Diodorus Siculus

BOOK XVII - The Library of History



Page 551 be an Allay, and some Comfort to every one of them in their own Adversities. Upon this, they made a second Address to the King, and declar'd to him what they had resolv'd upon, and desir'd him he would afford such Relief to them as was most agreable to their present Circumstances. The King consented to what they had determin'd, and order'd to each of them Three thousand Drachmas, Five Suits of Rayment to every Man, and as many to each Woman; and to every one of them Two Yoke of Oxen, Fifty Sheep, and as many Medimnas of Wheat. And commanded they should be free from all Taxes and Tribute, and gave strict Charge to the Officers employ'd, that none should offer them any Injury. And thus Alexander, according to his natural Goodness and innate Generosity, comforted these poor miserable People. He then call'd the Macedonians together, and told them, That Persepolis, the Metropolis of the Kingdom of Persia, of all the Cities of Asia had done most Mischief to the Graecians, and therefore he gave it up to the Plunder and Spoil of the Soldiers, except the King's Palace. This was the richest City of any under the Sun, and for many Ages all the private Houses were full of all sorts of Wealth, and what ever was desirable.

The Macedonians therefore forcing into the City, put all the Men to the Sword, and rifl'd and carry'd away every Man's Goods and Estate, amongst which was abundance of rich and costly Furniture and Ornaments of all sorts. In this Place was hurri'd away here and there vast Quantities of Silver, and no less of Gold, great Numbers of rich Garments, some of Purple, others embroider'd with Gold, all which became a plentiful Prey to the ravenous Soldiers: And thus the great Seat Royal of the Persians, once famous all the World over, was now expos'd to Scorn and Contempt, and rifl'd from top to bottom. For though every Place was full of rich Spoil, yet the Covetousness of the Macedonians was insatiable, still thirsting after more. And they were so eager in Plundering, that they fought one with another with drawn Swords, and many who were conceiv'd to have got a greater Share than the rest, were kill'd in the Quarrel. Some Things that were of extraordinary Value they divided with their Swords, and each took a Share; Others in Rage cut off the Hands of such as laid hold upon a Thing that was in Dispute. They first ravish'd the Women as they were in their Jewels and rich Attire, and then sold them for Slaves. So that by how much Persepolis excell'd all the other Cities in Glory and Worldly Felicity, by so much more was the Measure of their Misery and Calamity. Then Alexander seiz'd upon all the Treasures in the Cittadel, which was a vast Quantity of Gold and Silver of the Publick Revenues that had been heaping up, and laid there, from the time of Cyrus the first King of Persia, to that Day. For there was there found an Hundred and twenty thousand Talents, reckoning the Gold after the Rate of the Silver.

Part of this Treasure he took for the Use of the War, and order'd another Part of it to be treasur'd up at Susa. To this purpose, he order'd that a multitude of Mules both for Draught and Carriage, and Three thousand Camels with Pack-saddles, should be brought out of Babylon, Mesopotamia, and Susa; and with these he convey'd all the Treasure to the several Places he had appointed. For because he extreamly hated the Inhabitants, he was resolv'd not to trust them with any Thing, but utterly to ruin and destroy Persepolis: Of whose Palace, in regard of its stately Structure, we conceive it will not be impertinent if we say something. This stately Fabrick, or Cittadel, was surrounded with a treble Wall: The first was Sixteen Cubits high, adorn'd with many sumptuous Buildings and aspiring Turrets. The second was like to the first, but as high again as the other. The third was drawn like a Quadrant foursquare, Sixty Cubits high, all of the hardest Marble, and so cemented, as to continue for ever. On the four Sides are brazen Gates, near to which are Gallowes's of Brass twenty Cubits high, these rais'd to terrify the Beholders, and the other for the better strengthening and fortifying of the Place. On the East-side of the Cittadel, about Four hundred Foot distant, stood a Mount call'd the Royal Mount, for here are all the Sepulchres of the Kings, many Apartments and little Cells, being cut into the midst of the Rock; into which Cells there's made no direct Passage, but the Coffins with the dead Bodies are by Instruments hoist up, and so let down into these Vaults. In this Citadel were many stately Lodgings, both for the King and his Soldiers, of excellent Workmanship, and Treasury Chambers most commodiously contriv'd for the laying up of Money.

Here Alexander made a sumptuous Feast for the Entertainment of his Friends in Commemoration of his Victory, and offer'd magnificent Sacrifices to the Gods. At this Feast were entertain'd Whores, who prostituted their Bodies for Hire, where the Cups went so high, and the Reins so let loose to Drunkenness and Debauchery, that many were both drunk and mad. Among the rest, at that time there was a Curtesan call'd Thais, an


Previous Forward

Bibliotheca Historica


The first five books

The last ten books

Contents



Free Books


The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.



The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.





The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.


Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.