Alexander of Macedon, 356–323 B.C. by Green Peter

Author:Green, Peter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Biography
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

One day shall come to Asia's wealthy land an unbelieving man,

Wearing on his shoulders a purple cloak,

Wild, despotic, fiery. He shall raise before himself

Flashes like lightning, and all Asia shall have an evil

Yoke, and the drenched earth shall drink in great slaughter.

Ever since Issus Alexander had tried to change this image, but without success: episodes such as the sack of Tyre confirmed it all too well. Disaffection among his troops, Agis' revolt, and, worst of all, this stubborn, intangible atmosphere of moral hostility — all had combined to fray his all-too-edgy temper. Even his diplomatic overtures to 3Darius' womenfolk seem to have broken down in the end. This may explain why, despite Tiridates' formal surrender, he now gave his troops carte blanche to sack Persepolis — all but the palaces and the citadel, where Darius' treasures were stored. What he could not bend, he would break. If the Achaemenid crown was denied him, he would take it by main force, and show himself such a terrible Lion of Wrath as even the Magi had not dared to predict.

He now made an inflammatory speech to his officers, ranting on about Persian crimes against Greece — the incident of the mutilated mercenaries must have helped here — and describing Persepolis as ‘the most hateful of the cities of Asia’. The Macedonians needed no further encouragement. Their last real taste of wholesale rape and plunder had been at Gaza. Ever since then, at Babylon and Susa in particular, Alexander's policy of conciliation had placed them under heavy disciplinary restraint. Now, unleashed at last, they went completely berserk. The king authorized them to kill all adult males they encountered, ‘thinking that this would be to his advantage’. Presumably he now meant to secure Persian compliance through sheer terrorism. But he was also giving his hard-worked troops a holiday before leading them on the long, hard road through the eastern provinces.

For a whole day the Macedonian army gave itself up to an orgy of plunder and destruction. Every private house was full of gold and silver ornaments, rich tapestries, beautiful inlaid furniture. Priceless works of art were smashed up wholesale to give rival looters a share of the precious metal and jewellery that adorned them. Frequent fights broke out, and those who amassed especially rich loads of booty were often killed by jealous rivals. No one bothered to take prisoners: they were not worth ransoming, and many committed suicide to save themselves from worse indignities.

Alexander, meanwhile, was busy inspecting the royal treasure-vaults, which contained an accumulated surplus of no less than 120,000 talents, dating back to the time of Cyrus the Great. From the Great King's bedchamber came 8,000 talents in gold, besides the jewelled golden vine — which, as Alexander surely knew, was also a symbolic Tree of Life, representing ‘the rightful, proper continuity of Achaemenid government under Ahura Mazda’. This fantastic fortune was now destined to finance Alexander's further adventures in the East. Some of it he kept with him, but the bulk was transferred to Susa and thence, ultimately, to Ecbatana.

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