Battle of Gaugamela

Battle of Gaugamela
Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great, victorious over Darius at the Battle of Gaugamela by Jacques Courtois
Date1 October 331 BC
Location
Probably Tel Gomel (Gaugamela) near Erbil, modern Iraqi Kurdistan, north of Mount Alfaf[1]
36°34′N 43°26′E / 36.56°N 43.44°E / 36.56; 43.44
Result Macedonian victory[2][3][4]
Territorial
changes
Alexander gains Babylon, half of Persia and all other parts of Mesopotamia
Belligerents
Achaemenid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Strength
Casualties and losses
1,100–1,500[a]
1,000 cavalry
100–500 infantry
40,000–90,000[b]
300,000+ captured (according to Arrian)[7]
Battle of Gaugamela is located in Iraq
Battle of Gaugamela
Location within Iraq
Battle of Gaugamela is located in West and Central Asia
Battle of Gaugamela
Battle of Gaugamela (West and Central Asia)
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
1200km
820miles
Babylon
15
Death of Alexander the Great 10 or 11 June 323 BC
Malavas
14
Mallian campaign November 326 – February 325 BC
Hydaspes
13
Battle of the Hydaspes May 326 BCE
Cophen
12
Cophen campaign May 327 BC – March 326 BC
Cyropolis
11
Siege of Cyropolis 329 BC Battle of Jaxartes October 329 BC Siege of the Sogdian Rock 327 BC
Persian Gate
10
Battle of the Persian Gate 20 January 330 BC
Uxians
9
Battle of the Uxian Defile December 331 BC
Gaugamela
8
Alexandria
7
Foundation of Alexandria 331 BC
Gaza
6
Siege of Gaza October 332 BC
Tyre
5
Siege of Tyre (332 BC) January–July 332 BC
Issus
4
Battle of Issus 334 BC
Miletus
3
Siege of Miletus 334 BC Siege of Halicarnassus 334 BC
Granicus
2
Battle of the Granicus May, 334 BC
Pella
1
  current battle

The Battle of Gaugamela (/ˌɡɔːɡəˈmlə/ GAW-gə-MEE-lə; Ancient Greek: Γαυγάμηλα, romanizedGaugámēla, lit.'the Camel's House'), also called the Battle of Arbela (Ἄρβηλα, Árbēla), took place in 331 BC between the forces of the Army of Macedon under Alexander the Great and the Persian Army under King Darius III. It was the second and final battle between the two kings, and is considered to be the final blow to the Achaemenid Empire, resulting in its complete conquest by Alexander.

The fighting took place in Gaugamela, a village on the banks of the river Bumodus, north of Arbela (modern-day Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan). Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Army of Macedon emerged victorious due to the employment of superior tactics and the clever usage of light infantry forces. It was a decisive victory for the League of Corinth, and it led to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire and of Darius III.

  1. ^ Marciak, M.; Szypuła, B.; Sobiech, M.; Pirowski, T. (2021). "The Battle of Gaugamela and the Question of Visibility on the Battlefield". Iraq. 83: 87–103. doi:10.1017/irq.2021.11. S2CID 240824299.
  2. ^ "Gaugamela", Oxford Classical Dictionary.
  3. ^ "Alexander the Great – Biography, Empire and Facts", Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  4. ^ "Gaugamela (331 BCE)", livius.org
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Green, Peter 2013 p.288 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Clark, Jessica H.; Turner, Brian (2017). Brill's Companion to Military Defeat in Ancient Mediterranean Society. Brill. p. 78. ISBN 978-90-04-35577-4. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. ^ Arrian 1893.


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