From their capital at persepolis, in present-day Iran, Cyrus and his
.successsors, Darius and Xerxes, expanded their
empire westwards to the Aegean. The Lydian
capital, Sardis, became the centre of one of four
persiann satraps (governors). The cities of Ionia,
which had been centres of early learning - and where Homer was probably born in about 700
BC hated Persian rule, regarding it as stilling
and repressive. Yet the situation remained
unchancged for over 200 years, until Alexander
the Great arrived in 334 BC.
Alexander and Hellenism
The real cultural history of Anatolia between 700 BC and AD 400 is of the steady advance of Classical Gracco-Roman civilisation.
The most significant catalyst for change was Alexander the Great, the boy king of Macedonia, and one of history's meteors. Only 11 years separate his first setting foot in Anatolia in 334 BC from his death in 323 BC, yet in that time he managed to amass one of the greatest (if most short-lived) empires the world has known. His influence on Anatolia lasted for centuries.
Fuelled by a passionate desire to liberate Anatolia from Persian rule, Alexander spread Hellenistic culture and language everywhere his armies inarched, first through the coastal city-states, set up centuries before by Greek traders, then spreading inland and eastwards. Even after his death, the empire remained under
Hos geldiniz!"- Welcome to Turkey.
