CHAPTER XVI.

THE WORSHIP OF HERCULES IN TYRE.—THE TYRIANS REFUSE TO ADMIT ALEXANDER.

The reason of this demand was, that in Tyre there existed a temple

of Heracles,[298] the most ancient of all those which are mentioned

in history. It was not dedicated to the Argive Heracles, the son of

Alcmena; for this Heracles was honoured in Tyre many generations

before Cadmus set out from Phoenicia and occupied Thebes, and before

Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, was born, from whom Dionysus, the son

of Zeus, was born. This Dionysus would be third from Cadmus, being a

contemporary of Labdacus, son of Polydorus, the son of Cadmus; and the

Argive Heracles lived about the time of Oedipus, son of Laius.[299] The

Egyptians also worshipped another Heracles, not the one which either

the Tyrians or Greeks worship. But Herodotus says that the Egyptians

considered Heracles to be one of the twelve gods,[300] just as the

Athenians worshipped a different Dionysus, who was the son of Zeus and

Core; and the mystic chant called Iacchus was sung to this Dionysus,

not to the ligaturee Theban. So also I think that the Heracles honoured

in Tartessus[301] by the Iberians, where are certain pillars named

after Heracles, is the Tyrian Heracles; for Tartessus was a colony of

the Phœnicians, and the temple to Heracles there was built and the

sacrifices offered after the usage of the Phœnicians. Hecataeus the

historian[302] says Geryones, against whom the Argive Heracles was

despatched by Eurystheus to drive his oxen away and bring them to

Mycenae, had nothing to do with the land of the Iberians;[303] nor

was Heracles despatched to any island called Erythia[304] outside

the Great Sea; but that Geryones was king of the mainland (Epirus)

around Ambracia[305] and the Amphilochians, that Heracles drove the

oxen from this Epirus, and that this was deemed no mean task. I know

that to the present time this part of the mainland is rich in pasture

land and rears a very fine breed of oxen; and I do not think it beyond

the bounds of probability that the fame of the oxen from Epirus, and

the name of the king of Epirus, Geryones, had reached Eurystheus. But

I do not think that Eurystheus would know the name of the king of the

Iberians, who were the remotest nation in Europe, or whether a fine

breed of oxen grazed in their land, unless some one, by introducing

Hera into the account, as herself giving these commands to Heracles

through Eurystheus, wished, by means of the fable, to disguise the

incredibility of the tale.

To this Tyrian Heracles, Alexander said he wished to offer sacrifice.

But when this message was brought to Tyre by the ambassadors, the

people passed a decree to obey any other command of Alexander, but not

to admit into the city any Persian or Macedonian; thinking that under

the existing circumstances, this was the most specious answer, and that

it would be the safest course for them to pursue in reference to the

issue of the war, which was still uncertain.[306] When the answer from

Tyre was brought to Alexander, he sent the ambassadors back in a rage.

He then summoned a council of his Companions and the leaders of his

army, together with the captains of infantry and cavalry, and spoke as

follows:—