Date October 1, 331 BC
Location Gaugamela (near Erbil in present-day Iraq)
Issue Victory of the Macedonians
Belligerent parties
Kingdom of Macedon and their Greek allies Persian Empire
Commanders
Alexander the Great Darius III
Forces present
Macedonians
47,000
(40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry) approximately 240,000
Persians
(200,000 infantry, 35,000 cavalry, 200 tanks and 15 war elephants)
Losses
4,000 Greeks killed or wounded 80,000 killed
150,000 Persians wounded or captured.
The Battle of Gaugamela is a decisive confrontation between the armies of Alexander and those of Darius III. It is often called the Battle of Arbèles, given its location. This battle took place near Erbil, 77 kilometers east of Mosul in present-day northern Iraq.
Macedon defeated Persia with this battle on October 1, 331 BC. J.-C..
Context:Alexander's conquests
Alexander the Great is one of the greatest conquerors of antiquity:son of Philip II of Macedonia, pupil of Aristotle and king of Macedonia in 336 BC. J.-C., he made his small kingdom the master of the immense Achaemenid empire and advanced to the banks of the Indus. He also founded many cities including Alexandria in 331 BC. AD
The battle
Darius chose the terrain:a large regular plain, from which he had all the stones cleaned so that his tanks could maneuver without risk of breakage, and give all their effectiveness. With 200,000 infantry, 35,000 cavalry, 200 chariots and 15 war elephants, Darius' troops were significantly superior in number to those of Alexander whose troops reached 40,000 foot soldiers and 7,000 cavalry. Alexander had to deploy his infantry differently:the phalanxes were positioned offset from each other, to prevent Darius from surrounding them. Moreover he divided his cavalry on the flanks and took, as usual, the lead on the right flank.
Darius sends his cavalry and chariots, with the aim of quickly defeating the Macedonian army. The solid Greek phalanxes, well trained, push back the charges. The Persian king seeing his units mounted in difficulty, launches a large part of his infantry into the fray. Meanwhile, Alexander having taken command of his cavalry, the famous "Companions", all of royal blood, bypassed the left flank of the Persians. Darius notices this movement and has the young king pursued. As the two columns were about to meet, Alexander and the bulk of his cavalry suddenly changed direction. On the Macedonian left flank, the fighting turned to the advantage of the Persians. They had succeeded in creating a breach to Parmenion's rearguard. In the center, Alexander, his cavalry and part of the Macedonian light infantry, which had succeeded in repelling the charges of the Persian army, rushed on Darius. The Persian king, seeing this, fled and left the battlefield, followed by the rest of his army. This rout, hoped for by Alexander, allowed the Macedonian king to help his left flank in bad shape. Unfortunately, the orders had trouble reaching the entire Persian army, and the fighting continued for a few hours, ending in Alexander's victory.
Consequences
Darius flees with his guard and horsemen from Bactria. Alexander sets off in pursuit, crossing 120 km, but fails after the battle to join him to defeat him. The Persian emperor died some time later in the mountains, assassinated by his dignitaries.
Following the battle, Alexander is crowned "king of Asia" during a sumptuous ceremony celebrated in Arbèles then he enters Babylon.