Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎528r] (1068/1814)

FROM ISFAHAN TO SHIRAZ
79
I must record my surprise that I have not discovered a faithful trans
lation of them in a single work, even in those of great scholars ; and
that in some cases hypotheses have actually been sustained or rejected
upon a palpable mistranslation of the original texts.
The authorities upon whom we have chiefly to rely are Arrian,
Strabo, Pliny, Quintus Curtius, Plutarch. The two first of these, of
The Classi- whom Arrian wrote a work in Greek on the Expedition of
cal writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. . Alexander at the end of the first century a.d., while the date
of Strabo was about a.d. 20 , base their account upon the testimony of
Aristobulus, a companion of Alexander in his Eastern Campaign, who
became its historian in his old age, but of whose work only fragments
remain; and of Onesicritus, a, less trustworthy authority, but also a
companion of Alexander and a probable eye-witness. Quintus Curtius
wrote a life of Alexander about 50 a.d. * but his work is uncritical
and sacrificed to rhetorical effect. The date of Pliny, as is well known,
is about /0 a.d., of Plutarch about 100 a.d. With this preface I will
proceed to quote the words of the several writers.
Arrian’s reference to the Tomb of Cyrus and the visit of Alexander
thereto in 324 Af©t is as follows : 1 —
Alexander himself with his lightest infantry and with his cavalry-guard and
some of his bowmen, marched (from Carmania) towards Pasargadte in Persis.
And he was grieved at the insult inflicted upon the tomb of Cyrus, the son of
Cambyses, seeing that he found the tomb of Cyrus broken open and despoiled, as
Aristobulus tells us. For the latter says that there was in Persis, in the royal
paradise, the tomb of that Cyrus. About it had been planted a grove of all kinds
of trees, and it was watered with streams, and deep grass had grown up in the
meadow. The tomb itself in its lower parts had been wrought of squared stone
in the form of a square; and above was a house (obc^ga) upon it, of stone, roofed,
having a door that led within, so narrow that hardly could one man, and he of no
great stature, enter even with much difficulty. In the house was placed a golden
coffin, where the body of Cyrus was buried, and a couch beside the coffin; and the
feet of the couch were of hammer-beaten gold, and it had a coverlet of Babylonian
tapestries, and thick carpets (or cloaks) of purple were strewn beneath it; and
there were also upon it a tunic and other garments of Babylonian workmanship.
He says further that Median trousers and purple-dyed vestments were placed there
(and some of these were of purple, and some of other colours), and collar-chains,
and swords, and earrings of gold inlaid with stones, and a table was placed there.’
And in the middle of the couch was placed the coffin, which held the body of
Cyrus. And there was within the enclosure, hard by the ascent that led to the
tomb, a small house that had been made for the Magi, who guarded the tomb of
Cyrus, from the time of Cambyses the son of Cyrus to now, father handing down
the guardianship to son. To these a sheep was given every day from the king,
and fixed measures of flour and wine, and a horse every month for sacrifice to
Cyrus. And the tomb was inscribed with Persian characters; and they said in
Persian as follows : ‘ O man, I am Cyrus the son of Cambyses, who founded the
1 De Exped. Alex., vi. 29.