Alexander massacred any Greek he found in former Persian Empire, which included modern Pakistan, since they have supported Persia against Macedonia. The whole idea of Greek genes in Pakistani people has no scientific proof.
Megas Alexandros: Alexander Meeting the Branchidae on his march to Maracanda (Central Asia 5)
Alexander Meeting the Branchidae on his march to Maracanda (Central Asia 5)
[4 - Encounter with the
Branchidae, emigrants from
Miletus which
Alexander massacred because of treason.]
Alexander first arrived in
Maracanda in late June 329 BC in pursuit of
Bessus who had proclaimed himself to
King Artaxerxes V after killing
Darius III. On his way, he unexpectedly met a group of Greek speaking people and was told that they were the
Branchidae, a group of emigrants who had fled
Miletus a good hundred years before.
In the 5th century BC, the
Branchidae ruled the
Temple of Apollo in
Didyma (which belonged to
Miletus). They were in charge of the temple's money and during
Xerxes’ conquests of Greece, taking their responsibilities seriously they refused at first to hand over this money, but eventually they gave in – meaning in fact that they took the side of Persia. When the Greeks came out victorious from that
Persian War in 479 BC, the
Branchidae had reason enough to fear revenge from their compatriots. Their pro-Persian attitude forced them to ask for Persian protection and that is how the
Branchidae packed their belongings and migrated east to Central Asia – the end of the world as was generally accepted.
As a consequence, the
Temple of Apollo in
Didyma was left unattended, the sacred waters dried up and the oracle fell silent, till
Alexander arrived there in 331 BC on his way from
Miletus to
Halicarnassus. He always had deep respect for the gods and maybe more so for the oracles. When he visited the temple, history tells us that the sacred waters started to flow again. With the spring, the oracle came back to life and as we know the first prophecy went directly to
Alexander predicting his victory in
Gaugamela and the death of
Darius III.
But this happened two years ago and many many miles before … Now
Alexander finds himself in the middle of Central Asia and is happily welcomed by Greek-speaking people.
Curtius remarks that although the
Branchidae have maintained their ancestral customs, they had already degenerated from their native tongue and had become bilingual (which is exactly what happens to Bactria after
Alexander’s death where it takes about that same time for the population to become “Hellenized”). To the men in the army, it must have felt like a home-coming so far from home and initially the surrender of the
Branchidae is generally accepted, till many feel that the Pan-Hellenic cause has been betrayed.
Arrian, strangely enough, does not mention this episode, but the facts have been reported by
Callisthenes who was present at that time. He wrote that after the festivities and warm welcomes,
Alexander gave orders to kill the entire population, raze their town to the ground and even uproot the trees and vines, burning the very roots. What the
Branchidae had done was considered as betrayal of their country and what it stood for, maybe even sacrilege.
I look around at the desolate terrain with sparse houses, some cattle roaming freely over the dusty lands. A few trees, some green shrubs where water must be flowing, not very enticing. The
Branchidae must have found a good location, an oasis with plenty of water for their crops. I wonder if we will ever find any trace of this paradisiacal setting where such atrocities have happened.