Adjectives such as hazardous, bold, audacious, ambitious, daring, and diligent are easily inserted into any Alexander the Great essay, article, or book. The tales of his exploits, the mastery of his campaigns, and the allure of the man are penned and spoken about in languages throughout the modern world especially in the West. For many, Alexander has become the flagpole for European ethnocentrism.
If you dig a little deeper, you will find a man of savagery and rage. Yes, Alexander desired the world at all costs; however, in order to achieve his goals he had to become a liar, deceiver, debaucher, and a murderer.
Alexander left a trail of death and destruction as he marched through the Persian Empire. One of Alexander’s major goals was Parsa, the capital of the Persians which fell to Alexander during the reign of Darius III [336-330 BCE]. Alexander of Macedon reached Parsa on the 30th of January in 330 BCE. Soon after, he set the palace city ablaze along with the nearby town of Istakhr. It is the view of many that he committed this act as a way of stomping out the last vestige to the Persians of the past who had brought much death and destruction to Greece.
Here is an account from Roman historian, Diodorus of Sicily. It is a secondary source and he was notably hostile towards Alexander and his achievements but the sense of the destruction to the city as well as the greed so coveted by Alexander is still evident in his words:
"The grand mansions of the royal family, famed throughout the whole civilized world fell victim to the hubris and utter destruction. The Macedonians gave themselves up to this orgy of plunder for a whole day and still could not satisfy their greed for more."
DIODORUS SICULUS Library of History BOOK XVII 70
For many in the Near East and Central Asia, he was and still is the Long Haired Devil. In fact, many Iranians refer to him as Iskander Gujaste or Alexander the Accursed. He will always be remembered here in the lands of modern day Persia for his greed and ruthlessness.
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