Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Friday, October 25, 2013

Persepolis in modern technology

So much has been written about Persepolis either during the heydays of the Achaemenid Empire or after Alexander’s arrival at the palace when it burnt – intently or not – down to ashes.

I can only speak for myself, but I often find it difficult to imagine what the Palace of Persepolis must have looked like with its many rooms and separate affectations. Thanks to our computer era, there are finally tools to help my imagination and the most effective one that I found is this 360 degrees view, linked to a clear floor plan.

One can play with it for hours and have Alexander and his generals climb the stairways, passing underneath porticos and gates, walking through the corridors and courtyards, entering the Hall of One-Hundred Columns, the Apadana Palace, the Palace of Darius, or the earlier Palace of Xerxes, all the way to the wealth of the Treasury.

I often wonder what impact such a place must have had on Alexander, for whom the luxuries of Macedonia and Athens were peanuts compared to this lavish splendor!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for the wonderful link! I'm truly awed by the magnificence of the place!!

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  2. Thanks for taking the time to comment. It would be great to visit Persepolis "live" one day soon, wouldn't it?

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