Greek and Persian Wars | Liberating the Greeks of Asia (Lecture 22)

Lecture 22: With the defeat of the Persians at the Granicus River, the way into Asia now lay open for Alexander and his forces. As Alexander moved south, most cities, including Sardis and Ephesus, opened their gates to him. At Miletus, quickly overrun by Alexander’s army, the priest at the oracular shrine of Apollo at Didyma sent word to Alexander that the sacred spring there, which had ceased to flow when the Persians destroyed the temple 150 years earlier, had bubbled up again at Alexander’s coming, predicting success for his mission. Continuing through Caria and Halicarnassus, Alexander eventually barred the Persians from every harbor on the western coast of Asia Minor. He then turned east and proceeded to Gordion, where he untied the legendary Gordian knot by slicing through it with his sword. Having fulfilled yet another local prophecy, it seemed apparent that Alexander would soon rule Asia.

Recommended Reading:
Andronikos, The Search for Alexander: An Exhibition.
Wood, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia.