Figure 1.--This battle scene of Gaugamela, the climatic show down between Alexander and Persian Emperor Darius (331 BC) was created three centurues after the battle. Battles were a popular subject for abcient art. This is surely the most dramatic battle svene in all of ancient art. The artisans knew nothing about how Alexander and Darius lookef has captured the ethos of bith men perfectly, especially Alexander. It is a Roman mosaic found in the House of the Fawn (Casa del fauno) at Pompei.

Gaugamela was Alexander's greatest victory. Alexander's brillance and bravery was posed against a vastly superior Persian army. It is arguably the greatest victory of any militry commander in history. It was at Gaugamela that the fate of the vast Persian Empire was decided. Alexander the Great at Gaugamela near Arbela (modern Erbil) decisively defeated the huge army ammassed by Persian Emperor Darius III. This was a huge battle involving some 300,000 men. Amazingly the Persians outnumbered Alexander 5 to 1. Alexander's generals upon learning of the size of Darius' army advised him to attack at night least his army be intiminated. Alexander is famously said to have replied, "I will not steal my victory." He aganoized over the tactics for the battle, but once he had settled on his plan, fell into as deep sleep. He had to be awakened in the morning. Darius had carefully chosen the battlefield. He had learned from his previous defeats where the terraine had prevented him from deploying his larger forces to full effect. Gaugamela was a flat plain where his massive army would have space to manuever. He even prepared the ground for his vaunted chariots. Alexander had also consdered the Persian chariots. His Phalanx of spearmen opened probing channels and in those channels archers killed the charioteers. Ranks of chavalry and infantry engaged each other in afurious battle. Then Alexander spotted a weak point in the Persian leading straight for Darius. Alexander focused his attack on that one point -- what the Germans would later call the Schwerpunkt. It was the only place on the entire battlefield that Alexander had a numerical advantage. As Alexander began to break through the Persian Darius fled. Persian cavalrymen were about to break Alexander left flank, but a Phalank held in reserve stopped them. The Persians seeing Darius fleeing fell back and Alexander was able to crush a hugely superior Persian force. There were enormous repercussions. Greek culture spread throughout the Persian Empire, essentially all of the Middle East.

Created: 4:14 AM 9/30/2018
Last updated: 4:14 AM 9/30/2018

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