An Elephant for Aristotle

PROLOGOS

Many have told of Alexander's conquests. Howsomever, such was the vastness of this revolution in the affairs of mankind that, I think, not even minor events of Alexander's career should be suffered to perish from memory. Therefore I, Leon son of Aristos, of Atrax in Thessalia, have written the history of certain happenings in which I took part during the divine Alexander's reign, nigh unto thirty years ago.

Some may deem my account a paltry thing. For, so far was I from commanding ten thousand men, like Xenophon, that my force at no time exceeded a hundred. Nevertheless, the work I performed for King Alexander was in many ways so singular that fain would I not die without recording it. And if I be guilty of insolence in presenting an account that is mainly a tale of my own adventures, I trust that the gods will indulge me.

I have sought to write foreign names in forms as close to the originals as can be done with Greek letters, except for some, like "Xerxes," whereof long usage has sanctified a Hellenized form. However, most Persian and Indian men's names end in the nominative either in vowels, or in hissing and breathing sounds that we do not have in Greek. Therefore I have ended such names with the letter s to make them seem less strange to my readers.