Please be more specific. Are you talking about Xerxes' invasion of Greece in the 5th century BCE, or Khosrau II's invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire in the early 7th century AD?
Had Xerxes been less underestimating towards the Greek resistance, he could have conquered Greece. Satraps would be installed in each major city, until Greece gets coalesced into one satrapy.Xerxe's invasion.
... Every Achaemenid Persian province was restless to an extent, and the empire can't last forever. Once Persia collapses, Greece may break off as a unified kingdom (or two) under a former satrap. ...
The Aegean coast of Asia Minor was under Achaemenid control for around 60 years, IIRC. That's little.Culturally a lot depends on when the Hellenic regions split away, and why. If by some weird chance a Macedonian named Phillippe enables and leads the revolt then less may change vs OTL. But, there are many other divergences we can't predict.
OTL a portion of Hellenic culture was subsumed into the Persian empire. Ionia and the related regions in Asia Minor were part of the empire for a time. How much 'Greek' culture they spread in the empire I can't say.
Had Xerxes been less underestimating towards the Greek resistance, he could have conquered Greece. Satraps would be installed in each major city, until Greece gets coalesced into one satrapy.
I, however, can see regionalism becoming an issue within such Greek satrapy. Every Achaemenid Persian province was restless to an extent, and the empire can't last forever. Once Persia collapses, Greece may break off as a unified kingdom (or two) under a former satrap.
Cultural implications would be interesting. By making use of Persia's efficient road and postal system, some parts of greek knowlege, such as philosophy, could spread across the empire, and vice-versa. There are also effects to the west of Greece, seeming as the Romans adopted and appropriated greek culture IOTL. If Greece was controlled by Persia, politically and/or culturally, how would the Romans end up perceiving the old Greek world, if they still defeat Carthage and the Magna Graecian states?
The Aegean coast of Asia Minor was under Achaemenid control for around 60 years, IIRC. That's little.
People within it would rebel. Greek rebellion would become prominent across the empire, and could possibly start a rebellion in certain reigons
A couple decades ago I read a Sci Fi short story about a Persian philosopher who was trying to understand who the Greek kings had been before Xerxes conquest of Athens & the other cities. He was baffled by the constant references to the "peoples decision". Complete gibberish in his PoV. He had to tell his patron he could not find a record of who the Athenian kings and satraps had been.
3. No Sparta, though there will still be a legend of Sparta if they go down fighting, which is likely, and you still have Thermopylae.
5. The Greeks assisted several Egyptian revolts, one of which got Egypt several last decades of independence. These are less successful.
7. Since Alexander II of Macedon pretty much sided with Persia, or played both sides of the fence, you still get Alexander III, but if he takes over the Persian Empire, which is likely its part of an internal power struggle. Essentially the Persian empire gets a new, Macedonian dynasty. The fusion of Persian and Greek cultures that Alexander aimed for would have already happened. One likely way this happens is that Alexander restores an empire which is already collapsing internally.
5. The Greeks assisted several Egyptian revolts, one of which got Egypt several last decades of independence. These are less successful.
6. Greek civilization would re-center on Sicily and Italy.
7. Since Alexander II of Macedon pretty much sided with Persia, or played both sides of the fence, you still get Alexander III, but if he takes over the Persian Empire, which is likely its part of an internal power struggle. Essentially the Persian empire gets a new, Macedonian dynasty. The fusion of Persian and Greek cultures that Alexander aimed for would have already happened. One likely way this happens is that Alexander restores an empire which is already collapsing internally.
8. Western civilization still develops from Greek roots, in Italy, though the Etruscan contribution will probably be more prominent and more remembered. However, it doesn't start with the heroic narrative of resistance to Persian invasion. Instead it starts with the loss of the original homelands, so you get more of a inferiority complex and depressed narrative. Keep in mind that Christianity survived the loss of all the places where Christianity developed to Islam, and India survived almost a thousand years of non-Hindu rule over most of the subcontinent, so you still will get Western civilization.
Now this is fascinating. The chaos theory guys argue this is buttelied away. I argue Macedon is developing similarly to TTL, two people having a child together in simmiliar environment to TTL would produce a child "in the ballpark" of OTL with a similar environment and be... similar.
As you said, either he wouldn't be taking over, or it would be an internal power struggle, like a coup or maybe a succession war.
This is pretty cool
That was a Turtledove short story. The title is "Counting Potsherds", IIRC.A couple decades ago I read a Sci Fi short story about a Persian philosopher who was trying to understand who the Greek kings had been before Xerxes conquest of Athens & the other cities. He was baffled by the constant references to the "peoples decision". Complete gibberish in his PoV. He had to tell his patron he could not find a record of who the Athenian kings and satraps had been.