Greek and Persian Wars | When East Met West (Lecture 24)

Lecture 24: After the submission of Babylon and Susa, Alexander rode into the Persian heartland, then campaigned in the territories of modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Iran. On returning to Babylon, he conducted two ceremonies that symbolized, after decades of conflict, the union of Greece and Persia: a massive intercultural wedding and a harmonious intercultural feast. Alexander, in the Persian manner, was now a Great King. He continued to depart from his role as conqueror on behalf of Greece—for example, he trained 30,000 Persian youths in the Macedonian way and called them his “Successors”—and his army mutinied. Shortly afterward, Alexander died, either from natural causes or from poisoning, and with him perished the short-lived political union of Persia and Greece. Cultural interactions between East and West, however, would endure for centuries and become a major force in shaping our modern, multicultural world.

Recommended Reading:
Bengtson, The Greeks and the Persians: From the Sixth to the Fourth Centuries.
Farrokh, Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War.