33. Engineers, Envoys & Explorers: Cyprus & Alexander the Great with Andreas Parpas

The History of Cyprus Podcast

Prior to recording this episode, I had never put any real thought into Cyprus' role in Alexander the Great's campaigns. Afterall, Cyprus is rarely (if ever) mentioned when discussing Alexander's conquests. And yet I was floored to learn not only of its significant naval contributions but just how often Alexander himself recognized the superiority of Cypriot seafaring and engineering know-how to support his expeditions. Let's consider this excerpt in the lead up to the Siege of Tyre:
"...[W]ith Cyprus too brought on side, we would be assured of supremacy at sea, and that of itself clears the way for our expedition to Egypt. When we have subdued Egypt, we shall have no further worries for Greece or our own country, and we can then make our move on Babylon with security ensured at home, our reputation enhanced, and the Persians cut off from the entire sea and all the land this side of the Euphrates." - Alexander quoted in Arrian's The Anabasis (17:4).
The Siege of Tyre was a pivotal stepping stone opening up the East to Alexander's armies. It's with the coordinated naval efforts of Pnytagoras of Salamis, Androcles of Amathus, and Pasicrates of Curium (among others) that Alexander was able to take the Sidonian harbour of Tyre. And yet their contributions didn't end there. "Alexander had recruited teams of engineers from Cyprus" (17:5 Arrian) in order to assist in the construction of siege-engines and the building of a causeway that connected the mainland to the island of Tyre in perhaps one of the most impressive feats of engineering in all of Alexander's campaigns.

To my surprise, Cypriots were more than a mere footnote in the Siege of Tyre. They played vital roles throughout Alexander's campaigns into the East as oarsmen, engineers, explorers, soldiers, trierarchs, and some were even elevated to esteemed positions as Companions and even Satraps (see Stasanor of Soli who was appointed as Satrap of Bactria in modern-day Afghanistan). They accompanied Alexander as they explored the Hydapses River (modern-day Jhelum River in Pakistan and India) while others were specifically sent to explore hitherto unknown regions. "The most extensive of the exploratory voyages was that undertaken by the helmsman Hieron from Soli. He too was given a triaconter by Alexander, with instructions to coast round the entire Arabian peninsula..." (Arrian 17:4) They were an integral component to Alexander's war machine and instrumental in his many of his successes.
In this month's episode, I'm excited to welcome researcher and historian, Andreas Parpas to discuss Cyprus' role in Alexander the Great's campaigns and its pivotal contributions to laying a foothold eastwards towards Babylon and beyond.