Persia Under Hellenistic Rule

In 331–330 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered the major Persian cities and burned the royal palace at Persepolis. In the next six years he subdued the entire empire. Following Alexander's death at Babylon in 323 B.C., Seleucus, one of his generals, created a kingdom that included all Alexander's empire west of the Mediterranean Sea. With the further conquest of Asia Minor, Syria became the seat of government of the Seleucid kingdom.

In the mid-third century B.C. the Persian satrapies began to throw off Seleucid domination. Persia retained many Greek cultural influences in art, literature, religion, and science. The Hellenistic world, in turn, was influenced by Persian religion.