The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c14.20

c14.20

But in reality either position suits the text equally well. We do not know the points at which Alexander crossed the succeeding rivers, the Akesinēs and the Hydraōtes, nor the point at which he reached the most distant stream, Hyphasis [=Hypanis]. The assumption commonly made that Alexander crossed the Akesinēs (Chināb) at Wazīrābād does not rest on any evidence. Cunningham and the other authors who maintain the Jalālpur position forget the last clause of Strabo's statement to the effect that the whole route kept as close as possible to the foot of the hills. In another passage (xv, 26) Strabo explains that Alexander adopted this line of march because the rivers which traversed it could be crossed with greater facility near their sources than lower down.