What does the burning of Persepolis reveal about Alexander's attitude towards Persia? Student: Ben Miller, Ancient History & History
The burning of Persepolis is a fundamental part of Alexander’s reign, covered by a sparse
number of sources who often contradict how the event played out. This essay will aim to
explain the most logical reason for its destruction, and place it within his policy making. It
will explain how Persepolis was burnt in order to undermine Darius III’s power, and that this
was part of a larger strategy for dealing with the Persians. Above all, Alexander was a
pragmatic and proactive king, with little interest in idealism unless it served him practically.
This is where we see the parallels between Persepo lis and Alexander’s attitude towards the
Persians, a pragmatic approach to them both.
The three main ancient sources disagree on Alexander’s motive. Arrian observes that
it was an intentional act, whilst Diodorus and Curtius state that it was bred from a drunken
orgy, instigated by Thais. 1 Plutarch also writes that Alexander ordered to put the fire out
after coming to his senses. 2 These conflicting sources force us to look elsewhere. In
Schmidt’s archaeological analysis of the site of Persepolis, he notes m oats 130 metres in
length and a canal that flowed between the western walls. 3 If it was accidental, as Curtius
notes, then it would have been straightforward to put out. 4 Furthermore, showing to his
deliberate and premeditated torching was the ordering of many pack animals to Persepolis.
Bloedow and Loube makes the convincing point that the logistics of ordering and
transporting all the treasure was a substantial task that took time. They argue that this
1 Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander , 3.18.10-12; Siculus, Book XVII , 70-72; Curtius, History of Alexander , 5.6-5.7 2 Plutarch, Lives. Alexander 38 3 Erich F. Schmidt, Persepolis I: Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1953), p. 207; Ali Mousavi, ‘Parsa , a Stronghold for Darius A Preliminary Study of the Defence System of Persepolis’, East and West , 42. 4 (1992), pp. 203 – 226 (p. 220) 4 Curtius, History of Alexander , 5.7.10.
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