It was later known as Charax and has been found near Al Qurnah in Iraq. At the mouth of this river, Alexander founded his last city: a town named Karkâ ( Aramaic for "fortress") was rebuilt and settled with veterans. Ships carried the soldiers from Susa to the Persian Gulf and upstream along the Tigris. Opis The confluence of Euphrates and Tigris The rank and file of his army felt brushed off. Moreover, Iranians were allowed to enter the ranks of the Companion cavalry (which had suffered heavily in the Gedrosian desert). This strongly suggested that Alexander wanted to replace his Macedonian infantry. They were trained to fight in the phalanx, and were called the Epigonoi, the "successors". Even worse was to come: a corps of 30,000 young Bactrians ( above) arrived in Susa. The Persian court rituals and the forced marriages did not much to improve the relations between Alexander and the Macedonian elite. Several posthumous portraits present Alexander as kosmokrator, "ruler of the universe". There is no reason to doubt this statement, especially since the title bears a strong resemblance to Persian royal titles like "king of all countries" and "king in this great earth far and wide". According to Aristobulus, the king wanted to be regarded as "lord of all". Hephaestion was appointed as chiliarchos, "vizier", and Ptolemy became Alexander's edeatros, "taster": both were Greek names for old Persian court functions. The Persian royal bodyguard was reinstated. These were not the only Persian influences. The marriages were concluded according to Persian rituals, and Alexander had given purple dresses to several Macedonian warriors. As far as we know, only the last marriage did not end in divorce ( text). Nearchus was given the daughter of Barsine and Mentor, and Seleucus the daughter of the last leader of the Iranian resistance to the Macedonians, Spitamenes, a woman named Apame. Craterus was ordered to marry Amastris, a niece of Darius Perdiccas married a daughter of Atropates Artacama and Artonis, two daughters of Artabazus, were to marry Ptolemy and Eumenes. Hephaestion married another daughter of Darius III, a young woman named Drypetis. Dancers, actors and musicians had come all the way from Greece to add glamor to the event.Īlexander married Achaemenid princesses from two dynastic lines: Barsine, a daughter of Darius III Codomannus, and Parysatis, a daughter of Artaxerxes III Ochus. Since Alexander had conquered Babylonia, Elam and Persia proper in 331/330, many Persian princesses had had a Greek education now they were ready to marry Macedonian officers. The greatest of the festivities in Susa was a marriage ceremony that lasted five days. The winner, who had swallowed twelve liters of unmixed wine, and six others died a few days later. There were huge money prizes to be won, but of the drinkers, thirty-five died immediately after the match when they left the building and caught a cold. To honor Calanus, funeral games were organized, and among these was a drinking contest in the royal palace. Perhaps Calanus said something like "we will meet again at the gate of heaven", but was misunderstood by a translator. There may be some element of truth in the story, because the Akkadian name Bâb-ilî means "gate of the gods". Nobody understood why he said this, but the words proved true when Alexander died in Babylon ( below). The Indian sage departed from life with the words "Alexander, we shall meet again in Babylon". A big funeral pyre was erected, and he burned himself alive, which was the Indian way to complete one's spiritual journey ( text). Now, he was old and wanted to die in an appropriate manner. He had been with the Macedonian army since it had conquered India, and he had played an important role as Alexander's advisor. Unfortunately, the festivities were overshadowed by the death of Calanus. Nobody objected, which comes as a surprise, because six years before, many had considered it outrageous that Alexander started to wear a diadem ( above). There were golden crowns for Nearchus, for Peucestas (who had saved Alexander's life in India), and for Hephaestion (whose most important merit was that he was Alexander's closest friend). For example, many valiant soldiers were decorated. The stay at Susa was meant to be a holiday for Alexander, his officers and his men. As planned, he met his admiral Nearchus and the troops that had made the return voyage by ship. In March 324, Alexander reached Susa, the largest city in Elam and one of the capitals of the Achaemenid empire. Overview Lord of all Susa Syria, Mesopotamia, and Media
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