Persian satraps to Macedonians, we see here that this was a policy of dominion and not
Panhellenism.
The strongest case for Alexander’s Hellenism and subsequent revenge in Persepolis is
his reply to Darius’ letter. In it, Alexander states ‘ Your ancestors came into Macedonia and
the rest of Greece and treated us ill… having been appointed commander -in-chief of the
Greeks and wishing to take revenge on the Persians.’ 49 This would form the justification to
continue the war as a war of revenge, reflective of his actions in Persepolis. Whilst burning
and looting the palace, Plutarch writes that the soldiers ‘had fixed his thoughts on home’. 50
This would certainly support the notion of a Hellenic bonfire, but questions of legitimacy
limit this. 51 Immediately after this, as result of the death of Darius, Alexander changed his
campaign rhetoric in order to justify its continuation as supporting the Persian nobles, by
avenging them and eliminating the pretender Bessus. 52 This constant changing of agenda in
order to continue the campaign echoes a more proactive leader, reflective of his pragmatism
rather than Greek idealism.
Furthermore, Bosworth asserts the importance of Phillip II and Alexander’s
inheritance. He argues that ‘ Alexander was continuing a process begun by his father’,
inferring the Panhellenic motive for the invasion. 53 I will assert how this is more in tune with
the burning of Persepolis as a practical action to remove Darius then revenge for Xerxes
49 Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander , 2.14.4 50 Plutarch, Lives. Alexander , 38; Also for more on the Hellenic motives see the Agis revolt in Sparta, Hammond (1992) for an argument in support of it and Bloedow & Loube (1997) for a critical breakdown of why Agis would not have been a motive for Alexander burning Persepolis. 51 G. T. Griffith, ‘The Letter of Darius at Arrian 2. 14’, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society , 14. 194 (1968), pp. 33 – 48 52 William Greenwalt, ‘Infantry and the Evolution of Argead Macedonia’ in Greece, Macedon and Persia , Ed. Timothy Howe, Erin Garvin, Graham Wrightson (Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2015), p. 109 53 A. B. Bosworth, ‘The Legacy of Philip’, in Alexander the Great: A Reader , Ed. Ian Worthington (London: Routledge, 2003), p. 28
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