Onesicritus

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Alexander the Great receives a visit from Thalestris, queen of the Amazons, one of the legends recounted by Onesicritus.

Onesicritus (Greek: Ὀνησίκριτος), a Greek historical writer, (lived c. 360-c. 290 BC), who accompanied Alexander on his campaigns in Asia. He became a chief pilot of Alexander's fleet, and when he returned home, he wrote a history of Alexander's campaigns. He is frequently cited by later authors, who also criticize him for his inaccuracies.

[edit] Life

He is called by some authorities a native of Astypalaia, by others of Aegina:^[1] it was probably to this island origin that he was indebted for the skill in nautical matters which afterwards proved so advantageous to him. He must have been already advanced in years, as we are told that he had two sons grown up to manhood, when his attention was accidentally attracted to the philosophy of Diogenes the Cynic, of which he became an ardent disciple.^[2] We have no account of the circumstances which led him to accompany Alexander into Asia, nor does it appear in what capacity he attended on the conqueror; but during the expedition into India he was sent by the king to hold a conference with the Indian philosophers or Gymnosophists, the details of which have been transmitted to us from his own account of the interview.^[3] When Alexander constructed his fleet on the Hydaspes, he appointed Onesicritus to the important station of pilot of the king's ship, or chief pilot of the fleet (Greek: ἀρχικυϐερνήτης), a post which he held not only during the descent of the Indus, but throughout the long and perilous voyage from the river to the Persian gulf. In this capacity he discharged his duties so much to the satisfaction of Alexander that, on his arrival at Susa, he was rewarded by that monarch with a crown of gold, at the same time as Nearchus.^[4] Yet Arrian blames him for want of judgment, and on one occasion expressly ascribes the safety of the fleet to the firmness of Nearchus in overruling his advice.^[5] We know nothing of his subsequent fortunes; but from an anecdote related by Plutarch it seems probable that he attached himself to Lysimachus, and it was perhaps at the court of that monarch that he composed his historical work,^[6] though, on the other hand, a passage of Lucian,^[7] might lead us to infer that this was at least commenced during the lifetime of Alexander himself.

[edit] Writings

We learn from Diogenes Laërtius^[8] that the history of Onesicritus comprised the whole life of Alexander, including his youth and education; but it is most frequently cited in regard to the campaigns of that prince in Asia, or to the geographical description of the countries that he visited. Though an eye-witness of much that he described, it appears that he intermixed many fables and falsehoods with his narrative, so that he early fell into discredit as an authority. Strabo is especially severe upon him.^[9] Plutarch cites him as one of those who related the fable of the visit of the Amazons to Alexander, for which he was justly ridiculed by Lysimachus,^[10] and Arrian accuses him of falsely representing himself as the commander of the fleet, when he was in truth only the pilot.^[11] Aulus Gellius^[12] even associates him with Aristeas of Proconnesus, and other purely fabulous writers. But it is clear that these censures are overcharged; and though some of the statements cited from him are certainly gross exaggerations,^[13] his work appears to have contained much valuable information concerning the remote countries for the first time laid open by the expedition of Alexander. In particular he was the first author that mentioned the island of Taprobane.^[14] He is said to have imitated Xenophon in his style, though he fell short of him as a copy does of the original.^[15]

[edit] Notes

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870).