Nearchus

Nearchus (nēär'kus) [key], fl. 324 B.C., Macedonian general, b. Crete; friend of Alexander the Great. In 325 B.C., Alexander, about to leave India, had a fleet built in the Indus to transport part of the army home. Nearchus was put in command. They sailed up the Persian coast and rejoined (324 B.C.) Alexander at Susa in Persia. Nearchus' own account of this voyage, together with his description of India, is included in Arrian's Indica.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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