Battle of Gaugamela
Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great
Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1602, The Battle of Arbela, or The Battle of Issus
Date 1 October 331 BC Location Probably Tel Gomel (Gaugamela) near Mosul, not far from Irbil (Arbela), which also is a name of the battle (Battle of Arbela) Result Macedonian victory
Combatants
Macedon	Achaemenid Persia
Commanders
Alexander the Great	Darius III
Strength
9,000 peltasts,[1] 31,000 hoplites,[1][2] 7,000 cavalry[2]	1,000,000 total (See Size of Persian army)
Casualties
4,000	40,000[3]

The Battle of Gaugamela (IPA: /ˌgɔgəˈmilə/) took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great of Macedonia and Darius III of Achaemenid Persia. The battle, which is also inaccurately called the Battle of Arbela, resulted in victory for the Macedonians. Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... Image File history File links The Battle of Gaugamela on October 1, 331BC, by J. Brueghel. ... Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) was a Flemish painter, son of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and father of Jan Brueghel the Younger. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC Years: 336 BC 335 BC 334 BC 333 BC 332 BC - 331 BC - 330 BC 329 BC... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... This article is about the province of Iraq. ... Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... Founder of empires: Cyrus, The Great is still revered in modern Iran as he was in all the successor Persian Empires. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Combatants Macedon Athens, Thebes Commanders Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great Chares of Athens, Lysicles of Athens, Theagenes of Boeotia Strength 32,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry 35,000 Casualties Unknown 1,000 Athenians killed, 254 Boeotians killed, 2,000 captured The Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), fought near... Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Persia, Greek mercenaries Commanders Alexander the Great, Parmenion, Clitus the Black Spithridates, Mithridates, Memnon of Rhodes Strength 20,000 peltasts[1] 22,000 hoplites[2] 5,000 cavalry[2] 9,500 peltasts[2] 5,000 Greek hoplites[3] 10,000 cavalry[3] Casualties 350 killed 4... Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred... In 332 BC, Alexander the Great set out to conquer Tyre, a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. ... Combatants Macedonian Empire Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Ariobarzan † Strength 17,000[1][2] 700[1] Casualties Thousands[1] 700[1] The Battle of the Persian Gate was fought northeast of todays Yasuj in Iran between a group of Persian patriots led by Ariobarzan against the large invading Macedonian... Sogdiana, ca. ... Combatants Macedonian Empire Greek allies Persian allies Indian allies Paurava (Punjabi Indian kingdom) Commanders Alexander the Great, Craterus King Porus Strength 34,000 infantry,[2][3][4] 7,000 cavalry[5][6] 20,000 infantry,[7] 2,000 cavalry,[7] 85 war elephants,[8][9] 60 chariots[10] Casualties 4... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC Years: 336 BC 335 BC 334 BC 333 BC 332 BC - 331 BC - 330 BC 329 BC... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... Founder of empires: Cyrus, The Great is still revered in modern Iran as he was in all the successor Persian Empires. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ...

Location

Darius chose (or smoothed out, depending on accounts)^{[citation needed]} a flat plain where he could deploy his numerically superior forces, however the location of the battle, i.e., that of Gaugamela, cannot be established definitively. Supposedly,^{[citation needed]} the battle was held near a hill in the form of a camel's hump, hence the name etymology: Tel Gomel or Tel Gahmal, which translates as "Mount Camel" in Hebrew. Others translate the name as "camel's stall" (Plutarch: "camel's house", in his Life of Alexander), and associate the place with a settlement. The most commonly accepted opinion about the location is (36.36° N 43.25° E), east of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq – suggested by Sir Aurel Stein in 1938 (see his Limes Report, pp. 127-1). For other uses, see Camel (disambiguation). ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Mestrius Plutarchus (Greek: Πλούταρχος; 46 - 127), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. ... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... Sir M(arc) Aurel Stein (1862 - 1943), born in Budapest, was a Hungarian Jewish archaeologist who became a British citizen. ...

