A prepared plain
After Issus and the conquest of the coast, Alexander crosses Mesopotamia. Darius gathers a new army and has open ground prepared for his chariots and cavalry.
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Battle
Gaugamela
1 October 331 BC
Alexander's right opens a gap while Parmenion holds a pressured left.
Military history
How does Alexander reach Darius without losing his army on the flanks or in the rear?
In 331 BC, Darius offers battle on a wide plain prepared for his cavalry and chariots. Alexander shifts his right, then strikes through an opening towards the royal centre. But the Macedonian left remains under pressure and Persian cavalry reaches the baggage. Darius’s flight opens the way to victory without immediately ending all the fighting.
A shortened Macedonian line
Alexander commands the right and Parmenion the left. A second line protects the rear: the greater Persian width creates a risk of being outflanked.
Two crises at once
The charge towards Darius does not settle everything. Mazaios pressures the Macedonian left and Persian cavalry reaches the baggage; these crises must be followed separately.
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Chronological dossier
GranicusHow do the Macedonians establish a foothold beyond a river defended by Persian cavalry?IssusHow does Alexander win on one wing while his centre risks giving way?Siege of TyreIn 332 BCE, Tyre refuses Alexander entry to its island city. The Macedonian mole comes under fire and is attacked by a fireship. The arrival of allied fleets changes the siege: the harbours are blockaded, siege engines reach the walls by sea, and a combined assault eventually captures the city after seven months of resistance.HydaspesHow does Alexander force a crossing, then face Porus’s elephants?
Military history
Sources
Indirect ancient primary sourceArrien, Anabase d’Alexandre
Arrien, Anabase, III.8–15 ; surtout III.13–15 pour les chars, la brèche, les bagages et le retour.
Principal narrative sequence, checked against Iranica's critical reservations about transmission of the accounts.
View ↗Institutional academic control synthesisErnst Badian, Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Gaugamela”
Vol. X, fasc. 3, pp. 332–333, paragraphes sur le déploiement, la seconde ligne, les chars, la brèche, la poursuite de Darius, la pression de Mazaios sur Parmenion et la pénétration perse/indienne au camp ; bibliographie des sources antiques.
Principal historical control: wings of Parmenion and Mazaeus, second line, gap, camp/baggage, uncertainty over Parmenion's appeal and Alexander's reaction, and reservations about the ancient sources.
View ↗Institutional academic control synthesisErnst Badian, Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Mazaeus”
§ “Gaugamela and Babylon” : Mazaios à la droite perse avec la meilleure cavalerie ; troupes légères, Cadusiens et Scythes envoyés par la brèche vers le camp ennemi plusieurs milles derrière la ligne ; pression sur Parmenion, puis repli et reddition de Babylon.
Check of the identity of Mazaeus's right wing, its position opposite Parmenion, and the distinct axis of the raid towards the Macedonian camp.
View ↗Academic article on historical topographyKleanthis Zouboulakis, “The Topography of the Battle of Gaugamela”
Pharos 21/2 (2015), pp. 31–62 : discussion des hypothèses de localisation et des relations entre terrain, orientation et récit antique.
Cartographic debate and caution over the battlefield's modern geometry.
View ↗Specialist cartographic sourceJona Lendering, Map of the Battle of Gaugamela
Carte comparative des positions, ailes, centre de Darius et axes de mouvement ; utilisée comme contrôle de lisibilité relative, avec une fonction distincte de celle d’une preuve de géolocalisation.
Graphic relationship among the two lines, the Macedonian right's charge, and depth to the camp.
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