Archaeological Track of Alexander The Great’s Footprint in Persia
Archaeology in modern Iran tracks Alexander the Great’s footprint in ancient Persia as his army crossed the Euphrates, crisscrossed the plateaus, marched along the Royal Road, across the Zagros Mountains, fought three battles at Granicus (334 BC), Issus (333 BC) and Gaugamela (331 BC) and conquered an ancient land with a history stretching back to a time when gods walked the earth.
The ruins of Takht-e Soleyman, where the fire of Adur Gushnasp was stored. (Salar Arkan / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Azr Goshnasb Fire Temple At Takht-e Soleymān
When Alexander conquered Persia, the ancient principles of Zoroastrianism, as believed by Cyrus and his descendants, disseminated through a process of Greco-Persian religious and cultural synthesisation. Yet, during the destruction of Persepolis, Alexander’s troops destroyed many of the Avesta, the Zoroastrianism sacred texts. However, much later under the Sassanid Empire (205 – 651 AD), orthodox Zoroastrianism was revived and developed to have clear distinctions from the practices laid out in the Avesta.