Prelude

During the two years after the Battle of Issus, Alexander proceeded to occupy the Mediterranean coast and Egypt. He then advanced from Syria against the heart of the Persian empire. Alexander crossed both the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers without any opposition. Darius was building up a massive army, drawing men from the far reaches of his empire. He planned to use numbers to crush Alexander, and according to some contemporary historians he gathered around 1,000,000 men. Darius also picked a flat plain for a battlefield so Alexander would have no advantages in terrain, and allowing Darius to use his vast horde more effectively. Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Surfer Rosa The Euphrates (IPA: /juːˈfreɪtiːz/; Greek: Euphrátēs; Akkadian: Pu-rat-tu; Hebrew: פְּרָת Pĕrāth; Syriac: Prâth; Arabic: الفرات Al-Furāt; Turkish: Fırat; Kurdish: فرهات, Firhat, Ferhat, Azeri: Fərat) is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia (the other... The Tigris is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq. ...

Size of Persian army

Modern estimates

Many modern scholars agree that Darius III's army was no larger than 500,000 due to the logistics of fielding more than 500,000 soldiers in battle being extremely difficult at the time. However it is possible that the Persian army could have numbered over 1,000,000 men.^[7] One estimate is that there were 25,000 peltasts,^[7] 10,000 Immortals,^[5] 2,000 Greek hoplites,^[6] 1,000 Bactrians,^[6] and 40,000 cavalry,^[3] 200 scythed chariots,^[8] and 15 war elephants.^[9] A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... The Achaemenid Persian Immortals, also known as the Persian Immortals or The Immortals were an elite force of soldiers which performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Greco-Persian Wars. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Bactria, about 320 BC Bactria (Bactriana, Bākhtar in Persian, also Bhalika in Arabic and Indian languages, and Ta-Hia in Chinese) was the ancient Greek name of the country between the range of the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya (Oxus); its capital, Bactra or Balhika or Bokhdi (now... Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ... The charge of the Persian scythed chariots at the battle of Gaugamela, by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899). ... The elephants thick hide protects it from injury. ... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... Look up Logistics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The Achaemenid Persian Immortals, also known as the Persian Immortals or The Immortals were an elite force of soldiers which performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Greco-Persian Wars. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Bactria, about 320 BC Bactria (Bactriana, Bākhtar in Persian, also Bhalika in Arabic and Indian languages, and Ta-Hia in Chinese) was the ancient Greek name of the country between the range of the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya (Oxus); its capital, Bactra or Balhika or Bokhdi (now... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... The charge of the Persian scythed chariots at the battle of Gaugamela, by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899). ... The elephants thick hide protects it from injury. ...

Warry estimates a total size of 91,000. Welman estimates a total size of 90,000. Delbrück (1978) estimates a total size of 52,000. Engels (1920) and Green (1990) also estimate the total size of Darius' army to be no larger than 100,000 at Gaugamela.

Ancient sources

Alexander commanded a force from his Greek kingdom of Macedon, Thracian allies and the Corinthian League that, according to Arrian, the most reliable historian of Alexander (who is believed to be relying on the work of the eye-witness Ptolemy), numbered 7,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry.^[2] Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... The Thracians were an Indo-European people, inhabitants of Thrace and adjacent lands (present-day Bulgaria, Romania, northeastern Greece, European Turkey and northwestern asiatic Turkey, eastern Serbia and parts of Republic of Macedonia). ... The League of Corinth was a federation of Greek states created by Philip II of Macedon during the winter of 338 BC/337 BC to facilitate his use of Greek military forces in his war against Persia. ... Alexander the Great Lucius Flavius Arrianus Xenophon (c. ... Ptolemy I Soter (Greek: , Ptolemaios Soter, i. ...

