Before Alexander could carry forward his father’s plans to attack Persia, he had to spend about two years getting control of matters at home. Some of the tribes from Thrace, along Macedonia’s northern frontier, rebelled after Philip’s death. While Alexander was away fighting them, two of the major Greek city-states, Athens and Thebes, decided it would be a good time to shake off Macedonian rule. Bribed by King Darius III of Persia, they too rebelled.
The two city-states had underestimated the young king. Alexander quickly descended into Thebes with his army and demanded surrender. When the Thebans refused, Alexander’s soldiers burned down the city and sold its citizens into slavery as a warning to other Greeks who were considering rebellion. The warning did not go unheeded by Athens, which
Quickly surrendered. Alexander, whose respect for the once-great center of Greek culture continued for the rest of his life, accepted Athens’s surrender and did not destroy the city or punish its citizens.
Alexander now prepared to carry out his father’s plans to attack the Persian Empire. The official reasons given by both Alexander and his father for this attack were to avenge the Persians’ destruction of Greek temples and other precious buildings, and to liberate the Greek cities of Asia Minor. The real purpose, however, may have been the need for money. Although Philip had greatly increased Macedonia’s wealth, some historians believe the kingdom was on the verge of bankruptcy. With Persia’s rulers weaker than they had ever been, it was a good time to take control of this wealthy enemy. Alexander also wanted to win his own fame.
Tattooed
"Barbarians"
One of Macedonia's longstanding enemies was Thrace, its neighbor to the north. The Macedonians thought of the Thracians as forest tribes of tattooed barbarians who dressed in fox skins. Certainly, they were nothing like the well-organized, well-equipped, and well-trained soldiers the Macedonians would later fight in Persia. Some Thracians became soldiers in Alexander's army.
In the early spring of 334 B. C.E., borrowing enough money from the Macedonian treasury to keep his troops supplied for a month, Alexander left Macedonia with an army of about 30,000 infantry, or foot soldiers, and 5,000 cavalry, or mounted horsemen. The army was made up of Macedonians as well as troops drawn from throughout Greece and from the Balkan lands to the north. Alexander left trusted generals behind, with enough soldiers to keep the peace in Macedonia and Greece.
Traveling an average of 20 miles a day, Alexander and his troops reached the Hellespont in 20 days. Crossing this narrow strip of water between Europe and Asia, they landed in Persian territory, in what is today Turkey. Upon his arrival, Alexander visited the ruins of Troy. Through his familiarity with Homer’s The Iliad and its legendary tales of those he believed to be his ancestors (see page 7), the young monarch was well aware of Troy’s history. It was the site of the first Greek invasion of Asia, about 900 years before Alexander’s time. Now he came to conquer again.
At Troy, Alexander made a sacrifice at what local legend said was the grave of the Greek hero Achilles. He also dedicated his army to the Greek goddess Athena, who, in times of war, was worshiped as the goddess of intelligence and cunning. He was ready to take on the Persians.
World History
