In 325 BC, Alexander

In 325 BC, Alexander the Great led his army into the desert between India and the Persian Gulf. The famous Macedonian leader hoped to easily reach the central regions of the Empire, but the march turned out to be more difficult than expected. The lack of food and water began to weigh on the soldiers, who also suffered from the heat and the boiling sand, so much so that some began to perish under the scorching desert sun. The historian Arrian recounts: "Alexander himself, gripped by thirst, led the troops with great pain and difficulty and yet on foot; so too the other soldiers, as usually happens in similar circumstances, tolerated the fatigue better given the same suffering. In the meantime, some lightly armed men, who had moved away from the army in search of water, found it collected in a shallow cavity, a modest and unknown spring. Having taken it without difficulty, they ran to Alexander, as if they were carrying something precious. Then they poured the water into a helmet and gave it to the king. He took it and thanked those who had brought it, but then spilled it in front of everyone. After this, the entire army regained courage to the point of making it seem as if the water poured by Alexander had been drunk by everyone". Thus Alexander the Great, thanks also to his leadership spirit, finally managed to lead his men out of the desert.