In Afshin Molavi's book, Persian Pilgrimages, he describes the vandalism of Persepolis and brings our attention to Wilber and A.T. Olmstead, who are pro-Persian apologists. Olmstead in his History of the Persian Empire (pub.1959) writes the following:
Describing Alexander's destruction of Persepolis, he writes: "The Persian men were slain without mercy...and the Macedonians fought one another over the plunder...To add to his evil reputation, Alexander even boasted in his letters how he had ordered the Persian captives to be massacred."My question is where are these letters attributed to Alexander? Anyone know?
Letters of Alexander
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Re: Letters of Alexander
I don't think that any of the Letters of Alexander appearing in the ancient sources can confidently be ascribed to him. During the wars of the Successors, just after his death, there were a large number of forgeries circulating, possibly even emanating from Eumenes, who was his secretary. At this distance in time it wouldn't be possible to sort out which were true, unless they were published in his lifetime.Susan
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beausefaless
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Re: Letters of Alexander
Hello Jan,
That's a very good question, in Alexander's letter to the Persian king Darius there's no mention of Persian captives or massacre, maybe this letter was written before Alexander's destruction of Persepolis.
The Iranians hate ATG and will say anything to add evil to his reputation!
I'm sure my answer has nothing to do with your question but I've always looked for an excuse to show Alexander's letter to Darius,
Alexander Writes to the Persian King, Darius
From Arrian. Arrian's History of Alexander's Expedition. trans. John Rooke, vol. II (London: Printed for R. Lea, 1814), 93-94.
"Your predecessors have entered Macedonia and the rest of Greece in a hostile manner, and injured us, before they received any injuries from us. I, at my advancement to the empire of Greece, willing to revenge my country's wrongs upon the Persians, have passed over into Asia, having received sufficient provocation from your former numerous ravages. You aided the Perinthians in their unjust wars against my father; and Ochus transported an army of Persians into Thrace, to disturb the peace of our government. My father was slain by traitors, whom you had hired for that purpose, (as you have everywhere boasted in your letters;) and at the same time, when you had taken care that Arses should be dispatched by Bagoas, you usurped the empire unjustly, and in open defiance of all the Persian laws. You have, moreover, wrote letters into Greece, encouraging my subjects to rebellion, and to that end have sent money to the Lacedaemonians and others, which nevertheless all the Grecians, except the Lacedaemonians, loyally rejected; by which means you strove to withdraw my friends and followers from me, and to dissolve that firm league which I have entered into with all the states of Greece. Wherefore I have invaded thy realms in a hostile manner, because thou wast the first author of hostilities. And now, when I have beaten thy governors and captains, and afterwards thyself and thy whole army in a pitched battle; and have already, by the permission of the gods, gained possession of Asia; as many of thy soldiers as surrendered themselves into my hands after the battle, I protect; neither do they tarry with me against their inclinations, but freely and voluntarily take up arms for my cause. To me, therefore, as lord of all Asia, come and apply thyself: but if thou art afraid of any harsh usage upon thy coming, send some of thy friends, who may take an oath from
That's a very good question, in Alexander's letter to the Persian king Darius there's no mention of Persian captives or massacre, maybe this letter was written before Alexander's destruction of Persepolis.
The Iranians hate ATG and will say anything to add evil to his reputation!
I'm sure my answer has nothing to do with your question but I've always looked for an excuse to show Alexander's letter to Darius,
Alexander Writes to the Persian King, Darius
From Arrian. Arrian's History of Alexander's Expedition. trans. John Rooke, vol. II (London: Printed for R. Lea, 1814), 93-94.
