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Aornos

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344:), reconnoitered and reinforced a neighboring spur to the west with a stockade and ditch. His signal fire to Alexander also alerted the defenders of Pir-Sar, and it took two days of skirmishing in the narrow ravines for Alexander to regroup. At the vulnerable north side leading to the fort, Alexander and his catapults were stopped by a deep ravine. To bring the siege engines within reach, an earthwork mound was constructed to bridge the ravine with carpentry, brush, and earth. The first day's work brought the siege mound 50 metres (55 yd) closer, but as the sides of the ravine fell away steeply below, progress rapidly slowed; nevertheless, at the end of the third day, a low hill connected to the nearest tip of Pir-Sar was within reach and was taken. Afterwards, Alexander in the vanguard and his first force were repelled by boulders rolled down from above. Three days of drumbeats marked the defenders' celebration of the initial repulse, followed by a surprise retreat. Alexander hauled himself up the last rockface on a rope. Alexander cleared the summit, slaying some fugitives (Lane Fox), inflated by Arrian to a massacre, and erected altars to 217: 225: 236: 298:
word, such as *awarana "fortified place". According to Arrian, the rock had a flat summit well-supplied with natural springs and wide enough to grow crops: it could not be starved into submission. Neighboring tribesmen who surrendered to Alexander offered to lead him to the best point of access.
258:'s last siege, which took place on April 326 BC, at a mountain site located in modern Pakistan. Aornos offered the last threat to Alexander's supply line, which stretched, dangerously vulnerable, over the 39: 445: 32: 25: 497: 175: 502: 216: 70: 437: 409: 458: 63: 507: 356: 49: 143: 137: 125: 415: 295: 247: 194: 119: 107: 95: 270:(although disbelieving himself of this story) credits Alexander's desire to outdo his kinsman 8: 429: 255: 131: 323: 155: 149: 433: 405: 275: 235: 200: 101: 82: 17: 419: 337: 182: 113: 76: 327: 491: 473: 460: 311: 167: 303: 239:
The Rock of Aornos, Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtun Khwa (KPK), Pakistan
213:
Place associated with Alexander the Great, identified in modern Pakistan
291: 290:): meaning "birdless" in Greek. According to one theory, the name is a 259: 161: 334:(Mount Ilam), a site significant in Hinduism, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 331: 224: 271: 341: 352: 348:, Athena of Victory, traces of which were identified by Stein. 345: 319: 267: 229: 425: 315: 263: 340:
and Alexander's secretary Myllinas (rather than the famous
274:, who allegedly had proved unable to take a fort that the 369: 220:
A 19th century painting of the Siege of the Aornos.
47: 351:Alexander was now free to pursue his journey into 489: 330:has instead proposed a site at the summit of 33: 314:above narrow gorges in a bend of the upper 40: 26: 234: 223: 215: 490: 414: 375: 228:The Aornos is located to the north of 21: 282:(according to Arrian and Diodorus; 13: 326:province. However, the Indologist 14: 519: 286:according to Curtius; elsewhere 498:Battles of Alexander the Great 381: 1: 421:Age of the Nandas and Mauryas 394: 503:Military history of Pakistan 357:Battle of the Hydaspes River 7: 450:IV chapters 28.1–30.4 318:River, just to the west of 310:was located on Pir Sar – a 10: 524: 251: 474:31.0000000°N 74.0000000°E 59: 387:Lane Fox (1973); Arrian. 