The Biggest PR Disaster Caught on Camera
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If Alexander the Great were alive today, how would his colossal wealth compare to modern-day moguls? Alexander’s fortune, amassed through a series of audacious conquests, made him one of the richest and most powerful figures alive. Marvel at the treasure troves he accumulated and see how they compare to those of contemporary billionaires.
At the tender age of 30, Alexander conquered the most formidable and richest empire of his time, Persia. Picture this: an empire so rich that its wealth had been accumulating over centuries like an ancient piggy bank bursting at the seams.
The Persian Empire was a goldmine, quite literally. Their riches came from a mix of smart administration, extensive trade networks, and hefty tributes from conquered lands. Situated at the crossroads of major trade routes, including the famed Silk Road, Persia was a bustling hub where goods, gold, and silver flowed in from all corners of Asia and the Near East.
Add to that the empire’s natural bounty—fertile lands and valuable minerals aplenty—and you have a recipe for immense wealth. The Persians were masters at centralizing the collection of tributes and taxes, ensuring a steady stream of riches into their imperial treasuries.
Thus, when Alexander overthrew Darius III and took the Persian capitals of Susa, Babylon, and Persepolis, he wasn’t just expanding his territory. He was hitting the jackpot, gaining access to the vast economic resources the Persians had been hoarding for centuries.
Ian Worthington’s ‘By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire’ gives a detailed account of Alexander’s loot from the Persian Empire. Here’s how Alexander’s haul compares to modern fortunes:
The Capture of Susa: Alexander’s army seized 50,000 talents of gold and silver bullion from Susa. With one talent equal to 33 kilograms, this translates to:
50,000 talents × 33 kg/talent = 1,650,000 kg of gold
At today’s gold price of $108,000 per kilogram, this amounts to $178 billion.
This figure places Alexander’s haul from Susa alone on par with the net worth of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. Just imagine the Great Pyramid of Giza filled with gold bars.
The Treasury at Persepolis: The treasury held 120,000 talents of silver, which is:
120,000 talents × 33 kg/talent = 3,960,000 kg of silver
At today’s silver price of $1,165 per kilogram, this totals approximately $4.6 billion.
While not quite in Bezos territory, this sum is still comparable to the net worth of tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey, founders of Facebook and Twitter.
Victor Davis Hanson, in The Wars of the Ancient Greeks, discusses how Alexander’s conquests redistributed wealth across his empire. This influx of bullion into circulation is akin to how tech billionaires’ investments spur economic activity today.
Think of Alexander as the original venture capitalist, spreading wealth throughout his empire and fostering economic growth much like Elon Musk investing in renewable energy and space travel.
Alexander the Great was the original billionaire, amassing a fortune that is positively staggering even by today’s standards. His strategic acquisitions in Bactria and Sogdiana, coupled with the treasures seized from the Persian Empire, highlight the vast scale of his wealth. Just as modern billionaires like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos influence our world, Alexander’s fortune reshaped the ancient world’s economic landscape.
