[672] Alexander, as soon as he got possession of the Persian
treasures at Susa (about December 331 B. C.), sent a
large remittance of 3000 talents to Antipater, as means for
carrying on the war against the Lacedæmonians (Arrian, iii. 16.
17). The manifestations of Agis in Peloponnesus had begun in
the spring of 331 B. C. (Arrian, iii. 6, 4); but his
aggressive movements in Peloponnesus did not assume formidable
proportions until the spring of 330 B. C. At the date
of the speech of Æschines against Ktesiphon (August 330 B.
C.), the decisive battle by which Antipater crushed the
forces of Agis had only recently occurred; for the Lacedæmonian
prisoners were only _about to be sent_ to Alexander to learn
their fate (Æsch. adv. Kt. p. 524). Curtius (vii. 1, 21) is
certainly mistaken in saying that the contest was terminated
before the battle of Arbela. Moreover, there were Lacedæmonian
envoys, present with Darius until a few days before his death
(July 330 B. C.), who afterwards fell into the hands
of Alexander (Arrian iii. 24, 7); these men could hardly have
known of the prostration of their country at home. I suppose the
victory of Antipater to have taken place about June 330 B.
C.—and the Peloponnesian armament of Agis to have been got
together about three months before (March 330 B. C.).
Mr. Clinton (Fast. H. App. c. 4. p. 234) discusses the chronology
of this event, but in a manner which I cannot think satisfactory.
He seems inclined to put it some months earlier. I see no
necessity for construing the dictum ascribed to Alexander
(Plutarch, Agesilaus, 15) as proving close coincidence of time
between the battle of Arbela and the final defeat of Agis.
[673] Alexander in Media, when informed of the whole affair after
the death of Agis, spoke of it with contempt as a battle of frogs
and mice, if we are to believe the dictum of Plutarch, Agesilaus,
15.
[674] Æschines adv. Ktesiphont. p. 553. ὁ δ᾽ Ἀλέξανδρος ἔξω τῆς
ἄρκτου καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὀλίγου δεῖν πάσης μεθειστήκει, etc.
[675] Diodor. xvii. 62; Deinarchus cont. Demosthen. s. 35.
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