Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

XLVII.BABYLON. AUGUST, B. C. 324, TO JUNE, B. C. 323.Alexandek planned to visit and regulate each part of his enormous empirein turn. He had been down the Euphrates to the Gulf, and up theTigris to Opis. He now marched to Eebatana. Here Hephsestion died, andAlexander, whose grief was extreme for this friend of his soul, made his funeraliamore magnificent than any before. Ptolemy and he then undertook a midwintercampaign against the Cossaeans, mountain robbers who made insecurethe road from Eebatana to Susa, and in a forty days' campaign subdued them.Thence he went to Babylon, where he built a vast dockyard, began the constructionof a fleet, and made large calculations for future public improvements.The new Maeedo-Oriental army was organized and its discipline begun.Eastern nobles were put in command beside his old and trusted Macedonians,and often over them. But his work was cut summarily short. In the courseof his labors on the fleet, Alexander caught a fever, of which, after the lapseof a few days, he died, leaving his kingdom " to the strongest," and giving hissignet-ring to Perdiccas.It was part of Alexander's plan to visit all parts of hiskingdom in turn. From Opis he went, about the end of August,to Eebatana, along the straight Median road. No doubtthere was much to do in this treasury city, especially sincethe flight of Hai'palus. At Eebatana Hephaestion died.Alexander mourned greatly for this, his one friend of friendsfor as Patroclus to Achilles, so was Hephaestion to Alexander.He prepared a funeral pyre in his honor at Babylonwhich is said to have cost ten thousand talents (twelve millionsof dollars). His funeralia were celebrated by the mostmagnificent gymnastic and musical contests he had evergiven, at a further expense of two thousand talents. Alexanderis said to have crucified Glaucus, Hephaistion's doctor,