Flavius Arrianus
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Arrian of Nicomedia (;
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. ''
The Anabasis of Alexander ''The Anabasis of Alexander'' ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἀνάβασις, ''Alexándrou Anábasis''; la, Anabasis Alexandri) was composed by Arrian of Nicomedia in the second century AD, most probably during the reign of Hadrian. Th ...
'' by Arrian is considered the best source on the campaigns of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
. Scholars have generally preferred Arrian to other extant primary sources; though this attitude is beginning to change in light of modern studies into Arrian's method.


Arrian's life

Arrian was born in
Nicomedia Nicomedia (; el, Νικομήδεια, ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocleti ...
(present-day
İzmit İzmit () is a district and the central district of Kocaeli province, Turkey. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the ...
), the provincial capital of Bithynia.
Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
called him Flavius Arrianus Nicomediensis. In respect of his birth date, sources provide similar dates for his birth; within a few years prior to 90, 89, and 85–90 AD. The line of reasoning for dates belonging to 85–90 AD is from the fact of Arrian being made a
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
around 130 AD, and the usual age for this, during this period, being forty-two years of age. (ref. pp. 312, & SYME 1958, ''same page''). His family was from the Greek provincial aristocracy, and his full name, ''L. Flavius Arrianus'', indicates that he was a Roman citizen, suggesting that the citizenship went back several generations, probably to the time of the Roman conquest some 170 years before. Sometime during the 2nd century AD (117 to 120 AD) while in Epirus, probably
Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29  ...
, Arrian attended lectures of
Epictetus Epictetus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκτητος, ''Epíktētos''; 50 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present-day Pamukkale, in western Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when ...
of Nicopolis, and proceeded within a time to fall into his pupillage, a fact attested to by Lucian. All that is known about the life of Epictetus is due to Arrian, in that Arrian left an ''Encheiridion'' (''Handbook'') of Epictetus' philosophy. After Epirus he went to Athens, and while there he became known as the ''young Xenophon'' as a consequence of the similarity of his relation to Epictetus as
Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...
had to
Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
. For a period, some time about 126 AD, he was a friend of the emperor Hadrian, who appointed him to the Senate. He was appointed to the position ''
consul suffectus A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...
'' around 130 AD, and then, in 132 AD (although Howatson shows 131), he was made prefect or legate (governor) of
Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...
by Hadrian, a service he continued for six years. The historian Cassius Dio, states that not long after the Bar Kokhba revolt in
Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...
had been quelled, in 135 AD, King
Pharasmanes II of Iberia Pharasmanes II the Valiant or the Brave ( ka, ფარსმან II ქველი) was a king of Iberia (Kartli) from the Pharnavazid dynasty, contemporary of the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138). Professor Cyril Toumanoff suggests AD ...
caused the Alani to invade neighbouring territories, including Cappadocia where their advance was robustly halted by Arrian's legions.
A second war was begun by the Alani (they are
Massagetae The Massagetae or Massageteans (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ), also known as Sakā tigraxaudā (Old Persian: , "wearer of pointed caps") or Orthocorybantians (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ),: As for the term “Orthocorybantii”, this is a translati ...
) at the instigation of Pharasmanes. It caused dire injury to the Albanian territory and
Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...
, and then involved Armenia and Cappadocia; after which, as the Alani were not only persuaded by gifts from Vologaesus but also stood in dread of Flavius Arrianus, the governor of Cappadocia, it came to a stop.
Arrian referred to himself as ''the second Xenophon'', on account of his reputation and the esteem in which he was held. Lucian stated him to be: This quality is identified as
paideia ''Paideia'' (also spelled ''paedeia'') ( /paɪˈdeɪə/; Greek: παιδεία, ''paideía'') referred to the rearing and education of the ideal member of the ancient Greek polis or state. These educational ideals later spread to the Greco-Roman ...
(παιδεία) which is the quality considered to be of one who is known as an educated and learned personage, i.e., one who is highly esteemed and important.


Works

There are eight extant works (cf. Syvänne, footnote of p. 260). The Indica and the Anabasis are the only works completely intact. His entire remaining oeuvre is known as ''FGrH 156'' to designate those collected fragments which exist.