Darius's force numbered according to Arrian 40,000 cavalry and 1,000,000 infantry,^[9] Diodorus Siculus 200,000 cavalry and 800,000 infantry,^[10] Plutarch 1,000,000 troops^[11] (without a breakdown in composition), while according to Curtius Rufus 45,000 cavalry and 200,000 infantry.^[12] Furthermore according to Arrian,^[8] Diodorus, and Curtius, Darius had 200 chariots while Arrian mentions 15 war elephants.^[9] Included in Darius's infantry were about 2,000 Greek mercenary hoplites.^[6] Diodorus Siculus (c. ... Mestrius Plutarchus (Greek: Πλούταρχος; 46 - 127), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. ... Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman historian who wrote from about 60 through to 70 AD and generally thought to have written under the reign of Claudius. ... For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation). ... Indian war elephant, relief at Mathura, 2nd century BC War elephants were important, although not widespread, weapons in ancient military history. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ...

While Darius had a significant advantage in numbers, most of his troops were of a lower quality than Alexander's. Alexander's pezhetairoi were armed with a six-meter spear, the sarissa. The main Persian infantry was poorly trained and equipped in comparison to Alexander's hoplites. The only hoplites Darius had were his 10,000 Greeks^[6] and his personal bodyguard, the 10,000 Persian Immortals.^[5] The Greek mercenaries fought as an Argos phalanx, armed with a heavier shield but with spears no longer than three meters, while the spears of the Immortals were 2 meters long. Among his other troops the most heavily armed were the Armenians who were armed the Greek way, probably as an Argos phalanx. The rest of his contingents were much more lightly armed; the main weapon of the Achaemenid army historically was the bow and arrow. The Pezhetairoi (singular Pezhetairos) were the backbone of the Macedonian army. ... For the Bronze Age Hittite city, go to Kusakli. ... The Achaemenid Persian Immortals, also known as the Persian Immortals or The Immortals were an elite force of soldiers which performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Greco-Persian Wars. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The battle

Initial dispositions

The battle began with the Persians already present at the battlefield. Darius had recruited the finest cavalry from his Eastern satrapies and from an allied Scythian tribe. Darius also deployed scythed chariots for which he had prepared cleared terrain in front of his troops. He also had 15 Indian elephants supported by Indian chariots, although these seemingly played no role in the battle. Before the battle, Darius ordered bushes and vegetation removed from the battlefield, to maximize the chariots' effectiveness. Look up satrap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Scythians (, also ) or Scyths ([1]; from Greek ), a nation of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who spoke an Iranian language[2], dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity. ... The charge of the Persian scythed chariots at the battle of Gaugamela, by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899). ... The elephants thick hide protects it from injury. ... For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation). ...

Initial dispositions and opening movements.

Darius placed himself in the center with his best infantry as was the tradition among Persian kings. He was surrounded by, on his right, the Carian cavalry, Greek mercenaries, and the Persian horse guards. In the right-center he placed the Persian foot guards (Apple Bearers/Immortals to the Greeks), the Indian Cavalry and his Mardian archers. Image File history File links Battle_gaugamela_initial. ... Image File history File links Battle_gaugamela_initial. ...

On both flanks were the cavalry. Bessus commanded the left flank with the Bactrians, Dahae cavalry, Arachrosian cavalry, Persian cavalry, Susian cavalry, Cadusian cavalry, and Scythians. Chariots were placed in front with a small group of Bactrians. Mazaeus commanded the right flank with the Syrian, Median, Mesopotamian, Parthian, Sacian, Tapurian, Hyrcanian, Albanian, Sacesinian, Cappadocian, and Armenian cavalry. The Cappadocians and Armenians were stationed in front of the other cavalry units, and led the attack. The Albanian and Sacesinian cavalry were sent around to flank the Macedonian left. Bessus (died summer 329 BC) was a Persian nobleman and satrap of Bactria and Sogdiana, and later self-proclaimed king of Persia. ... Bactria, about 320 BC Bactria (Bactriana, Bākhtar in Persian, also Bhalika in Arabic and Indian languages, and Ta-Hia in Chinese) was the ancient Greek name of the country between the range of the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya (Oxus); its capital, Bactra or Balhika or Bokhdi (now... Ideograms for Ta-Hsia. ... For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... The Scythians (, also ) or Scyths ([1]; from Greek ), a nation of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who spoke an Iranian language[2], dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity. ... Coin of Mazaeus. ... Mede nobility. ... For other uses, see Mesopotamia (disambiguation). ... Parthia[1] (Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was a civilization situated in the northeast of modern Iran, but at its height covering all of Iran proper, as well as regions of the modern countries of Armenia, Iraq, Georgia, eastern Turkey, eastern Syria, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, the Persian Gulf... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Māzandarān (Persian: مازندران, prior to 1596 known as Tabaristan / Tapuristan / Tapuria Persian: تبرستان / تپورستان) is a province in northern Iran, bordering the Caspian (Mazandaran) Sea in the north. ... Gorgan (گرگان); Hyrcania ; Hyrcana (Old Persian Varkâna, land of wolves; modern Persian Gorgan): part of the ancient Persian empire, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea (present day Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and parts of Turkmenistan). ... In ancient geography, Cappadocia or Capadocia, Turkish Kapadokya (from Persian: Katpatuka meaning the land of beautiful horses, Greek: Καππαδοκία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of the extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). ...

