ARRIAN

born , Nicomedia, Bithynia [now Izmit, Tur.] died AD 180 Latin in full Flavius Arrianus Greek historian and philosopher who was the author of a work describing the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Entitled Anabasis, presumably in order to recall Xenophon's work of that title, it describes Alexander's military exploits in seven books; an eighth, the Indica, tells of Indian customs and the voyage of Nearchus in the Persian Gulf. Arrian was clearly a great admirer of his hero but was obsessed by the purely military aspect of the story he was telling. There is little to enlighten us about Alexander's motives for conquest or his ideal of the creation of a united world. The work, however, does contain some fine pieces of descriptive writing, such as the account of the siege and capture of Tyre in Book Two. Arrian's other works include the Encheiridion, a manual of the teachings of Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher whose disciple Arrian was. This work was much used in the European Middle Ages as a guide to the principles of the monastic life. Arrian served in the Roman army and was appointed by the emperor Hadrian to be governor of the province of Cappadocia. After Hadrian's death (138), Arrian retired into private life to occupy himself with his literary work.