6.4 KiB
Battle of Gaugamela
Battle of Gaugamela
Overview
The Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) was the decisive battle in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III, effectively ending the Achaemenid Persian Empire. @t[=331 BCE]
Key Facts
- Date: 1 October 331 BCE @t[=331 BCE]
- Location: Gaugamela (near modern Erbil, Iraq)
- Belligerents: Macedon vs. Persian Empire
- Commanders: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III
- Result: Decisive Macedonian victory 1
The Battle
- Alexander: ~47,000 troops; Darius: ~50,000–100,000 (ancient sources claim up to 1 million)
- Darius prepared the battlefield with scythed chariots and leveled ground for cavalry
- Alexander used an oblique advance, drawing the Persian line apart
- Led a cavalry charge through a gap directly at Darius, who fled
- Persian army collapsed after Darius' flight
Aftermath
- Alexander captured Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis
- Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE) @t[=330 BCE]
- Marked the end of the Achaemenid dynasty after ~220 years 2
Review Queue
@q[temporal]Line 10: "Date: 1 October 331 BCE" - when was this true?
BCE event. Attested by Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 3.8 (~130 CE) 1 ; Plutarch, Life of Alexander. Modern confirmation: Heckel (2008) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Location: Gaugamela (near modern Erbil, Iraq)" - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Belligerents: Macedon vs. Persian Empire" - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Commanders: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III" - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 14: "Result: Decisive Macedonian victory 1 " - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.15 (~130 CE) 1 ; modern analysis in Heckel (2008) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 17: "Alexander: ~47,000 troops; Darius: ~50,000–100,000 (ancient sources claim u..." - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Troop estimates from Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 (~130 CE) 1 ; modern range analysis in Heckel (2008) 2 . Ancient estimates vary widely.
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Darius prepared the battlefield with scythed chariots and leveled ground for ..." - when was this true?
BCE event (331 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.11 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 19: "Alexander used an oblique advance, drawing the Persian line apart" - when was this true?
BCE event (1 October 331 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.13-14 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 20: "Led a cavalry charge through a gap directly at Darius, who fled" - when was this true?
BCE event (1 October 331 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.14 (~130 CE) 1 ; Plutarch, Life of Alexander 33 (~75 CE).
@q[temporal]Line 21: "Persian army collapsed after Darius' flight" - when was this true?
BCE event (1 October 331 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.15 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 24: "Alexander captured Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis" - when was this true?
BCE events (331-330 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.16-18 (~130 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE)" - when was this true?
BCE event (330 BCE). Attested by Arrian, Anabasis 3.21 (~130 CE) 1 ; Curtius Rufus 5.12-13 (~1st century CE).
@q[temporal]Line 26: "Marked the end of the Achaemenid dynasty after ~220 years 2 " - when was this true?
BCE-era fact. Modern scholarly assessment in Heckel, The Conquests of Alexander the Great (Cambridge, 2008) 2 .
@q[missing]Line 10: "Date: 1 October 331 BCE" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 3.8-15 1 ; Plutarch, Life of Alexander.
@q[missing]Line 11: "Location: Gaugamela (near modern Erbil, Iraq)" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 1 .
@q[missing]Line 12: "Belligerents: Macedon vs. Persian Empire" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 1 .
@q[missing]Line 13: "Commanders: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 1 .
@q[missing]Line 17: "Alexander: ~47,000 troops; Darius: ~50,000–100,000 (ancient sources claim u..." - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.8 1 ; Heckel (2008) 2 . Ancient estimates vary widely.
@q[missing]Line 18: "Darius prepared the battlefield with scythed chariots and leveled ground for ..." - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.11 1 .
@q[missing]Line 19: "Alexander used an oblique advance, drawing the Persian line apart" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.13-14 1 .
@q[missing]Line 20: "Led a cavalry charge through a gap directly at Darius, who fled" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.14 1 ; Plutarch, Life of Alexander 33.
@q[missing]Line 21: "Persian army collapsed after Darius' flight" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.15 1 .
@q[missing]Line 24: "Alexander captured Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.16-18 1 .
@q[missing]Line 25: "Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE)" - what is the source?
Source: Arrian, Anabasis 3.21 1 ; Curtius Rufus 5.12-13.
@q[ambiguous]Line 13: "Commanders: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III" - what does "III" mean in this context?
III is the regnal number — Darius III Codomannus was the third Persian king named Darius. Standard historical convention.
@q[ambiguous]Line 25: "Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE)" - what does "III" mean in this context?
Same as above — III is the regnal number for Darius III. Standard convention.
@q[stale]Line 26: "Marked the end of the Achaemenid dynasty after ~220 years 2 " - Heckel source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
Heckel (2008) remains a standard reference. The end of the Achaemenid dynasty in 330 BCE is undisputed historical fact. Still accurate.