The Macedonians were divided into two, with the right side of the army falling under the direct command of Alexander, and the left to Parmenion. Alexander fought with his Companion cavalry. With it were the Paionian, and Macedonian light cavalry. The mercenary cavalry was divided into two groups, with the veterans being stationed on the flank of the right, and the rest being put in front of the Agrians and Macedonian archers which were stationed next to the phalanx. Parmenion was stationed on the left with the Thessalian, Greek mercenary, and Thracian cavalry units. There they were to pull off a holding maneuver while Alexander landed the decisive blow from the right. Parmenion (also Parmenio) (in Greek Παρμενίων, c. ... The Companions (Greek Εταίροι) were Alexander the Greats elite cavalry, the main offensive arm of his army, and also his elite guard. ... Paionia or Paeonia (in Greek Παιονία) was in ancient geography, the land of the Paeonians (Ancient Greek Παίονες), the exact boundaries of which, like the early history of its inhabitants, are very obscure. ... Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in south-east Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and European Turkey. ...

On the right-center of the formation were Cretan mercenaries. Behind them was a group of Thessalian cavalry under Phillip, and Achaian mercenaries. To their right was another part of the allied Greek cavalry. From there came the phalanx, which was placed into a double-line. Outnumbered over 5:1 in cavalry, with their line surpassed by over a mile, it seemed inevitable that the Macedonians would be flanked by the Persians. The second line were given orders to deal with any flanking units should the situation arise. This second line consisted of mostly mercenaries. The Achaeans (also Akhaians, Greek Αχαιοί) is the collective name given to the Greek forces in Homers Iliad. ...

Beginning of the battle

Charge of the Persian scythed chariots.

During the battle Alexander used an unusual strategy which has been duplicated only a few times throughout history. His plan was to draw as much of the Persian cavalry as possible to the flanks. The purpose of this was to create a gap within the enemy line where a decisive blow could then be struck at Darius in the center. This required almost perfect timing and maneuvering, and the Great King himself to act first. The Macedonians advanced with the wings echeloned back at 45 degree angles to lure the Persian cavalry to attack. Alexander forced Darius to attack (as they would soon move off the prepared ground) though Darius did not want to be the first to attack after seeing what happened at Issus against a similar formation. In the end Darius's hand was forced, and he attacked. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixelsFull resolution (2409 × 1574 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixelsFull resolution (2409 × 1574 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Darius now launched his chariots, some of which were intercepted by the Agrianians. It is said that the Macedonian army had trained for a new tactic to counter these devastating chariots if they ran into their ranks. The first lines would step aside, opening a gap. The horse would refuse to run into the lances of the front ranks, and enter the "mouse trap", only to be stopped by the lances of the rear ranks. The charioteers could then be killed at leisure. The chariots were rendered useless. The Agrianes were an ancient warrior-tribe who occupied, for a time, the territory north of the Thracian Maedi. ...

