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CLAS 0810A
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE ALEXANDER TRADITION
CLASS 5
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AND EAST-WEST RELATIONS
Canvas.brown.edu/courses/927769
The Greek “othering” of the Persians
• “The invention of the
barbarian”
• Not seen before the 5th
century B.C.
• Set in train by the conflict
between Greeks and
Persians in late 6th century,
leading to the Persian War of
ca. 490-479 B.C.
Oriental archer on an Attic
red-figure bowl by Epiktetos
Frieze from Temple of Apollo at Bassae, Greece
Greeks fighting “others” — centaurs, Amazon women
Centaurs
Amazons
Bassae Temple,
ca. 450-425 BC
Alexander’s “Panhellenic Crusade”
• An invasion by Greek states as a whole of those parts of
Persian territory where Greeks lived (coastal Turkey)
• Twofold objective: (a) to free the Greeks from Persian rule, and
(b) punish Persians for invading Greece in 480 BC
• This idea had been active for 150 years
• Strong sense of poetic justice, of a symmetry of events, of
history rewinding itself
The Persian (or Achaemenid) Empire
Persian Empire ca. 500 BC
Tomb of Cyrus at Pasagardae, 529 BC
The Shah of Iran celebrates
the 2,500th anniversary of Cyrus’
death in 529 BC, at his tomb [1971]
Babylon
Ishtar Gate, Babylon
Proskynesis
[Greek name for the ritual
greeting in Oriental courts]
The Behistun relief of
Darius I (521-519 BC)
The Persian Empire
Tribute for Darius I
at Persepolis
Darius I
The site of Persepolis
Duties of Satraps
• Administration, maintenance of order, suppression of
rebellions
• Collect royal tribute and pass it on to the King
• Act as supreme judge, locally
• Maintain and pay troops stationed in the province;
command them in the field
• Negotiate with neighboring independent states
Checks on Satraps’ Powers
• Appoint members of the King’s family to important satrapies (or
induce loyalty via marriage alliances involving the King’s many
daughters
• Direct royal appointment of commanders of troops in key
garrison locations, to ensure loyalty
• An annual military inspection by the King, or his delegate,
helped maintain royal control of troops
• Satrap not allowed to leave his province except with royal
consent
• Royal “secretary” attached to satraps, and the “king’s eye” [a
kind of officially sanctioned spy] could be sent at any time
Achaemenid silver
Bull rhyton
Charles LeBrun,
The Entry of Alexander into Babylon, c. 1664
Persian Empire ca. 500 BC
Commemorating the Battle of Marathon (490 BC)
The burial mound for the
Athenian dead at Marathon
The horsemen on the Parthenon
frieze may be a specific reference
to those who fell at Marathon
Cities of the
Delian League
(which by the
430s BC were
paying tribute
to Athens)
Athens
Delos
At the Battle of the River Eurymedon in 465 BC, the Athenian admiral
Cimon defeated the Persians twice in one day, at sea and on land
A red-figure Attic oinochoe (wine-jug) made shortly afterwards:
An Athenian in heroic nudity approaches…
…a Persian bent forward in the
position for homosexual activity
The inscription on the vase reads: My name is Eurymedon. I’m getting
screwed!