Alexander the Great and the historical memory of Cyrus the Great

According to Alexander’s historians, the Macedonian conqueror has respected the memory of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, as he conquered the Persian territories. It seems very interesting that the destroyer of the Achaemenid dynasty be a lover of its founder. However, it has already been proven that Alexander, parallel to his battles, has ever attempted to show his eligibility to succeed the great Achaemenid kings. Yet, it is another matter when Strabo reports that Alexander’s surrender to Cyrus the Great was so obvious that he was attributed as Philocorus ( a lover of Cyrus). The problem is, to what extent does the study of the career of Alexander the Great in dealing with the memory of the founder of the Achaemenid Empire allow us to make such an impression as claimed by his historians? Was Alexander really a lover of Cyrus the Great? Focusing on the reports to which they have somehow linked the Macedonian conqueror to the memory of the founder of the Achaemenid Empire and based on modern historical research, the present article indicates that the Macedonian conqueror, due to his Greek upbringing and extensive knowledge of the power structures and legitimacy of the Achaemenid kings as well as his political position, before and after the death of Darius III, has shown a quite dual and actually political treatment towards the memory of the founder of the Achaemenid Empire Cyrus the Great.