The “End” of the Achaemenid-Persian Empire: Caesura and Transformation in Dialogue

This chapter challenges the view that the Persian-Achaemenid Empire had already been in decline when Alexander the Great launched his campaign. It highlights the empire’s vitality and strength all over the fourth century BC and underlines its still vibrant capability to successfully face rebellion and uprising. No enemy from the outside was capable to seriously challenge the Achaemenids’ power in the period between Xerxes’ I reign and Alexander’s campaign. Even after the death of the last Achaemenid Great King Darius III the imperial apparatus was still intact, and its Iranian elites prepared and willing to fight the Macedonian invaders. More than once, the Macedonian conqueror found himself in a situation in which achieving his goals was only possible by launching a dialogue with the imperial agents. These endeavors created an atmosphere in which the Asian elites started to view Alexander as their legitimate ruler. Thus, the Achaemenid Empire’s downfall rather resulted in a process of transformation of its structures than in causing their abrupt and definite end.