Comments | coraldawn: Indus Rivers - names both ancient and modern

coraldawn

Indus Rivers - names both ancient and modern

Nov 14, 2006 21:05

I was looking this up today and thought I would put it down here for my own reference, since the Ancient Greek names of these rivers always confuse me - the names of the Indus River tributaries that Alexander encountered in India ( Read more... )

atg trivia

Comments 11

Rivers, and Alexander's swimming lessons selket56 November 15 2006, 03:29:09 UTC

Hi Coral,

I hope you don't mind but I've "borrowed" your above material for my writing, i.e. the names of the various rivers in their various languages. I'm forever making notes and then forgetting where they are and since I moved everything is lost or seriously misplaced. Your entries into your journal are always so fascinating, I keep learning new and interesting things. BTW wasn't it on the Indus where they, Alexander, et al. were overtaken by horrific rapids and Alexander had to leap over the side of the ship and swim for his life. I have a hard time beliving that he couldn't swim. I've read somewhere, not sure where now, maybe RLF's work on Alexander that he never learned to swim. I wonder though, he lived near a lagoon and lake and there was a river at Mieza... maybe he just didn't like water. What do you think?

coraldawn November 15 2006, 04:02:07 UTC

I am happy that you found this useful, Selket. I can never keep the geography of these riivers straight when refered to by the Greek names. And yet, I never have a problem with the west-east topography of the various rivers when thinking of their modern names. So, I thought a map with the modern and Ancient Greek names would be so useful for understanding all that was happening. Also, studying the map amd how the rivers confluence with each other helps to make Alex's journey and wars a little easier to understand ( ... )

Very interesting :) parisad November 15 2006, 10:03:45 UTC

When I was writing my fic "And so we'll be united" I have done some research and I've found that Jhelum was known as "Hydaspes" at Alexander's time...;)

I read somewhere about Alexander being not able to swim, but I don't remember where...It makes me think of Emperor Frederich I Hohenstaufen, who was drowned in the river Salef in 1190...;)

coraldawn November 15 2006, 17:02:14 UTC

Hmm... Alexander unable to swim is a mystery. When I have a chance I need to find out where this is mentioned. I would have thought that at least after Parmenion's son Hector, died by drowning in the Nile, Alexander would have taken some quick swimming lessons. For a guy who couldn't swim, he sure had a penchant for sailing on rivers!

parisad November 15 2006, 19:53:22 UTC

You're right ;) Actually I'm not so sure he couldn't swim. It could be a "legend", one of many legends about his.

OT: I'd like to know WHY today LJ is not posting a message to my mail address when I get some LJ comment...*grr*

coraldawn November 15 2006, 21:23:03 UTC

Lj is frequently temperamental! ;) But you may want to check the settings for your email to confirm that nothing got changed.
So Alexander not knowing how to swim could be an urban legend about him? Like having epilepsy, being left-handed and showing diabetic symptoms? :D

Thread 7

selket56 November 17 2006, 05:47:34 UTC

You know, I was just rethinking this Alexander not swimming issue. Didn't he voluntarily jump or bathe in the Cyndus river because he was so hot and the water was so cool and inviting? Would a man who couldn't swim or navigate in the water comfortably have done something like that? Of course, on the other hand this is where he was overtaken by horrific cramps and was dragged from the river half dead. However, I believe I've read that that, the cramping may have been due to Malaria - apparently Cilica (spelling?) was rife with mosquitos. I doubt he caught such a horrific chill and such awful cramping from not being able to swim.... this swimming thing is just gnawing at me..... Also, wasn't he usually the first to cross a river when he and his army were fording it? This doesn't sound like the behavior of a man who couldn't swim, however, he was brave, courageous, etc. This is a curious question. I must ponder it some more.

coraldawn November 18 2006, 06:16:23 UTC

That's a very good point about the Cydnus, Selket. Arrian says: (from an online source at websfor.org/)

Alexander now fell ill from the toils he had undergone,.according to the account of Aristobulus but other authors say that while very hot and in profuse perspiration he leaped into the river Cydnus and swam, being eager to bathe in its water. This river flows through the midst of the city and as its source is in mount Taurus and it flows through a clear district, it is cold and its water is clear. Alexander therefore was seized with convulsions, accompanied with high fever and continuous sleeplessness.So, here it says that he swam. I seem to have read somewhere that the Cydnus was not very deep and didn't have string currents. So, perhaps Alexander could swim a little but was not a champion at it, as he would want himself to be, in every possible way ( ... )