Churchill is meant to have once said “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it”. Perhaps it is an obvious point to suggest that History tends to be written by the winners, but that does not stop it being a valid one as the example of Alexander the Great proves. Few men in the European subconscious have a better reputation. This BBC report starts off by stating the tradition view that “Alexander the Great, feted in Western culture as the conqueror of the Persian Empire and one of the great military geniuses of history.”
However Professor Ali Ansari (the Institute of Iranian Studies, St Andrews University) then goes on to explain that “the influence of Greek language and culture has helped establish a narrative in the West that Alexander’s invasion was the first of many Western crusades to bring civilisation and culture to the barbaric East. But in fact the Persian Empire was worth conquering not because it was in need of civilising but because it was the greatest empire the world had yet seen, extending from Central Asia to Libya.”
Have a read and see what you think. There is also a Radio 4 Series if you are interested.
Mr Kydd
