That the Greeks and the Persians were enemies is well known. Several of the objects shown here illustrate interaction between Greeks and Persians. The Graeco-Persian Wars of 490-480/79 BC inflicted much destruction on Greece and their ultimate victory was against all the odds. However it was Alexander the Great (336-323 BC), a Macedonian, who invaded and destroyed - for a brief period at least - the Persian Empire.

Alexander was the son of Philip of Macedon, who had created a powerful kingdom in northern Greece. He invaded the Persian Empire in 334 BC and defeated the armies of Darius III at the River Granicus. He then gained territory in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and after the battle of Issus in 333 BC, he was able to advance through Syria and Palestine to take Egypt.

In 331 BC Alexander turned his attention to the heartlands of the Persian Empire and defeated Darius III's army at Gaugamela in northern Iraq. He captured the royal cities, looting the palaces and treasuries at Susa, Persepolis and Hamadan. He burnt Persepolis to the ground and it was never inhabited again. After the assassination of Darius III in 330, Alexander became the Great King and conquered the eastern part of the Persian Empire. By 325 his empire extended into India.

Alexander used the existing Persian administration of the empire, adopted the style of a Persian king, and incorporated the skilled Persian cavalry into his army. Yet he was not completely successful in bringing together his Greek and Persian subjects. Whereas the Persians were proud of their advanced civilization, the Greeks continued to regard them as barbarians.