''Periplus of the Euxine Sea''

This work is the earliest extant work that is dated with any confidence. It is a writing addressed to the Emperor Hadrian.


''Discourses of Epictetus'' and ''Enchiridion of Epictetus''

Arrian was a pupil of
Epictetus Epictetus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκτητος, ''Epíktētos''; 50 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present-day Pamukkale, in western Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when ...
around 108 AD, and, according to his own account, he was moved to publish his notes of Epictetus' lectures, which are known as ''
Discourses of Epictetus The ''Discourses of Epictetus'' ( el, Ἐπικτήτου διατριβαί, ''Epiktētou diatribai'') are a series of informal lectures by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus written down by his pupil Arrian around 108 AD. Four books out of an orig ...
'', by their unauthorized dissemination. According to George Long, Arrian noted from Epictetus' lectures for his private use and some time later made of these, the ''Discourses''. Photius states that Arrian produced two books the ''Dissertations'' and the ''Discourses''. The Discourses are also known as ''Diatribai'' and are apparently a verbatim recording of Epictetus' lectures. (... ''Enchiridion a summary of the Discourses'') The ''
Enchiridion Enchiridion is a small manual or handbook. It can refer more specifically to: * '' Enchiridion of Epictetus'', a short manual of Stoic ethical advice * The ''Enchiridion de metris'' of Hephaestion, an ancient treatise on poetic meters * ''Enchiri ...
'' is a short compendium of all Epictetus' philosophical principles. It is also known as a handbook, and A Mehl considers the ''Enchiridion'' to have been a ''
vade mecum A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference. The term originally applied to a small or portable book containing information useful for its owner, but the ''Oxford Engl ...
'' for Arrian. The ''Enchiridion'' is apparently a summary of the Discourses. (ed. this the first source for < History of the Diadochi >) JB Stockdale considered that Arrian wrote eight books of which four were lost by the Middle Ages and the remaining ones became the ''Discourses''. In a comparison of the contents of the ''Enchiridion'' with the ''Discourses'', it is apparent that the former contains material not present within the latter, suggesting an original lost source for the ''Enchiridion''.


''Homiliai Epiktetou''

''Friendly conversations with Epictetus'' (''Homiliai Epiktetou'') is a 12 book work mentioned by Photius in his ''Bibliotheca'', of which only fragments remain.


''Anabasis of Alexander''

The ''Anabasis of Alexander'' comprises seven books. Arrian used Xenophon's account of the March of Cyrus as the basis for this work.


''Ta met' Alexandron''

''History of the Diadochi'' or ''Events after Alexander'' is a work originally of ten books; a commentary on this work was written by Photius (FW Walbank, p. 8). (p. 156 footnote 4 is the location of < Ta met' Alexandron >. Three extant fragments are the ''Vatican Palimpsest'' (of the 10th century AD), PSI 12.1284 ( Oxyrhynchus), and the ''Gothenburg palimpsest'' (of the 10th century also), these possibly stemming originally from Photius. The writing is about the successors of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
, circa 323 – 321 or 319.


''Parthica''

A lost work of seventeen books, fragments of ''Parthica'' were maintained by the Suda and Stephen of Byzantium. The work survives only in adaptations made later by Photius and
Syncellus ''Synkellos'' ( el, σύγκελλος), latinized as ''syncellus'', is an ecclesiastical office in the Eastern Rite churches. In the Byzantine Empire, the ''synkellos'' of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople was a position of major import ...
. Translated, the title is ''History of the Parthians''. Arrian's aim in the work was to set forth events of the Parthian war of
Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
. The writing mentioned that the Parthians trace their origins to
Artaxerxes II Arses ( grc-gre, Ἄρσης; 445 – 359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II ( peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 358 BC. He was the son and suc ...
.Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encyc ...
">


''Bithyniaca''

A work of eight books, ''Bibliotheca'' (via Photius) states it is the fourth to have been written by Arrian.


''Nicomediensis Scripta minora''

A work translated ''a Nicodemian script (minor)''.