Alexander's decisive attack

As the Persians moved farther and farther to the Macedonian flanks in their attack, Alexander slowly filtered in his rear-guard. Alexander disengaged his Companions, and prepared for the decisive attack on the Persians. Leading the way, he formed his units into a giant wedge, with him leading the charge. Behind them was the guards brigade along with any phalanx battalions he could withdraw from the battle. These were follow-up light troops. Alexander took most of his cavalry and moved parallel to Darius's front lines, heading off of the prepared battlefield. In doing so, Darius ordered his cavalry in the front lines to block Alexander's force. Unbeknownst to Darius, Alexander hid a force of peltasts (light infantry armed with slings, javelins, and shortbows) behind his horsemen and Alexander slowly sent his force into an angle, heading toward the Persian host, until finally a gap opened between Bessus's left and Darius's center and Alexander sent in his cavalry force to drive down the gap in the Persian line. At the same time, the peltasts engaged the cavalry, so as to keep them from riding back to engage Alexander's charging cavalry.

Alexander's decisive attack

This large wedge then smashed right into the weakened Persian center, taking out Darius's royal guard, and the Greek mercenaries. Bessus on the left, now cut off from Darius, and fearing he himself would be struck with this wedge, began to pull back his forces. Darius was in danger of himself being cut off, and the widely held modern view is that he now broke and ran, with the rest of his army following him. This is based on Arrian's account (Anabasis 3.14): Image File history File links Battle_gaugamela_decisive. ... Image File history File links Battle_gaugamela_decisive. ...

"For a short time there ensued a hand-to-hand fight; but when the Macedonian cavalry, commanded by Alexander himself, pressed on vigorously, thrusting themselves against the Persians and striking their faces with their spears, and when the Macedonian phalanx in dense array and bristling with long pikes had also made an attack upon them, all things together appeared full of terror to Darius, who had already long been in a state of fear, so that he was the first to turn and flee."^[6]

A less common view is that Darius's army was already broken when Darius ran, and is supported by an astronomical diary from Babylon written within days of the battle:

The twenty-fourth [day of the lunar month], in the morning, the king of the world [i.e., Alexander] [erected his] standard [lacuna]. Opposite each other they fought and a heavy defeat of the troops [of the king he inflicted]. The king [i.e., Darius], his troops deserted him and to their cities [they went]. They fled to the land of the Guti.^[13]

The left flank

Alexander could have pursued Darius at this point. However, he received desperate messages from Parmenion (an event which would later be used by Callisthenes and others to discredit Parmenion) on the left. Alexander was faced with the choice of pursuing Darius, but losing his army, or going back to the left flank to aid Parmenion and preserve his forces. In the end, he made the decision to help Parmenion, and follow Darius later. Callisthenes, or Kallisthenes, ( in Greek) of Olynthus (c. ...

While holding on the left, a gap had also opened up between the left and center of the Macedonian line. The Persian and Indian cavalry units stationed in the center with Darius broke through. Instead of taking the phalanx or Parmenion in the rear, however, they continued on towards the camp to loot. They also tried to rescue Queen Mother Sisygambis but she refused to go with them. On their way back, the Indians slew over 60 of the Companion cavalry. Sisygambis was the mother of Darius III of Persia, whose reign was ended in the wars of Alexander the Great. ...

Meanwhile, as the center and Darius broke, Mazaeus also began to pull his forces back as Bessus had. However, unlike on the left with Bessus, the Persians soon fell into disorder as the Thessalians and other cavalry units charged forward at their fleeing enemy.

Aftermath

After the battle, Parmenion rounded up the Persian baggage train while Alexander and his own bodyguard chased after Darius in hopes of catching up. As at Issus, substantial amounts of loot were gained following the battle, with 4,000 talents captured, as well as the King's personal chariot and bow. The war elephants were also captured. Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred... The elephants thick hide protects it from injury. ...

Darius had managed to escape the battle with a small core of his forces remaining intact. The Bactrian cavalry and Bessus managed to catch up with him, as did some of the survivors of the Royal Guard and 2,000 Greek mercenaries.

