Alexander the Great's Destruction of Persepolis: A Historical Analysis

This essay examines Alexander the Great's destruction of the Persian palace at Persepolis. It discusses Alexander's military strategies, his vision, and his ability to strategize effectively. The essay explores the context of the event, including the conquest of Egypt and the battle of Gaugamela. It details Alexander's arrival at Persepolis, his decision to burn the palace, and the motivations behind this act, including the desire for revenge and the acquisition of treasures. The essay analyzes the historical and religious significance of Persepolis, the destruction of its art and treasures, and the impact of Alexander's actions on the city and the Persian Empire. The paper concludes by emphasizing Alexander's leadership and his lasting impact on history and culture, solidifying his status as a powerful leader and conqueror.

Running head: ANCIENT HISTORY
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ANCIENT HISTORY
Alexander the Great was the ruler of Macedonia who had an empire which he conquered
which can now be estimated to be from the Balkans stretching up to Pakistan, in the modern day.
He was the son to Phillip II and Olympias, who was one of the seven wives which Philip had.
Olympias sought to convince and made Alexander believe that he was special because he was a
descendant of Gods and heroes, which make him great and powerful in the world and unlike
others (Anson 2013). Whatever accomplishment Alexander made in his lifetime, made his belief
stronger. The thesis of this paper is to discuss Alexander the great and his destruction of the
Persian palace at Persepolis.
Alexander is often regarded as a visionary who possessed the power to dream and
successfully actualize them. The very ability which he had and that he could dream and plan
accordingly was one of the greatest advantage which he had, and ensured to make use of, to
execute his ideas to conquer newer lands and enlarging her empire (Green 2013). He could
strategize effectively, especially in large scale which was the reason behind many of his
victorious battles. In battles when he got outnumbered, his intelligence and cunning let him get
the better of the situation and turn the table in his favor (Anson 2013). This was a great
motivating factor for his followers and men in the army who made the greatest conquests
possible in the history of time, with his vision and supervision.
After Alexander conquered Egypt, he faced Darius and his magnificent troop at the
Gaugamela in 331 BC. The battle involved fierce fight put up by both sides, which led to losses
which both the parties suffered. However, Darius escaped after which he got assassinated by his
own kin. When Alexander learned about the incident and found Darius’ body, he was very upset
and he honored him by offering a royal burial. With Darius’ death, Alexander has the
opportunity of acquiring a newer kingdom. Alexander announced himself as the new king in the

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ANCIENT HISTORY
Persian land. Alexander could reach Persepolis during the month of January in 330 BC. He
arrived at Achaemenid Empire right at the capital (Green 2013). Within three months of time,
Alexander destroyed several palaces and buildings as there was no sole ruler in the land, for him
to combat against. However, he realized that would not be wise to leave the treasures behind,
which were enormous in quantity as well as worth. It bothered him to think that there were too
many enemies in the unknown land and the treasures, if left behind, could be recaptured (Heckel
2014). The Palace of Xerxes was severely damaged in the attacks for which it received special
treatment. Alexander entered the city of Persepolis, which was the capital of the empire, took all
treasures and then burned the palace down, which also took down several historic and religious
accounts of the place (Stock 2016). The art works were also destroyed, which were to be found
on the walls of the palaces, which had great significance and made Persepolis possess enriching
art, history and treasures in the entire empire.
Persepolis, which was the capital of the entire Persian Empire was reckoned to be the
worst of the enemies to the Macedonians and thus, convinced the army to engage in a battle
which will be immensely destructive. Among all the cities in Asia, Persepolis was the city which
Alexander, the Great chose to be plundered by his army to showcase his vigor, power and might
only exempting the royal palace (Stock 2016). During the period, Persepolis was one of the
wealthiest of the cities to be found across the world which had private houses which were housed
greatest riches and treasures, the Macedonians and the army of Alexander the Great rushed to
bring the empire down to conquer it and acquire their wealth and riches (Holt 2016). It took
shape of a great battle involving bloodshed, death of men and destruction of houses, palaces
along with the regional art and history.

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ANCIENT HISTORY
The royal place which had great glory and dignity to the world and people were
destructed which were not very well received because of the indignity with the palace received
during the invasion. Persepolis had great history, treasure, art, religious value which exceeded all
other cities but were brought down, which justifies the misfortune of it and the people of the city,
who too faced the outcome (Heckel 2014). Alexander arrived at the citadel to gather the treasures
which were in store there which included revenues since the very first king of Persia, Cyrus until
the time of seizure of the city by Alexander’s army (Holt 2016). Alexander was willing to take
with him the treasures and money which would have served as the expenses of carrying out the
war.
However, it is regarded by several historians that Alexander dot intend to burn the city
down but was the gesture he made as an act of revenge. He burned the city down because of the
desecration of Acropolis in Athens which took place during the Persian war. Alexander set
Persepolis and the royal palace on fire because the rage was burning in him because the Persians
were held accountable for engaging in the very activity of burning down God’s temples in
Acropolis and several other Athenian Greek properties (McAuley 2018). This took place during
the time when the Persians massacred the Spartans at the Thermopylae and Salamis, where they
faced a naval defeat. It is said that the residents of Athens had fled during the time, as times very
rough (Stock 2016). The revenge was considered to be due, which Alexander served at
Persepolis while he arrived to conquer the land.
It can thus be said that Alexander is great because of his immense capability to lead and
conquer lands which stretched the longest. The lands which were conquered by Alexander the
great still remains very important in history and culture today. Alexander the Great, is thus
considered to be one of the most powerful leaders and conquerors in the history of time.

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References
Anson, Edward M. Alexander the Great: themes and issues. A&C Black, 2013.
Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356–323 BC: a historical biography. Vol. 11. Univ of
California Press, 2013.
Heckel, Waldemar. The Wars of Alexander the Great: 336–323 BC. Bloomsbury Publishing,
2014.
Holt, Frank Lee. The treasures of Alexander the Great: how one man's wealth shaped the world.
Oxford University Press, 2016.
McAuley, Alex. "The Great Misstep: Alexander the Great, Thais, and the Destruction of
Persepolis." In Brill's Companion to the Reception of Alexander the Great, pp. 717-738. Brill,
2018.
Stock, Markus, ed. Alexander the Great in the Middle Ages: Transcultural Perspectives.
University of Toronto press, 2016.