Gale - Science and Its Times Vol 01 (2000 BC to AD 699).pdf

It took them 20 days to pass the coast along
Makran, where they searched in vain for fresh
water and again found the inhabitants hostile. At
the River Kalami, Nearchus desecrated a place
revered by a local sun-worshipping cult, violating
taboos by setting foot on their sacred island
of Astola. He apparently emerged unscathed
from this incident, but the troops were running
low on food, and had to hunt for wild goats on
the shore.
The expedition took on supplies at the town
of Pasni in what is now Baluchistan, and as they
continued westward they found that the land
was more fertile. Perhaps it was during this time
that Nearchus observed sugar cane, which he
described as a reed “that produce[s] honey, although
there are no bees.” It was also in this region
that Nearchus appears to have seen whales,
reporting that he observed great towers of water
blowing into the air. He also noted that the local
inhabitants paddled canoes, instead of rowing in
the Greek fashion.
As he had been in the incident involving the
sun-worshippers, Nearchus proved himself
rather foolhardy at the town of Gwadar, where
in spite of the locals’ willingness to trade, he
chose to attack the city. This effort ended in a
stalemate, however, and in the end he was content
to trade with the townspeople for fishmeal.
From there they sailed along the coast, reaching
Persia at Cape Jask in the Kerman region. The
voyagers glimpsed Cape Musandam, the tip of
the Arabian Peninsula that serves as dividing
line between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian
Gulf, but Nearchus resisted a suggestion from
his principal lieutenant that they cross the Strait
of Hormuz and explore the Arabian coast.
At the mouth of the Minab River, Nearchus
turned inland and eventually met up with
Alexander, who with the other troops greeted
him as a hero. Alexander himself celebrated the
successful voyage with feasts and sacrifices to
the gods, but after tarrying awhile, Nearchus
continued sailing on past Hormuz Island toward
Qeshm Island. There the ships ran aground on
sandbanks, an incident that cost them three
weeks’ repair time. Finally, however, they set sail
up the Persian Gulf, finally landing at the city of
Diridotis on the mouth of the Euphrates. From
there they moved up the Karun River to meet
Alexander for the last time at the Persian capital
of Susa.
Alexander died soon afterward, at Babylon
in June 323 B.C., and Nearchus’s fortunes diminished.
It is likely that in the ensuing power
struggle between Alexander’s generals, Nearchus
lost his satrapies in Asia Minor, and at this point
he faded from the historical record. His accomplishments,
however—preserved not only in his
writings and those of Arrian, but also in the
work of Strabo (c. 64 B.C.-c. A.D. 23)—did not.
Thanks to Nearchus, the lands of the Near East
and Europe gained contact with India, from
whence they would import numerous valuable
goods and—more important—ideas. Not least
among these were the Hindu-Arabic numerals,
which began making their way westward in the
early years of the Middle Ages.
Further Reading
JUDSON KNIGHT
Books
Cary, M. and E. H. Warmington. The Ancient Explorers.
London: Methuen, 1929.
Hyde, Walter Woodburn. Ancient Greek Mariners. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1947.
Kagan, Donald, ed. Studies in the Greek Historians: In
Memory of Adam Parry. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1975.
Vincent, William. The Commerce and Navigation of the Ancients
in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi, India: Asian
Educational Services, 1998.
Internet Sites
Arian: Anabasis Alexandri: Book VIII (Indica), Tr. E. Iliff
Robson (1933) Ancient History Sourcebook. http://
www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/arrian-bookVIII-
India.html.
“Names of Rivers of NW India According to Greek
Sources.” http://sarasvati.simplenet.com/aryan/alexander.
html.
Strabo: Geography: Book XV: On India Ancient History
Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/
strabo-geog-book15-india.html.
Exploration
& Discovery
2000 B.C.
to A.D. 699
S C I E N C E A N D I T S T I M E S V O L U M E 1
29