Economic Aims

• Alexander had very little money at the start of his rule

  • “I inherited from him a handful of gold and silver cups“ (Arrian)
  • “200 talents in debt“ (Plutarch)
• Alexander uses money as a motivator

  • lack of resources when he first set out
  • “thirty days” (Plutarch)
  • ”lack of supplies” (Arrian)
  • fabled wealth of India
  • Mutiny at Hyphasis: “the greater part of the treasure passes into your hands“ (Arrian)
• Money becomes less important to Alexander

  • 30,000 Thabans sold into slavery (Plutarch)
  • 2,000 Persians taken prisoners at Granicus (Arrian)
  • at Persepolis more people were killed as the soldiers had too much money (Rufus)
  • the soldiers are “over-encumbered with booty“ (Plutarch) and burn a lot of treasure before the campaign to india
• Alexander uses money as a reward

  • gifts given to ordinal Macedonian soldiers at Susa marriages (Arrian)
  • pays off 20,000 talents worth of debts (Arrian)
• Alexander plundering

  • after Issus “he instructed Parmenion to see tht the whole treasure was taken back to Damascus“ (Arrian)
  • At Susa Alexander takes “50,000 talents of silver in addition to other valuables“
  • Granicus he sends back 300 spoils to Athens
  • Plutarch: “Alexander son of Philip, and the Greeks except the Spartan 58 won these spoils of war from the barbarians who dwell in Asia”
  • Arrian: “Alexander son of Philip an the Greeks (except the lacedaemonians) dedicate these spoils take from the Persians who dwell in Asia”
• Philip uses money as a way to expand his empire

  • “empire was to be bought with money not money with empire“ (Plutarch)
  • Siege of Olynthus: “expansion of his kingdom owed far more to money than arms“ “asking whether the walls were unscalable by cash“ “bribed the leading men of Olynthus“ (Diodorus)
  • ”put and end to end to Pausanias‘ bid for the throne by bribing the Thracian king“ (Diodorus)
  • subdues Paeonia with “bribery and generous promises“ (Diodorus)
• Philip produces more money for the empire

  • Mines at Crenides: “increase their output until they were capable of providing him with an… ample supply of money (which) enabled him to make the kingdom of Macedon ever more dominant“ (Diodorus)
  • Spoils from Olynthus: “he then proceeded to sell as booty the spoils he plundered from the city and the enslaved inhabitants“ (Diodorus)
  • “seized the gold mines in Thessaly and the silver mines in Thrace“ (Justin)
• Philip uses money to improve his army

  • “not only mustered a large force of mercenaries but also bribed many Greeks to betray their homelands“ (Diodorus)
  • Cretan archers & Agriane javelins throwers
  • “the reward of victory brought out the best in the fighters“ (Diodorus)
• Philip uses money to improve his reputation

  • Coin of Philip (Pella)
  • “to remove the bad name which he had acquired… large sums of money on the construction of walls, shrines and temples“ (Justin)