§17.85.1πολλὰς δὲ καὶ ἄλλας πόλεις ἐκπολιορκήσας καὶ τοὺς ἀντιταττομένους ἀνελὼν προῆγεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν τὴν Ἄορνον καλουμένην· εἰς γὰρ ταύτην οἱ περιλειφθέντες τῶν ἐγχωρίων διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ὀχυρότητος καταπεφεύγεισαν.
Having besieged and captured many other cities, and having slain those who opposed him, he advanced to the rock called Aornos; for the survivors of the inhabitants had fled to this place because of its extreme strength.
§17.85.2λέγεται γὰρ τὸ παλαιὸν Ἡρακλέα ταύτην τὴν πέτραν ἐπιβαλόμενον πολιορκεῖν ἀποστῆναι διά τινας ἐπιγενομένους σεισμοὺς μεγάλους καὶ διοσημείας.
For it is said that in ancient times, Heracles, having attempted to besiege this rock, withdrew because of some great earthquakes and divine portents that occurred.
ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος πυθόμενος περὶ τούτων ἔτι μᾶλλον παρωξύνθη πολιορκῆσαι τὸ ὀχύρωμα καὶ διαμιλληθῆναι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δόξῃ.
Alexander, on hearing of these things, was even more incited to besiege the stronghold and to compete with the fame of the god.
§17.85.3ἡ δὲ πέτρα τὸν μὲν περίβολον εἶχε σταδίων ἑκατόν, τὸ δʼ ὕψος ἑκκαίδεκα, τὴν δʼ ἐπιφάνειαν ὁμαλὴν καὶ πάντῃ περιφερῆ· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρὸς μεσημβρίαν μέρος αὐτῆς προσέκλυζεν ὁ Ἰνδὸς ποταμός, μέγιστος ὢν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰνδικήν, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα μέρη περιείχετο φάραγξι βαθείαις καὶ κρημνοῖς ἀπροσίτοις.
Now the rock had a circumference of one hundred stades, and a height of sixteen, and its upper surface was smooth and circular in every direction; and its southern part was washed by the Indus River, which is the largest of those in India, while the other parts were surrounded by deep ravines and inaccessible cliffs.
§17.85.4τοῦ δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρου κατασκεψαμένου τὴν δυσχωρίαν καὶ τὴν ἐκ βίας ἅλωσιν ἀπογνόντος ἧκέν τις πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβύτης μετὰ δυεῖν υἱῶν.
But when Alexander had reconnoitered the difficulty of the terrain and despaired of capturing it by force, a certain old man came to him with his two sons.
§17.85.5οὗτος δʼ ὢν πένης παντελῶς καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐντεθραμμένος τοῖς τόποις κατῴκει μὲν ἔν τινι σπηλαίῳ τρεῖς στιβάδας ἔχοντι κατὰ τὴν πέτραν ἐντετμημένας, ἐν αἷς ὁ γέρων μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν ἐναυλιζόμενος ἐμπειρίαν περιεπεποίητο τῶν τόπων.
This man, being entirely poor and having been brought up in these regions for a long time, lived in a certain cave which had three beds carved into the rock, in which the old man, lodging with his sons, had acquired a thorough knowledge of the places.
οὗτος οὖν προσελθὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὰ περὶ ἑαυτὸν δηλώσας ἐπηγγείλατο καθηγήσεσθαι διὰ τῆς δυσχωρίας καὶ ποιήσειν αὐτὸν ὑπερδέξιον γενέσθαι τῶν κατειλημμένων τὴν πέτραν βαρβάρων.
He, therefore, came to the king, and having explained his circumstances, promised to guide him through the difficult terrain and to make him superior to the barbarians who had occupied the rock.
§17.85.6ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπαγγειλάμενος μεγάλας δωρεὰς δώσειν καὶ τῷ πρεσβύτῃ χρησάμενος ὁδηγῷ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν πάροδον τὴν εἰς τὴν πέτραν φέρουσαν κατελάβετο καὶ μηδεμιᾶς οὔσης ἄλλης ἐξόδου συνέκλεισε τοὺς βαρβάρους εἰς ἀβοήθητον πολιορκίαν· ἔπειτα τῇ πολυχειρίᾳ χώσας τὴν φάραγγα κατὰ τὴν ῥίζαν τῆς πέτρας, προσελθὼν ἐνεργῆ πολιορκίαν συνεστήσατο, συνεχῶς ἐφʼ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ καὶ τὰς ἴσας νύκτας ἐκ διαδοχῆς τὰς προσβολὰς ποιούμενος.
And Alexander, having promised to give him great gifts and having employed the old man as a guide, first seized the pass leading to the rock, and since there was no other exit, shut up the barbarians in a helpless siege; then, having filled up the ravine at the foot of the rock by means of many hands, he approached and began an active siege, making attacks continuously for seven days and an equal number of nights in succession.
§17.85.7τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον οἱ βάρβαροι διὰ τὰς τῶν τόπων ὑπεροχὰς προετέρουν καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνῄρουν τῶν προπετῶς βιαζομένων· τοῦ δὲ χώματος συντελεσθέντος καὶ τῶν ὀξυβελῶν καταπελτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀργάνων ἐπισταθέντων, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τοῦ βασιλέως φανεροῦ καθεστῶτος ὡς οὐκ ἀποστήσεται τῆς πολιορκίας οἱ μὲν Ἰνδοὶ κατεπλάγησαν, ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐμφρόνως προϊδόμενος τὸ μέλλον ἐξέλιπεν τὴν ἐν τῇ παρόδῳ κατειλημμένην φυλακήν, διδοὺς ἔξοδον τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἀναχωρεῖν.
At first, therefore, the barbarians had the advantage because of the superiority of the terrain, and killed many of those who were rashly forcing their way; but when the mound was completed, and the sharp-shooting catapults and the other engines were set up, and in addition to these, when the king made it clear that he would not abandon the siege, the Indians were terrified, and Alexander, wisely anticipating the future, withdrew the guard stationed in the pass, giving an exit to those who wished to retreat from the rock.
οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι φοβηθέντες τάς τε τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀρετὰς καὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως φιλοτιμίαν νυκτὸς ἐξέλιπον τὴν πέτραν.
And the barbarians, fearing both the valor of the Macedonians and the determination of the king, abandoned the rock by night.