A Great city

"A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one."
~Aristotle


I believe that this quote clearly defines the difference between a city such as Athens and one such as Persepolis. Greek was a relatively small city, but made more technical, philosophical, medical, and societal advances than all of the Persian empire. Persepolis was a city of crushed people, working as slaves to one ruler. Without freedom, people are unable to achieve their true glory and greatness, and when an entire civilization is crushed, it is a great waste of life. I believe that this waste of life makes Alexander's mass killings not only acceptable, but necessary and good. 

Freedom vs. Opression

Until and unless you discover that money is the root of all good, you ask for your own destruction. When money ceases to become the means by which men deal with one another, then men become the tools of other men. Blood, whips and guns--or dollars. Take your choice--there is no other.

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

I feel like this quote really sums up the difference between the Greeks and the Persians and why it was that the Greeks were able to beat them every time. The Greek people wanted to find a solution to protect their freedom, but the the Persians had nothing to lose in losing the battle because they had no freedom to begin with. They had nothing to fight for, other than fear of death and punishment. After years of that though, they begin to stop caring and that is why all oppressive dictators are doomed to fail.