§17.115.1τῶν γὰρ ἡγεμόνων καὶ φίλων ἕκαστος στοχαζόμενος τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως ἀρεσκείας κατεσκεύαζεν εἴδωλα διʼ ἐλέφαντος καὶ χρυσοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν θαυμαζομένων παρʼ ἀνθρώποις, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀρχιτέκτονας ἀθροίσας καὶ λεπτουργῶν πλῆθος τοῦ μὲν τείχους καθεῖλεν ἐπὶ δέκα σταδίους, τὴν δʼ ὀπτὴν πλίνθον ἀναλεξάμενος καὶ τὸν δεχόμενον τὴν πυρὰν τόπον ὁμαλὸν κατασκευάσας ᾠκοδόμησε τετράπλευρον πυράν, σταδιαίας οὔσης ἑκάστης πλευρᾶς.
For each of the commanders and friends, aiming at the king's favor, manufactured likenesses made of ivory, gold, and other materials admired among men, while he himself, having gathered the architects and a multitude of skilled artisans, tore down the wall for ten stades, and having collected the baked brick and made the place receiving the pyre level, built a four-sided pyre, each side being one stade in length.
§17.115.2εἰς τριάκοντα δὲ δόμους διελόμενος τὸν τόπον καὶ καταστρώσας τὰς ὀροφὰς φοινίκων στελέχεσι τετράγωνον ἐποίησε πᾶν τὸ κατασκεύασμα.
Having divided the space into thirty chambers and roofed them over with trunks of date-palms, he made the whole structure square.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα περιετίθει τῷ περιβόλῳ παντὶ κόσμον, οὗ τὴν μὲν κρηπῖδα χρυσαῖ πεντηρικαὶ πρῷραι συνεπλήρουν, οὖσαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν διακόσιαι τεσσαράκοντα, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐπωτίδων ἔχουσαι δύο μὲν τοξότας εἰς γόνυ κεκαθικότας τετραπήχεις, ἀνδριάντας δὲ πενταπήχεις καθωπλισμένους, τοὺς δὲ μεταξὺ τόπους φοινικίδες ἀνεπλήρουν πιληταί.
After this, he placed decorations around the entire enclosure, of which the foundation was filled with golden prows of quinqueremes, numbering two hundred and forty, and having upon their catheads two kneeling archers four cubits high, and armed statues five cubits high, while the spaces between them were filled with red felt draperies.
§17.115.3ὑπεράνω δὲ τούτων τὴν δευτέραν ἐπανεῖχον χώραν δᾷδες πεντεκαιδεκαπήχεις, κατὰ μὲν τὴν λαβὴν ἔχουσαι χρυσοῦς στεφάνους, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκφλόγωσιν ἀετοὺς διαπεπετακότας τὰς πτέρυγας καὶ κάτω νεύοντας, παρὰ δὲ τὰς βάσεις δράκοντας ἀφορῶντας τοὺς ἀετούς.
Above these, torches of fifteen cubits held up the second tier, having golden crowns at their handles, and at their flame-end eagles with outspread wings looking downward, and at their bases dragons looking up at the eagles.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν τρίτην περιφορὰν κατεσκεύαστο ζῴων παντοδαπῶν πλῆθος κυνηγουμένων.
On the third circuit, a multitude of all kinds of animals being hunted had been fashioned.
§17.115.4ἔπειτα ἡ μὲν τετάρτη χώρα κενταυρομαχίαν χρυσῆν εἶχεν, ἡ δὲ πέμπτη λέοντας καὶ ταύρους ἐναλλὰξ χρυσοῦς.
Then the fourth tier had a golden battle of Centaurs, and the fifth golden lions and bulls alternately.
τὸ δʼ ἀνώτερον μέρος ἐπεπλήρωτο Μακεδονικῶν καὶ βαρβαρικῶν ὅπλων, ὧν μὲν τὰς ἀνδραγαθίας, ὧν δὲ τὰς ἥττας σημαινόντων.
The upper part was filled with Macedonian and barbarian weapons, some signifying deeds of valor, and others defeats.
ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ ἐφειστήκεισαν Σειρῆνες διάκοιλοι καὶ δυνάμεναι λεληθότως δέξασθαι τοὺς ἐν αὐταῖς ὄντας καὶ ᾄδοντας ἐπικήδιον θρῆνον τῷ τετελευτηκότι.
Above all stood hollow Sirens, capable of secretly receiving those inside them who sang a funeral dirge for the deceased.
§17.115.5τὸ δʼ ὕψος ἦν ὅλου τοῦ κατασκευάσματος πήχεις πλείους τῶν ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα.
The height of the entire structure was more than one hundred and thirty cubits.
καθόλου δὲ τῶν τε ἡγεμόνων καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἁπάντων καὶ τῶν πρέσβεων, ἔτι δὲ τῶν ἐγχωρίων φιλοτιμηθέντων εἰς τὸν τῆς ἐκφορᾶς κόσμον φασὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀναλωθέντων χρημάτων γεγονέναι πλείω τῶν μυρίων καὶ δισχιλίων ταλάντων.
In general, since the commanders, all the soldiers, the ambassadors, and even the local inhabitants vied with one another in contributing to the decoration of the funeral, they say that the total of the expended funds amounted to more than twelve thousand talents.
§17.115.6ἀκολούθως δὲ ταύτῃ τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γενομένων κατὰ τὴν ἐκφορὰν τιμῶν τὸ τελευταῖον προσέταξεν ἅπασι θύειν Ἡφαιστίωνι θεῷ παρέδρῳ· καὶ γὰρ κατὰ τύχην ἧκεν εἷς τῶν φίλων Φίλιππος, χρησμὸν φέρων παρʼ Ἄμμωνος θύειν Ἡφαιστίωνι θεῷ.
In keeping with this magnificence, when the other honors during the funeral had also been performed, he finally ordered all to sacrifice to Hephaestion as a companion god; for indeed, by chance, one of his friends, Philip, arrived bringing an oracle from Ammon to sacrifice to Hephaestion as a god.
διόπερ γενόμενος περιχαρὴς ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ τὸν θεὸν κεκυρωκέναι τὴν αὐτοῦ γνώμην πρῶτος τὴν θυσίαν ἐπετέλεσεν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος λαμπρῶς ὑπεδέξατο, μύρια τὸν ἀριθμὸν θύσας ἱερεῖα παντοδαπά.
Therefore, becoming overjoyed that the god also had ratified his opinion, he was the first to perform the sacrifice and splendidly entertained the multitude, having sacrificed ten thousand victims of every kind.