8. Alexander burns books or the Avesta ; 9. Alexander disperses the literature causing
instability; 10. Alexander divides the empire. 17
Historians are sceptical on some of these accusations, such as the burning of the
Avesta, as Zoroastrianism was largely a word-of-mouth religion, and the date of this holy
book is not clear. 18 The Tansar- nāma and Pahlavi Books position their ‘golden age’ as dying
with Darius, and the Baham Yasht denounce him as ‘wicked Alexander’. 19 The Macedon’s
image was most likely created by real historical brutalities committed in Iran, such as
torturing the Magi at Pasargadae, plundering in Ecbatana, and destroying Persepolis. 20 A
notable event after Persepolis would be the Iranian revolt of Abulites and Ozathres. With
their demise, Alexander became more suspicious and brutal according to Arrian, more brutal
even after his actions in Persepolis, attesting to his decisions in the royal palace as not being
out of place. 21
His disregard for Zoroastrianism is also reflected in the religious rites of
Hephaestion's funeral. Diodorus tells us that Alexander ordered all cities to ‘qu ench the fire
which is called sacred by the Persians’. 22 Brosius asserts that this action would have caused
large offence to the Persian nobles by violating their royal funerary rites. 23 As
aforementioned, Persepolis was an important religious city for the empire, and so it being
17 Bahramgor Anklesaria, Zand- ākāsīh: Iranian or Greater Bundahišnn ([n.p.]: Rahnumae Mazdayasnan Sabha, 1956), pp. 275 – 277; Josef Wiesehöfer, ‘The “Accursed” and the “Adventurer”: Alexander the Great in Iranian Tradition’, in A Companion to Alexander Literature in the Middle Ages , Ed. David Zuwiyya (Leiden: BRILL, 2011), pp. 113-132 (p. 123) 18 Wiesehöfer, ‘The “Accursed” and the “Adventurer”’, pp. 115 -123 19 Kotwal, F. M., P. G. Kreyenbroek, ‘ Alexander the Great in Zoroastrian Tradition ’, Encyclopaedia Iranica (1982), <https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/alexander-the-great-ii> [Accessed 20/05/2023]; Parivash Jamzadeh, Alexander Histories and Iranian Reflections: Remnants of Propaganda and Resistance (Leiden: BRILL, 2012), p. 174 20 Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander , 6.29.9 – 10; Plutarch, Lives. Alexander , 69.3; Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander , 7.14.5; Justin, Epitome of The Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus, 42.3.5 21 Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander , 7.4.1 – 3 22 Diodorus, Book XVIII , 114.4 23 Brosius, p. 181
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