Pharnuchus
3. A Lycian, was appointed by Alexander the Great to command the force sent into Sogdiana against Spitamenes in B. C. 329. The result of the expedition was disastrous. [CARANUS, No. 3.] Pharnuches had been entrusted with its superintendence, because he was acquainted with the language of the barbarians of the region, and had shown much dexterity in his intercourse with them. According to Aristobulus he was conscious of his deficiency in military skill, and wished to cede the command to the three Macedonian officers who were acting under him, but they refused to accept it. (Arr. Anab. 4.3, 5, 6; Curt. 7.6, 7.)
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.