Did Alexander sack Persepolis?

[Cyrus]

It is said that xerxes burnt and sacked Athens, I think it can be true because archaeologists have found some Greek artefacts in the Persepolis treasury, such as this Marble Statue of Penelope: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/IRAN/P ... i.htmlWith no doubt Macedonians burnt Persepolis (probably inadvertently) but is it possible that they have also sacked Persepolis but they had ignored many things like this large gold tablet of Darius the Great at the entrance of Apadana Palace: http://www.oznet.net/iran/cuneifor.htm

[lucinos]

Xerxes did destroyed Athens and also destroyed the temples on Acropolis [what we see now (Parthenon and the other) are builted after that disaster] what Herodotus is saying is very well supported by archaeology.
Alexander did set on fire the palace (as a revenge to what persian did to Athens) Archaeologist there found that the palaced was destroyed without being plundered. Alexander already had the gold of the persian empire and that was beyond any dreams to greeks. It seems he was not interested to do something like that. After all he wanted to be acceptable by the persians or he would not be able to go farther. (if the persians would rebel that was more dangerous for Alexander becouse he was not able to be averywhere and that would harm his supply.)

[ruthaki]

I still wonder if the burning was just a wild party that got out of control (Thais, the courtesan was reputedly behind it urging everyone one). I don't see Alexander destroying valuable books such as those destroyed at Persepolis. Not deliberately at any rate.

[marcus]

I wonder how many 'books' were destroyed, Ruth. After all, one of the great *benefits* of the destruction was that so many clay tablets were hard-baked and preserved, thus providing all the valuable information we have on the Persians. I'm not aware that there was other literature, say on papyrus, that we know was destroyed (after all, if it was destroyed then how can we know about it?) :-)All the bestMarcus

[ruthaki]

Marcus, I have heard, read, been told etc that among the things lost at persepolis were the persian's holy books (valuable copies of the Avesta)