What happened at the Battle of Gaugamela?
Battle of Gaugamela, also called Battle of Arbela, (Oct. 1, 331 bc) battle in which Alexander the Great completed his conquest of Darius III’s Persian Empire. It was an extraordinary victory achieved against a numerically superior army on ground chosen by the Persians.
Why did Alexander win at Gaugamela?
Despite the overwhelming odds, Alexander’s army 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 Achaemenid Empire and of Darius III.
Why was the Battle of Gaugamela an important turning point?
His undermanned defeat of the Persian King Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela is seen as one of the decisive turning points of human history, unseating the Persians as the greatest power in the ancient world and spreading Hellenistic culture across a vast new empire.
How many died at Gaugamela?
Victory. In all, Arrian states that over 300,000 Persians were killed and more captured, with only 100 Macedonian dead. These figures are almost certainly grossly inflated. A more conservative estimate is 40,000 Persian dead, and Alexander himself claimed that his army suffered about 500 killed and 5,000 wounded.
How many soldiers did Alexander have at the Battle of Gaugamela?
At Gaugamela, Alexander had a rough total of 12,000 men in his phalanx battalions, supported from the rear by an additional 12,000 foot soldiers, most of them slingers and javelineers.
What was the significance of the Battle of Gaugamela?
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, which literally meant “The Camel’s House”, a village on the banks of the river Bumodus.
Who painted the Battle of Gaugamela?
The Battle of Gaugamela is illustrated in this tapestry, based on a painting by the 17th-century French artist, Charles Le Brun (1619-90). Le Brun undertook a series of paintings in the 1660s and 1670s depicting the triumphs of Alexander the Great, as homage to his wealthy patron, King Louis XIV.
What was the Macedonian army like at Gaugamela?
The Macedonian army at Gaugamela was a modern combined-arms force of professional veteran soldiers, with the emphasis on complex manoeuvre and shock action – the attritional shock of the phalanx, the lightning shock of the cavalry, with the Hypaspists often providing the hinge between the two.
What was the weather like during the Battle of Gaugamela?
Gaugamela was fought on a level plain of sand and dust at a time of year when average temperatures were around 25°C and there had probably been no rain for several months.