destruction of the royal buildings in Persepolis dulling support for the king. Pragmatism is a
causation of the burning and is reflected in almost all of Alexander’s interac tions with the
Persians, which we will explore further.
Persepolis’ function within the Persian Empire and the subsequent archaeological
discoveries shine light on why its destruction challenged Darius’s rule, once again showing
practicality from the Macedon. Persepolis was a contact centre for the Persian king and his
satraps, a place where they could give gifts in return for favour from the ruler, described by
Brosius as symbolising ‘the empire in its entirety’ because of its centripetal importance. 8
Sancisi-Weerdenburg has argued that Alexander burnt the palace purposefully in order to
blur the central links between Darius and his satrapies. 9 This assumption is convincing when
reminded that Darius was forced east from Ecbatana when reinforcements from satraps
failed to arrive, suggesting a weakening of relationships as a result of Persepolis. Although,
this action would undermine his ambition to be seen as king of Asia, Borza reminds us that
Alexander ‘created an Empire of domination that retained many cha racteristics of a
chiefdom.’ 10
The archaeological evidence made apparent that the fire happened fiercest in the
Apadana and Throne Hall. 11 This shows the deliberate burning of the areas where tributes
would be made to the king. 12 Inscriptions can also be found that all attest to the might of
Ahuramazda, which further explains why Alexander would knowingly set fire to it. One
8 Maria Brosius, ‘Alexander and the Persians’, Brill’s Companion to Alexander the Great , Ed. Joseph Roisman, (Leiden: BRILL, 2003), pp. 169-193 (p. 182) 9 Heleen Sancisi- Weerdenburg, ‘Alexander and Persepolis’, Analecta Romana Instituti Danici: Supplementa , 20 (1993), pp. 177 – 188 (p. 184); Brosius, p. 182 10 Eugene N. Borza , In the Shadow of Olympus (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2020), p. 248 11 Sancisi-Weerdenburg, p. 182 12 ‘The Apadana’ , The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago <https://oi.uchicago.edu/collections/photographic-archives/persepolis/apadana> [Accessed 05/01/2023]
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