Battle of Issus mosaic,
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Napoli
After Alexander’s defeat of Darius III at the Battle of Issus which
took place on November 5th 333 B.C., Darius wrote a letter to Alexander which
offered to surrender half of his empire. Alexander considered this as not
enough. The following is likely inauthentic but conveys the general thrust of
how Alexander responded.
Your
ancestors invaded Macedonia and the rest of Greece and did us harm although we
had not done you any previous injury. I have been appointed commander-in-chief
of the Greeks and it is with the aim of punishing the Persians that I have
crossed into Asia, since you are the aggressors.
You gave
support to the people of Perinthus, who had done my father harm, and Ochus sent
a force to Thrace, which was done under our rule. My father died at the hands
of conspirators instigated by you as you yourself boasted to everyone in your
letters, you killed Arses with the help of Bagoas and gained your throne
through unjust means, in defiance of Persian custom and doing wrong to the
Persians. You sent unfriendly letters to the Greeks about me, to push them to
war against me, and sent money to the Spartans and some other Greeks, which
none of the other cities would accept apart from the Spartans. Your envoys
corrupted my friends and sought to destroy the peace which I established among
the Greeks. I therefore led an expedition against you, and you started the
quarrel.
But now I
have defeated in battle first your generals and satraps, and now you in person
and your army, and by the grace of the gods I control the country. All those
who fought on your side and did not die in battle but came over to me, I hold
myself responsible for them; they are not on my sided under duress but are
taking part in the expedition at their own free will.
Approach me
therefore as the lord of all Asia. If you are afraid of suffering harm at my
hands by coming in person, send some of your friends to receive proper
assurances. Come to me to ask and receive your mother, your children and
anything else you wish. Whatever you can persuade me to give shall be yours.
In future
whenever you communicate with me, send to me as king of Asia; do not write to
me as an equal, but state your demands to the master of all your possessions.
If not, I shall deal with you as a wrongdoer. If you wish to lay claim to the
title of king, then stand your ground and fight for it; you do not take to
flight, as I shall pursue you wherever you may be.
© Adeyinka
Makinde (2019)
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