`:Cyrus the Great who founded the Persian Empire did the exact same thing to the Babylonian Empire, including bribery (which I don't think Alexander did). Also, when Croesus, the king of Lydia, attacked him, Cyrus attacked him during winter, when Croesus wasn't expecting an attack, in a surprise attack; contrast this with Alexander's rejection of his generals' plan to attack the Persians at night at the Battle of Gaugamela, to which he said that he did not want to ``steal his victory``. In the end, Cyrus the Great was a more or less fair ruler who promoted egalitarian conditions in many respects to his subjects, something that Alexander wanted to do as well, of which many Macedonians and Greeks disapproved. I doubt Alexander was jealous of Persia - he adopted Persian customs to bridge the cultural gap between the two cultures.  By the way, your comment doesn't look like any discussion-starter I've ever seen. It's hard to think of calling Alexander the Great, Alexander the Dreadful, as not insulting.     `