The Anabasis of Alexander by Arrian is considered the best source on the campaigns of Alexander the Great.
10 Facts About Arrian
2.
Arrian was born in Nicomedia, the provincial capital of Bithynia.
3.
Sometime during the second century AD while in Epirus, probably Nicopolis, Arrian attended lectures of Epictetus of Nicopolis, and proceeded within a time to fall into his pupillage, a fact attested to by Lucian.
4.
Arrian was appointed to the position consul suffectus around 130 AD, and then, in 132 AD, he was made prefect or legate of Cappadocia by Hadrian, a service he continued for six years.
5.
Arrian referred to himself as "the second Xenophon", on account of his reputation and the esteem in which he was held.
6.
Arrian's entire remaining oeuvre is known as FGrH 156 to designate those collected fragments that exist.
7.
Arrian was a pupil of Epictetus around 108 AD, and, according to his own account, he was moved to publish his notes of Epictetus' lectures, which are known as Discourses of Epictetus, by their unauthorized dissemination.
8.
Photius states that Arrian produced two books the Dissertations and the Discourses.
9.
JB Stockdale considered that Arrian wrote eight books of which four were lost by the Middle Ages and the remaining ones became the Discourses.
10.
The work was inspired by and designed as an addition to the an earlier exposition made by Xenophon, whom Arrian recognised to be the Ancient Greek authority on the subject of hunting with scent hounds.