The modifications in the army system were closely connected with
Alexander's general policy, in which the fusion of Greeks and Asiatics
held so prominent a place. He had himself, as we have seen, assumed to
some extent the guise of a Persian king. The Macedonian Peucestas
received special marks of his favour for adopting the Persian dress. The
most striking declaration of his ideals was the marriage feast at Susa
in 324, when a large number of the Macedonian nobles were induced to
marry Persian princesses, and the rank and file were encouraged by
special rewards to take Eastern wives. We are told that among the
schemes registered in the state papers and disclosed after Alexander's
death was one for transplanting large bodies of Asiatics into Europe and
Europeans into Asia, for blending the peoples of the empire by
intermarriage into a single whole (Diod. xviii. 4, 4). How far did
Alexander intend that in such a fusion Hellenic culture should retain
its pre-eminence? How far could it have done so, had the scheme been
realized? It is not impossible that the question may yet be raised again
whether the Eurasian after all is the heir of the ages.