ALEXANDER AND THE DAUGHTER OF PIXODARUS

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Dr. Pal

ALEXANDER AND THE DAUGHTER OF PIXODARUS

Post by Dr. Pal »

Dear Nick,That Alexander would not be indifferent to Orontobates, husband of Ada (daughter of Pixodarus, not Queen Ada) is natural. His vehemence at Tyre may be partly aimed at the husband of Ada. We find him locking horns with Orontobates and Memnon at Halicarnassus and finally defeating them only after a long campaign. I think this Orontes was the same as the Orontobates of Gaugamela, who was one of the commanders of the troops drawn from the shores of the Persian Gulf (Arrian iii 8, 8). This, incidentally is the den of Moeris or Sasigupta. Another Orontobates, said to be a Satrap of Media under Antigonus defeated the forces of Peithon and Meleager (Diod. Xix,46,47). This may correspond to the victory of Chandragupta over Malayaketu in the Mudrarakshasa. The name of Chandragupta in some manuscripts of the Mudrarakshasa is Rantivarma which is clearly Orontes. Could this be Medios? After clashing with Alexander and the defeat at Kahnuj, Moeris had to go into hiding. He must have regrouped and taken refuge in areas over which Alexander had no control. As Sasigupta is described in the Greek sources as an Indian it is likely that he took shelter in a country which had strong links with India. One such place was Armenia which was an important entrep+¦t in Indian trade with the west and which was also not controlled by Alexander. The presence of Indians in Armenia in the 4th century BC has been indicated by Kennedy. Tarn wrote that Armenia was not under Alexander. Frye agrees, GÇ£GǪ for example, we find a certain Orontes ruler of Armenia both under Darius and later under Alexander, even though Alexander appointed as new satrap of Armenia the Persian governor of Susa, Mithrenes, who obviously could not secure his new post.GÇ¥. This is Sasigupta.With best regards,Dr. Pal
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