''Indica''

''Indica'' is a work on a variety of things pertaining to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and the voyage of Nearchus in the Persian Gulf. The first part of ''Indica'' was based largely on the work of the same name of
Megasthenes Megasthenes ( ; grc, Μεγασθένης, c. 350 BCE– c. 290 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, diplomat and Indian ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period. He described India in his book '' Indica'', which is now lost, but ha ...
, the second part based on a journal written by Nearchus. (ed. this source used for < Ινσικη >)


''Techne Taktike''

Written 136/137 AD (in the 20th year of Hadrian), ''Techne Taktike'' is a treatise on Roman cavalry and military tactics, and includes information on the nature, arms and discipline of the
phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...
. The '' hippika gymnasia'' is a particular concern of Arrian in the treatise. Another translation of the title is ''Ars tactica'', which, in Greek, is Τέχνη τακτική. This work has generally been considered in large part a panegyric to Hadrian, written for the occasion of his ''vicenallia'', although some scholars have argued that its second half may have had practical use.


''Kynēgetikos''

''Cynegeticus'' (Κυνηγετικός), translated as ''A treatise on hunting with hounds'', ''On Hunting'', or ''On Coursing'', is a work about the Celtic sport of coursing hare with sighthounds, specifically the Celtic greyhounds: in Greek (plural) ''ouertragoi'', in Latin (plural) ''vertragi''. The work was inspired by and designed as an addition to the an earlier exposition made by Xenophon, whom Arrian recognised to be the Ancient Greek authority on the subject of hunting with scent hounds.


''Ektaxis kata Alanon''

''Ektaxis kata Alanon'' (Ἔκταξις κατὰ Ἀλανῶν) is a work of a now fragmentary nature; the title is translated as ''Deployment against the Alani'' or ''The order of battle against the Alans'' or referred to simply as ''Alanica''. It is thought not have been written as a presentation of facts but for literary reasons. Pertaining to the relevant historical facts, though, while governor of Cappadocia, Arrian repelled an invasion of the Alani sometime during 135 AD, a struggle in which Arrian's two legions were victorious. (the word < Deployment > in search criteria was taken from J. E. Lendon , p. 267) Within the work, Arrian explicitly identified the particular means of pursuing warfare as being based on Greek methods.J. E. Lendon
Soldiers & Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity
Yale University Press, 2006 [Retrieved 2015-04-04(ed. ascertained Lendon' – ''Deployment'' a
this
Oxford Dictionaries
explicitexplicate
Oxford University Press [Retrieved 2015-04-04]
ICRC
Methods and means of warfare – 29-10-2010 Overview
etrieved 2015-04-04(ed. used for clarity on concept < method of war > in J. E. Lendon)
''Ektaxis kata Alanon'' is also translated as ''Acies contra Alanos''. The work was known for a time as ''A History of the Alani'' (''Alanike'' via Photius). A fragment describing a plan of battle against the Alani was found in Milan around the 17th century which was thought at that time to belong to the ''History''.


Biographical series

There were also a number of monographs or biographies, including of Dion of Syracuse,
Timoleon Timoleon ( Greek: Τιμολέων), son of Timodemus, of Corinth (c. 411–337 BC) was a Greek statesman and general. As a brilliant general, a champion of Greece against Carthage, and a fighter against despotism, he is closely connected ...
of Corinth, and Tilliborus, a brigand or robber of Asia Minor, which are now lost.


Sources, transmission, translations and publications

Everything known of his life derives from the 9th century writing of Photius in his ''Bibliotheca'', and from those few references which exist within Arrian's own writings. The knowledge of his consulship, is derived at the least from literature produced by
Suidas The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; grc-x-medieval, Σοῦδα, Soûda; la, Suidae Lexicon) is a large 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas (Σούδας) or Souidas ...
.
Arnobius Arnobius (died c. 330) was an early Christian apologist of Berber origin during the reign of Diocletian (284–305). According to Jerome's ''Chronicle,'' Arnobius, before his conversion, was a distinguished Numidian rhetorician at Sicca Ven ...
(c. 3rd century AD) mentions Arrian. Arrian was also known of by Aulus Gellius. Pliny the Younger addressed seven of his epistles to him. Simplicius made a copy of the Encheridion, which was transmitted under the name of the monastic father Nilus during the 5th century, and as a result found in every monastery library. (information was also retrieved during the 5th and 6th of April 2015) Nicholas Blancard made translations of Arrian in 1663 and 1668. The voyage of Nearchus and ''Periplus of the Erythrean Sea'' were translated from the Greek by the then Dean of Westminster, William Vincent, and published in 1809. Vincent published a commentary in 1797 on ''The voyage of Nearchus''. The work was also translated into French by M. Billecocq, under the auspices of the government (cf. p. 321).The British Critic: A New Review, Volume 34
F. and C. Rivington, 1810 etrieved 2015-04-02/ref>