362: 416:Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta 479:31.0000000; 74.0000000 240: 232: 221: 238: 227: 219: 508:Sieges of antiquity 470: /  430:Motilal Banarsidass 424:(Second ed.), 402:Alexander the Great 359:lay in the future. 256:Alexander the Great 176:Indian subcontinent 52:Alexander the Great 355:. The devastating 324:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 254:) was the site of 241: 233: 222: 404:. Penguin, 1973, 400:Lane Fox, Robin. 322:in the Pakistani 210: 209: 515: 485: 484: 482: 481: 480: 475: 471: 468: 467: 466: 463: 442: 388: 385: 379: 373: 253: 201:Mallian campaign 54: 42: 35: 28: 19: 18: 523: 522: 518: 517: 516: 514: 513: 512: 488: 487: 478: 476: 472: 469: 464: 461: 459: 457: 456: 440: 418:, ed. (1988) , 397: 392: 391: 386: 382: 374: 370: 365: 306:suggested that 302:The geographer 214: 211: 206: 55: 51: 48: 46: 12: 11: 5: 521: 511: 510: 505: 500: 454: 453: 443: 438: 412: 396: 393: 390: 389: 380: 367: 366: 364: 361: 328:Giuseppe Tucci 278:called Ἄορνος 212: 208: 207: 205: 204: 198: 192: 186: 179: 178: 172: 171: 165: 159: 153: 147: 141: 135: 129: 123: 117: 111: 105: 99: 92: 91: 87: 86: 80: 74: 67: 66: 60: 57: 56: 45: 44: 37: 30: 22: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 520: 509: 506: 504: 501: 499: 496: 495: 493: 486: 483: 451: 449: 444: 441: 439:81-208-0465-1 435: 431: 427: 423: 422: 417: 413: 411: 410:0-14-008878-4 407: 403: 399: 398: 384: 378:, p. 54. 377: 372: 368: 360: 358: 354: 349: 347: 343: 339: 335: 333: 329: 325: 321: 317: 313: 312:mountain spur 309: 305: 300: 297: 293: 289: 285: 281: 277: 273: 269: 265: 261: 257: 249: 248:Ancient Greek 245: 237: 231: 226: 218: 202: 199: 196: 193: 190: 187: 184: 181: 180: 177: 174: 173: 169: 166: 163: 160: 157: 154: 151: 148: 145: 142: 139: 136: 133: 130: 127: 124: 121: 118: 115: 112: 109: 108:Halicarnassus 106: 103: 100: 97: 94: 93: 89: 88: 84: 81: 78: 75: 72: 69: 68: 65: 62: 61: 58: 53: 43: 38: 36: 31: 29: 24: 23: 20: 16: 455: 447: 420: 401: 383: 371: 350: 336: 307: 301: 296:Indo-Iranian 287: 283: 279: 243: 242: 188: 168:Sogdian Rock 144:Persian Gate 138:Uxian Defile 71:Mount Haemus 50:Campaigns of 15: 477: / 465:74°0′0.00″E 462:31°0′0.00″N 452:(in French) 376:Sastri 1988 346:Athena Nike 304:Aurel Stein 276:Macedonians 492:Categories 395:References 292:corruption 260:Hindu Kush 332:Elum Ghar 266:, though 150:Cyropolis 132:Gaugamela 448:Anabasis 446:Arrian, 272:Heracles 262:back to 203:(326 BC) 197:(326 BC) 195:Hydaspes 191:(326 BC) 185:(327 BC) 170:(327 BC) 164:(328 BC) 158:(329 BC) 156:Jaxartes 152:(329 BC) 146:(330 BC) 140:(331 BC) 134:(331 BC) 128:(332 BC) 122:(332 BC) 116:(333 BC) 110:(334 BC) 104:(334 BC) 98:(334 BC) 96:Granicus 85:(335 BC) 79:(335 BC) 73:(335 BC) 342:Eumenes 338:Ptolemy 102:Miletus 64:Balkans 436:  408:  353:Punjab 320:Thakot 308:Aornos 294:of an 288:Aornus 284:Aornis 280:Aornos 268:Arrian 252:Ἄορνος 244:Aornos 230:Taxila 189:Aornos 183:Cophen 90:Persia 83:Thebes 77:Pelium 426:Delhi 363:Notes 316:Indus 264:Balkh 162:Gabai 114:Issus 434:ISBN 406:ISBN 126:Gaza 120:Tyre 494:: 432:, 428:: 250:: 246:( 41:e 34:t 27:v

Index

v
t
e
Campaigns of
Alexander the Great

Balkans
Mount Haemus
Pelium
Thebes
Granicus
Miletus
Halicarnassus
Issus
Tyre
Gaza
Gaugamela
Uxian Defile
Persian Gate
Cyropolis
Jaxartes
Gabai
Sogdian Rock
Indian subcontinent
Cophen
Aornos
Hydaspes
Mallian campaign


Taxila

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