Orxines was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

noble, descended from

Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia ( ; 530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Hailing from Persis, he brought the Achaemenid dynasty to power by defeating the Media ...

. He was present at the

Battle of Gaugamela The Battle of Gaugamela ( ; ), also called the Battle of Arbela (), took place in 331 BC between the forces of the Ancient Macedonian army, Army of Macedon under Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Army, Persian Army under Darius III, ...

. He belonged to the

Pasargadae Pasargadae (; ) was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC), located just north of the town of Madar-e-Soleyman and about to the northeast of the city of Shiraz. It is one of Iran's UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

. In 323 BCE, when

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

returned to

, Orxines presented expensive gifts to Alexander and his entourage, but deliberately ignored Alexander's lover, the Persian eunuch Bagoas. When he was told of Alexander's affection for the eunuch, Orxines replied "that he paid his respects to the king’s friends, not his whores, and that it was not the Persian custom to regard as men those who allowed themselves to be sexually used as women." As a result, Bagoas turned Alexander against Orxines, accusing him of stealing from the

tomb of Cyrus the Great The tomb of Cyrus the Great is located in Pasargadae, which was the first capital city of his Achaemenid Empire and is now an archaeological site in the Fars Province of Iran. Prior to being identified with Cyrus the Great by the British diplom ...

, and Orxines was executed.The History of Alexander
by Quintus Curtius Rufus

References

4th-century BC Iranian people People from the Achaemenid Empire 4th-century BC executions People executed for theft Achaemenid dynasty {{Achaemenid-bio-stub