References


Further reading

* Arrian, ''The Campaigns of Alexander'', translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt, Penguin Classics, 1958 and numerous subsequent editions. * Phillips, A.A., and M.M. Willcock (eds.). ''Xenophon and Arrian On Hunting with Hounds''. ''Cynegeticus''. Oxford: Aris & Phillips, 1999. . * P. A. Stadter, ''Arrian of Nicomedia'', Chapel Hill, 1980. * R. Syme, 'The Career of Arrian', ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' vol. 86 (1982), pp. 171–211. * E. L. Wheeler, ''Flavius Arrianus: a political and military biography'', Duke University, 1977.nn * * Yardley, J. & Heckel, W. (2004) ''The History of Alexander'', Penguin, London, pp. 5 & 269. * Brodersen, K. (2017) ''Arrianos / Asklepiodotos: Die Kunst der Taktik.'' Greek and German, De Gruyter, Berlin. . * Campbell, Duncan B. (2022) ''Deploying a Roman Army: The Ektaxis kat' Alanôn of Arrian.'' Greek and English, Quirinus Editions, Glasgow. .


External links

* *
LiviusArrian of Nicomedia
by Jona Lendering
''Arrian On Coursing: the Cynegeticus'' William Dansey 1831

Arrianus's voyage round the Euxine Sea: translated and accompanied with a geographical dissertation and maps
;Texts online * Collected works:
Flavii Arriani quae exstant omnia
', A. G. Roos (ed.), 2 vols., Lipsiae, in aedibus B. G. Teubneri, 1967–68. * Arrian
Anabasis Alexandri
Teubner The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, or ''Bibliotheca Scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana'', also known as Teubner editions of Greek and Latin texts, comprise one of the most thorough modern collection published of ancient (and some medieval) ...
monolingual Greek edition, edited by A.G. Roos (1907) * Arrian
Anabasis Alexandri
translated by E.J. Chinnock (1893) * Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri
(section 1.13–16) (pdf, pp. 18–19)
Battle of Granicus, from the Loeb Classical Library edition. * Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri
(section 4.18.4–19.6)
,
Sogdian Rock The Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes, a fortress located north of Bactria in Sogdiana (near Samarkand), ruled by Arimazes, was captured by the forces of Alexander the Great in the early spring of 327 BC as part of his conquest of the Achaemeni ...
, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt * Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri
(Section 7.5.1–16)
, translated by John Yardley * Arrian
Cynegeticus
translated and edited by William Dansey (1831) * Arrian

(from Photius' ''Bibliotheca'') translated by John Rooke, edited by Tim Spalding * Arrian

translated by E. Iliff Robson. * Arrian

(Ἔκταξις κατὰ Ἀλανῶν) translated by Sander van Dorst, with the Greek (transliterated) and copious notes. * Photius

of Arrian's ''Anabasis'', translated by J. S. Freese * Photius

of Arrian's ''Bithynica'', translated by J. S. Freese * Photius

of Arrian's ''Parthica'', translated by J. S. Freese * Photius

of Arrian's ''Events after Alexander'', translated by J. S. Freese {{Authority control Roman-era Greek historians Arrianus, Lucius Roman-era Greeks 80s births 2nd-century deaths Ancient Roman generals Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Cappadocia Historiography of Alexander the Great Ancient Greek military writers Ionic Greek writers Attic Greek writers People from Bithynia Historians from Roman Anatolia 1st-century Romans 2nd-century Romans 1st-century Greek people 2nd-century Athenians 2nd-century historians Eponymous archons