Nearchus

Nearchus (Greek Νέαρχος, Latinized Nearchus; * 360 BC; † after 312 BC ), son of Androtimos, was an admiral of Alexander the Great on his campaign Persie, on which he was known primarily for his Seeexpedition.

Nearchus was a Greek and a native of Crete, probably from Lato. He moved to Amphipolis and entered the service of King Philip II of Macedonia. He was a young fellow ( syntrophoi ) of Prince Alexander, the BC he accompanied into exile after the " Pixodaros affair" in the year 336. He also belonged since the start of the Asia campaign in the year 334 BC the innermost circle of companions ( hetairoi ) Alexander of, of which he has been appointed in the same year satrap of Lycia and Pamphylia. But in the spring of 328 BC, he teamed up with newly recruited troops in Bactrian Zariaspa again the army of Alexander to his provinces were taken by Antigonus Monophthalmos.

In India, Nearchus was 326 BC Supreme Commander ( nauarchos ) the newly appointed fleet, which the army the Hydaspes and Indus transported down to its mouth in the Arabian Sea. While there has been continued from there the army under Alexander's command by land to the Persis, Nearchus was entrusted with the conversion of the fleet to Mesopotamia. He should explore the hitherto little-known sea route from the Indus to the Euphrates. From Pattala at the Indus estuary, the fleet put to sea, sailed westward along the coast Gedrosia and landed near the Strait of Hormuz, to come together with the land army, which moved in parallel by the gedrosische desert. Shortly afterwards sailed along the east coast of the Persian Gulf, the Tigris up and left in the spring of 324 BC drop the anchor in front of Susa. For the successful expedition of Nearchus, Alexander was awarded with a golden wreath and on the mass wedding at Susa with a subsidiary of Mentor of Rhodes and the Barsine, the beloved of Alexander, married. He was appointed Admiral of the expedition to Arabia then, but Alexander's death in 323 BC prevented the execution of these plans.

In the following Diadochenkriegen Nearchus was a follower of Antigonus Monophthalmos and was a teacher of young Demetrius Poliorketes, which was also known by extensive fleet companies.

Nearchus prepared a report ( Periplus ) about his India trip ( Fragments of the Greek Historians, No. 133). This is indeed lost, but was extensively used by Arrian in his work on India ( see also indicator ). Aristobulus of Kassandreia, Kleitarchos and other Alexander historians have apparently also used the report of Nearchus.

According to him, the lunar crater is named Nearchus.