alexander’s treatment of the captured greek ambassadors.—submission of byblus and sidon.
when alexander ascertained that all the money which darius had sent off to damascus with cophen, son of artabazus, was captured, and also that the persians who had been left in charge of it, as well as the rest of the royal property, were taken prisoners, he ordered parmenio to take the treasure back to damascus, and there guard it.289 when he also ascertained that the grecian ambassadors who had reached darius before the battle had likewise been captured, he ordered them to be sent to him.290 they were euthycles, a spartan; thessaliscus, 115son of ismenias, and dionysodorus, a victor in the olympic games, thebans; and iphicrates, son of iphicrates the general, an athenian.291 when these men came to alexander, he immediately released thessaliscus and dionysodorus, though they were thebans, partly out of compassion for thebes, and partly because they seemed to have acted in a pardonable manner. for their native city had been reduced to slavery by the macedonians, and they were trying to find whatever succour they could for themselves and perhaps also for their native city from darius and the persians. thinking thus compassionately about both of them, he released them, saying that he dismissed thessaliscus individually out of respect for his pedigree, for he belonged to the ranks of the distinguished men of thebes. dionysodorus also he released because he had been conqueror at the olympic games; and he kept iphricrates in attendance on himself as long as he lived, treating him with special honour both from friendship to the city of athens and from recollection of his father’s glory. when he died soon after from sickness, he sent his bones back to his relations at athens. but euthycles at first he kept in custody, though without fetters, both because he was a lacedaemonian of a city at that time openly and eminently hostile to him, and because in the man as an individual he could find nothing to warrant his pardon. afterwards, when he met with great success, he released even this man also.
he set out from marathus and took possession of byblus292 on terms of capitulation, as he did also of 116sidon,293 the inhabitants of which spontaneously invited him from hatred of the persians and darius.294 thence he advanced towards tyre;295 ambassadors from which city, 117despatched by the commonwealth, met him on the march, announcing that the tyrians had decided to do whatever be might command.296 he commended both the city and its ambassadors, and ordered them to return and tell the tyrians that he wished to enter their city and offer sacrifice to heracles. the son of the king of the tyrians was one of the ambassadors, and the others were conspicuous men in tyre; but the king azemilcus297 himself was sailing with autophradates.
