Alexander the Great: From Conqueror to God-King After Alexander was victorious he set Persepolis on fire probably in a drunken folly In the summer of the same year Darius was assassinated by his cousin and general Bessus which Alexander thought was deplorable. It was around this point that Alexander began to portray himself not just as a liberator of cities but, as a god, he adopted the title that the rulers of the first Persian Empire used shahanshah which means king of kings and the Persian custom of proskynesis which meant that those who addressed him had to kneel and kiss his hand. In true Alexander fashion, he won the battle and then made Porus ruler of a larger region than he'd previously held because of how bravely he and his troops had fought. #alexanderthegreat #alexander #persia #persepolis #darius