scorched mirrored his attitudes and actions towards Zoroastrianism. What we see here is a
continuation of policy in Iran, showing how Persepolis was not an outlier but a part of a
series of brutal actions by Alexander.
Alexander held an expedient attitude towards the Persians, incorporating their
administration and culture for his, and his empires own, advantage. A problematic image of
Alexander as someone who is unable to grasp the role of Persian kingship is attested by
Fredricksmeyer and Brosius. 24 Because of court intrigue in the Cyropedua and Ctesias’
Persica , and Macedonias’s role in the Greco -Persian wars, Alexander would have had a great
knowledge on the empire. 25 Despite his brutal curbing of Zoroastrianism, the Rivayats state
that pages of the twenty one Nasks (those dealing with government, kingship and judiciary)
had been removed. Jamzadeh believes that this is evidence of Alexander attempting to
establish proper governing in Iran, or at least him being aware of it. 26 It would have been
difficult for Alexander to assimilate into Persian culture in the short time of his campaign,
but to say he was unaware would be inaccurate
As Alexander was a practical ruler with a solid understanding of Achaemenid policy,
where possible, he kept Persian administration the same for ease of management. Like his
father, he welcomed trustworthy foreigners into his administration, such as the Hecatomnid
Ada in Caria who adopted Alexander and was left as satrapy. 27 Bosworth attests that
24 Brosius, p. 173; Ernst Fredricksmeyer, ‘Alexander's Religion and Divinity’, in Brill’s Companion to Alexander the Great , Ed. Joseph Roisman (Leiden: BRILL, 2003), pp. 253-278 25 Guendalina D.M. Taietti, ‘Alexander the Great as a Herodotean Persian King’, Alexander the Great and the East: History, Art, Tradition , 103. 1 (2016), pp. 159 – 177 (p. 171); Sabine Müller, ‘A History of Misunderstandings? Macedonian Politics and Persian Prototypes in Greek Polis- Centered Perspective’, Mesopotamia in the Ancient World , 4. 8 (2015), pp. 459 – 481 (p. 464); Josef W iesehöfer, ‘The Persian Impact on Macedonia’, in The History of the Argeads: New Perspectives , Ed. Sabine Müller, Tim Howe, Hugh Bowden, Robert Rollinger (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2017), pp. 57 – 64 26 Brosius, pp. 173-174 27 Diodorus, Book XVIII , 24.2 –3; Taietti, ‘Alexander III’s Empire’, pp. 82 -104
100
Made with FlippingBook HTML5