rushed down and stole the best steed in the herd. They made off with the magnificent and beloved Bucephalus, who had carried Alexander in all his battles, the horse who kneeled to allow his master to mount him. Furious, Alexander vowed to chop down every tree and slaughter everyone in the land. This threat was delivered to the Mardians in their own language by an interpreter, probably a captive.
According to Diodorus, the Mardians were so “terrified” that they immediately returned Bucephalus with costly gifts. But Plutarch described the exchange very differently. The Mardians stole Bucephalus, Alexander threatened reprisals, and the nomads returned the horse, promising loyalty. Alexander treated the tribe kindly and even paid a generous ransom to the men who had so expertly captured his horse. The Mardians’ actions conform to nomadic horse-raiding customs and their esteem for powerful leaders. Capturing Bucephalus initiated a sort of conversation and a test in which each side could express mutual respect. Similar captures of horses by Amazons are described in Indian and Asian tales (Chapter 24). Alexander’s response shows his growing understanding of the nomads’ ways.2
Alexander rode Bucephalus back to his camp in Hyrcania. There he received a surprise visit: another army of tough warriors on horseback— three hundred Amazons led by Queen Thalestris.
World History
