Editing Alexander the Great (section)

===Problems and plots===
 [[File:The killing of Cleitus by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899) reduced.jpg|thumb|''The Killing of [[Cleitus the Black|Cleitus]]'', by [[André Castaigne]] (1898–1899)]]

During this time, Alexander adopted some elements of Persian dress and customs at his court, notably the custom of ''[[proskynesis]]'', either a symbolic kissing of the hand, or prostration on the ground, that Persians showed to their social superiors.<ref name="AVII11" /> This was one aspect of Alexander's broad strategy aimed at securing the aid and support of the Iranian upper classes.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} The Greeks however regarded the gesture of ''proskynesis'' as the province of [[deities]] and believed that Alexander meant to deify himself by requiring it. This cost him the sympathies of many of his countrymen, and he eventually abandoned it.{{sfn|Morkot|1996|p=111}}

During the long rule of the Achaemenids, the elite positions in many segments of the empire including the central government, the army, and the many satrapies were specifically reserved for [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]] and to a major degree, [[Persians|Persian]] noblemen.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} The latter were in many cases additionally connected through marriage alliances with the royal Achaemenid family.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} This created a problem for Alexander as to whether he had to make use of the various segments and people that had given the empire its solidity and unity for a lengthy period of time.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} [[Pierre Briant]] explains that Alexander realized that it was insufficient to merely exploit the internal contradictions within the imperial system as in Asia Minor, Babylonia or Egypt; he also had to (re)create a central government with or without the support of the Iranians.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} As early as 334 BC he demonstrated awareness of this, when he challenged incumbent King Darius III "by appropriating the main elements of the Achaemenid monarchy's ideology, particularly the theme of the king who protects the lands and the peasants".{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} Alexander wrote a letter in 332 BC to Darius III, wherein he argued that he was worthier than Darius "to succeed to the Achaemenid throne".{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} However, Alexander's eventual decision to burn the Achaemenid palace at [[Persepolis]] in conjunction with the major rejection and opposition of the "entire Persian people" made it impracticable for him to pose himself as Darius' legitimate successor.{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}} Against Bessus (Artaxerxes V) however, Briant adds, Alexander reasserted "his claim to legitimacy as the avenger of Darius III".{{sfn|Briant|1985|pages=827–830}}

A plot against his life was revealed, and one of his officers, [[Philotas]], was executed for failing to alert Alexander. The death of the son necessitated the death of the father, and thus [[Parmenion]], who had been charged with guarding the treasury at [[Ecbatana]], was assassinated at Alexander's command, to prevent attempts at vengeance. Most infamously, Alexander personally killed the man who had saved his life at Granicus, [[Cleitus the Black]], during a violent drunken altercation at [[Maracanda]] (modern day [[Samarkand]] in [[Uzbekistan]]), in which Cleitus accused Alexander of several judgmental mistakes and especially of having forgotten the Macedonian ways in favour of a corrupt oriental lifestyle.{{sfn|Gergel|2004|p=99}}

Later, in the Central Asian campaign, a second plot against his life was revealed. This one was instigated by his own royal [[page (servant)|pages]]. His official historian, [[Callisthenes]] of [[Olynthus]], was implicated in the plot, and in the ''[[Anabasis of Alexander]]'', [[Arrian]] states that Callisthenes and the pages were then tortured on the [[rack (torture)|rack]] as punishment, and likely died soon after.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/cu31924026460752|title=The Anabasis of Alexander; or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great. Literally translated, with a commentary, from the Greek of Arrian, the Nicomedian|date=18 January 1884|publisher=London, Hodder and Stoughton|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> It remains unclear if Callisthenes was actually involved in the plot, for prior to his accusation he had fallen out of favour by leading the opposition to the attempt to introduce proskynesis.<ref>{{harvnb|Heckel|Tritle|2009|pp=47–48}}</ref>