At this point, the Persian Empire was divided into two halves – East and West. Alexander would go on to proclaim himself Great King. On his escape, Darius gave a speech to what remained of his army. He planned to head further East, and raise another army to face Alexander while he and the Macedonians headed to Babylon. At the same time he dispatched letters to his Eastern satrapies asking them to remain loyal. The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ...

The satrapies, however, had other intentions. Bessus murdered Darius, before fleeing eastwards. Alexander would pursue him, eventually capturing and executing him the following year. The majority of the existing satraps were to assert loyalty to Alexander, and be allowed to keep their positions, however, the Persian Empire is traditionally considered to have fallen with the death of Darius.

References

Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman historical writer in the first or second century AD, generally thought to have written under the reign of Claudius. ...

Bibliography

Ancient sources

• The Anabasis of Alexander: The Battle of Gaugamela(Book 3, 7~16) By Arrian, Translated by E.J.Chinnock
• Alexander the Great: An annotated list of primary sources from Livius.org
• Wiki Classical Dictionary, extant sources and fragmentary and lost sources
• Plutarch, Life of Alexander (in English)
• Justin, Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus (in English)
• Plutarch, Of the Fortune or Virtue of Alexander the Great (in English)
• Quintus Curtius Rufus, Histories of Alexander (in Latin)

Modern sources

• Delbrück, Hans (1920). History of the Art of War. University of Nebraska Press. Reprint edition, 1990. Translated by Walter, J. Renfroe. 4 Volumes.
• Dodge, Theodore Ayrault (1890-1907). History of the Art of War: Alexander
• Engels, Donald W. (1978). Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London.
• Fox, Robin Lane (1973). Alexander the Great. London: Allen Lane.
• Fuller, J. F. C. A Military History of the Western World. Three Volumes. New York: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1987 and 1988.
  • v. 1. From the earliest times to the Battle of Lepanto; ISBN 0-306-80304-6: pp. 87 to 114 (Alexander the Great).
• Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.
• Green, Peter (1990). Alexander to Actium; The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Berkeley/Los Angeles.
• History of the Greek Nation volume Δ, Ekdotiki Athinon, Athens 1973
• Moerbeek, Martijn (1997). The battle of Gaugamela, 331 BC. Universiteit Twente.
• De Santis, Marc G. “At The Crossroads of Conquest.” Military Heritage. December 2001. Volume 3, No. 3: 46-55, 97 (Alexander the Great, his military, his strategy at the Battle of Gaugamela and his defeat of Darius making Alexander the King of Kings).
• Van der Spek, R.J. "Darius III, Alexander the Great and Babylonian Scholarship." in: W. Henkelman, A. Kuhrt eds., A Persian Perspective. Essays in Memory of Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg. Achaemenid History XIII (Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 2003) 289-342.
• Warry, J. (1998). Warfare in the Classical World. ISBN 1-84065-004-4.
• Welman, Nick. Battles (Major) and Army. Fontys University.

Theodore Ayrault Dodge (28 May 1842–1909) was a Union officer in the American Civil War and a military historian of both that war and of the great generals of ancient and European history. ... Robin Lane Fox (born 1946) is an English academic and historian, currently a Fellow of New College, Oxford, and University Reader in Ancient History. ... J.F.C. Fuller (September 1, 1878 – February 10, 1966), full name John Frederick Charles Fuller, was a British Major General, military historian and strategist, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare. ... Art on the campus University Twente is a university located in Enschede, Netherlands. ... Military Heritage is a glossy, bi-monthly history magazine published by Sovereign Media. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fontys is one operator of Universities of Applied Science in the Netherlands. ...

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Battle of Gaugamela

• Livius.org tells the story of Alexander and quotes original sources. Favors a reconstruction of the battle which heavily privileges the Babylonian astronomical diaries.
• Livius.org provides a new scholarly edition of the Babylonian Astronomical Diary concerning the battle of Gaugamela and Alexander's entry into Babylon by R.J. van der Spek.

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