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in 334 bc, alexander, 21 year-old ruler ofthe small greek kingdom of macedonia, led an invasion of the vast persian empire. it seemed impossible odds, but thanks to greekmilitary dominance, and alexander's fearless leadership, he won two great battles againstthe persians… at the river granicus, and at issus. having subdued persian lands west of the euphratesriver, he now headed east into the empire's heartlands, seeking a final showdown withthe persian king, darius iii. receiving news that a great persian army,led by darius, had assembled at gaugemela, near modern mosul in iraq – he made straightfor it.
this was darius's last chance to stop alexander– and alexander's chance to smash persian power once and for all. darius had chosen to fight on open ground,where his advantage in numbers would be more telling. his soldiers had also worked hard to clearand flatten the terrain, to make it suitable for persian war chariots. by modern estimates, the persian army wasbetween 50 and 80,000 strong, and made up of contingents from across the empire: infantry from syria and babylonia...
cavalry from armenia, india and central asia... up to 200 scythed chariots... even a handfulof war elephants. alexander's army was smaller, and may havebeen outnumbered by as much as two to one. he deployed his units in their usual formation: on the left flank, thracian and thessaliancavalry, commanded by parmenion. in the centre, the macedonian veterans ofthe phalanx – each armed with their 18 foot sarissa pike. on the right flank, alexander with his elitecavalry, the companions; and his best infantry, the hypaspists.
these were the units with which alexanderplanned to launch his main attack. greek hoplites formed a second line, and supportedboth wings – which were angled back, to guard against encirclement by the persians. the battle began when alexander led his wingout to the right – a move that took the persians by surprise. could alexander really be trying to encircletheir huge army? the persians mirrored his movement, takingtroops away from their centre, to outflank alexander, and prevent him leaving the areathey'd cleared for the persian chariots. but alexander's unusual manoeuvre was a trap- to entice the persians to weaken their centre.
when he saw that it had worked, he orderedhis greek cavalry to charge, to keep the persians fixed in position. a giant cavalry battle developed on the rightwing. darius, meanwhile, judging this to be thedecisive moment, unleashed his chariots. but expert agrianes javelin-throwers tookout horses and crews – while the greek infantry opened lanes, allowing the chariots to passharmlessly through. now alexander led his companion cavalry, andparts of the macedonian phalanx, in a headlong charge straight at the weakened persian centre,fighting his way towards darius himself. the sudden ferocity of alexander's assaultthrew the persians into panic – the centre
of the army broke and ran - king darius himselfleading the rout. but alexander's left wing was in serious trouble– parmenion, facing a huge onslaught by persian cavalry, was virtually surrounded- indian and scythian horsemen had even ridden through a gap in the greek line – but ratherthan wheeling and attacking the greeks from behind, they'd carried straight on to loottheir camp. parmenion sent a desperate appeal to alexanderfor help. the king abandoned his pursuit of darius,regrouped, and charged the persian right wing. it was the hardest and bloodiest fightingof the battle – claiming the lives of sixty of alexander's companions.
finally, as news of darius's flight spreadacross the battlefield, the last persian horsemen turned and fled. the battle of gaugamela was a stunning andcomplete victory for alexander. according to ancient sources, he lost justa few hundred men, while the persians lost thousands. alexander had routed darius's great army,and now the road to babylon – the empire's main capital - lay open. the macedonian king entered the great cityin triumph, recognised by persian officials as its new rightful ruler.
so too at the city of susa, where alexanderceremonially took his seat upon the royal throne of persia. in the zagros mountains, at a pass known asthe persian gates, a courageous persian force held up alexander's army for a month. the greeks eventually found a mountain paththat bypassed their position, allowing them to encircle and wipe out the defenders. in early 330 bc, alexander reached persepolis,the empire's ceremonial capital. alexander wanted to appear as a liberatorto the persians – as a legitimate successor to king darius - but now, he ordered persepolisto be pillaged and burnt – retribution for
the persian invasion of greece, and the burningof athens' sacred temples in 480 bc. alexander now headed north into media, wheredarius had taken refuge in the royal city of ecbatana. alexander was determined to capture darius– but the fugitive king fled east in the hope of raising a new army in the provincesof parthia, bactria, and sogdia. it was not to be. as alexander closed in, the persian king wasmurdered by one of his own governors, bessus, who then proclaimed himself the empire’snew ruler. alexander gave orders for darius to be buriedin the royal tombs of persepolis, alongside
his ancestors. then he paused to organise his vast new empire. alexander appointed viceroys to rule the provinceson his behalf, keeping several persians - who had sworn loyalty - in their posts. he also allowed greek troops, who wished,to return home. then he resumed his march east. his goal: to find and kill the usurper bessus... subjugate the empire's eastern provinces... and reach the far edge of the world...
research and artwork for this video comesfrom osprey publishing's extensive range of books on ancient history. every osprey book examines a particular battle,campaign or combat unit in authoritative, meticulous detail. and with more than 3,000 titles, they covereverything from ancient warfare to modern conflict. visit their website to see their online catalogue. thank you to all the patreon supporters whomade this video possible, and to the channel ‘invicta’ – find out more about alexander’sincredible story in their ‘moments in history’
series.