"Your predecessors have entered Macedonia and the rest of Greece in a hostile manner, and injured us, before they received any injuries from us. I, at my advancement to the empire of Greece, willing to revenge my country's wrongs upon the Persians, have passed over into Asia, having received sufficient provocation from your former numerous ravages. You aided the Perinthians in their unjust wars against my father; and Ochus transported an army of Persians into Thrace, to disturb the peace of our government. My father was slain by traitors, whom you had hired for that purpose, (as you have everywhere boasted in your letters;) and at the same time, when you had taken care that Arses should be dispatched by Bagoas, you usurped the empire unjustly, and in open defiance of all the Persian laws. You have, moreover, wrote letters into Greece, encouraging my subjects to rebellion, and to that end have sent money to the Lacedaemonians and others, which nevertheless all the Grecians, except the Lacedaemonians, loyally rejected; by which means you strove to withdraw my friends and followers from me, and to dissolve that firm league which I have entered into with all the states of Greece. Wherefore I have invaded thy realms in a hostile manner, because thou wast the first author of hostilities. And now, when I have beaten thy governors and captains, and afterwards thyself and thy whole army in a pitched battle; and have already, by the permission of the gods, gained possession of Asia; as many of thy soldiers as surrendered themselves into my hands after the battle, I protect; neither do they tarry with me against their inclinations, but freely and voluntarily take up arms for my cause. To me, therefore, as lord of all Asia, come and apply thyself: but if thou art afraid of any harsh usage upon thy coming, send some of thy friends, who may take an oath from
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beausefaless
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Re: Letters of Alexander
me for thy safety. When thou comest into my presence, ask for thy mother, thy wife, and thy children, and whatsoever thou wilt besides, and thou shalt receive them; and nothing shall be denied thee. However, when you write to me next, remember to entitle me King of Asia; neither write to me any more as your equal, but as lord of all your territories. If you act otherwise, I shall look upon it as an indignity of the highest consequence; and if you dispute my right to the possession of your realms, stay and try the event of another battle; but hope not any more to secure yourself by flight, for wherever you fly, thither I will surely pursue you."
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Tre
Re: Letters of Alexander
But of course he fails to mention that Macedon collaborated with the Persians in their prior invasion (although they had little choice).Even then, historical hindsight was quite limited 
Re: Letters of Alexander
I guess the key words are "they had little choice". Macedonia could certainly not resist and enither be protected (Persians already occupied Thrace) and even worse Thessaly soon fell to the Persians(when the Greeks decided not to stand and fight at the Tempi passage).
Soon after Thermopylae Boeotia followed as well. You see, back then the modern idea of nation was not-existent. Efialtes (the traitor who has shown to the Persians the path that took them behind the Spartan lines at Thermopylae) was probably doing a favor to his home town. The huge Persian army was consuming in a few days the food supplies of the whole area where it passed by. If the Persians had stayed a little more, stopped by Leonidas, at the pass then they would devastate his whole country, Phthiotis that is. When the Persians occupied Thessaly, the Thessalian cavalry joined them in their campaign just as the Macedonians did earlier and as the Boeotians would do later on. Like I said before, "nation" with the modern notion of the word is a very-very recent concept...
Soon after Thermopylae Boeotia followed as well. You see, back then the modern idea of nation was not-existent. Efialtes (the traitor who has shown to the Persians the path that took them behind the Spartan lines at Thermopylae) was probably doing a favor to his home town. The huge Persian army was consuming in a few days the food supplies of the whole area where it passed by. If the Persians had stayed a little more, stopped by Leonidas, at the pass then they would devastate his whole country, Phthiotis that is. When the Persians occupied Thessaly, the Thessalian cavalry joined them in their campaign just as the Macedonians did earlier and as the Boeotians would do later on. Like I said before, "nation" with the modern notion of the word is a very-very recent concept...
Re: Letters of Alexander
This comes fro Plutarch 'Alexander' 37; 'During the advance across Persis the Greeks massacred great numbers of their prisoners, and Alexander has himself recorded that he gave orders for the Persians to be slaughtered because he thought that such an example would help his cause.'I wouldn't lose sleep over it these alleged letters are all late rhetorical exercises and bear as much relevance to the History of Alexander as Dracula does to the reign of Vlad Tepes.
When you think about, it free-choice is the only possible option.
Re: Letters of Alexander
Thanks for the advice on whether these letters are true or false. I am wondering whether there are books available worldwide with a collection of letters.I would love to see and compare the contents of those to Olympias with those to Aristotle. I wonder why neither were kept and preserved.It would make a great novel for the right writer.(I am reading Tiberius by Allan Massie, and it is wonderful!)Always,Jan