Battle of Gaugamela
E76845
The Battle of Gaugamela was a decisive 331 BC clash in which Alexander the Great defeated Persian king Darius III, effectively leading to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire and securing Macedonian dominance in the Near East.
All labels observed (5)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Battle of Gaugamela canonical | 29 |
| Battle of Arbela | 1 |
| Battle of Gaugamela (as part of Alexander’s empire) | 1 |
| The Battle of Arbela | 1 |
| Wars of Alexander the Great | 1 |
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
battle
ⓘ
military conflict ⓘ |
| AlexanderRole |
commanded Macedonian right wing
ⓘ
personally led Companion cavalry ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Battle of Gaugamela
ⓘ
surface form:
Battle of Arbela
|
| belligerent |
Achaemenid Empire
ⓘ
Greek allied contingents ⓘ Indian contingents of the Achaemenid Empire ⓘ Macedon ⓘ Persian satrapal contingents ⓘ |
| combatantStrength | Macedonian army smaller than Persian army ⓘ |
| commander |
Alexander the Great
ⓘ
Darius III ⓘ |
| conflictBetween |
Achaemenid Empire
ⓘ
Macedon ⓘ
surface form:
Macedonian Empire
|
| DariusOutcome | fled the battlefield ⓘ |
| DariusRole | commanded Persian center ⓘ |
| date |
1 October 331 BC
ⓘ
331 BC ⓘ |
| followedBy |
Battle of the Persian Gate
ⓘ
Siege of Babylon (331 BC) ⓘ capture of Persepolis ⓘ Siege of Susa ⓘ
surface form:
capture of Susa
|
| historicalContext | Macedonian conquest of the Achaemenid Empire ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod |
Hellenistic period
ⓘ
surface form:
Hellenistic period (early phase)
|
| legacy |
considered one of Alexander the Great’s greatest victories
ⓘ
studied as a classic example of outnumbered victory through tactics ⓘ |
| location |
Assyria
ⓘ
Mesopotamia ⓘ near Gaugamela ⓘ near modern Mosul ⓘ |
| notableUnit |
Macedonian army
ⓘ
surface form:
Macedonian Companion cavalry
Macedonian phalanx ⓘ Persian army ⓘ
surface form:
Persian Immortals
|
| partOf | Wars of Alexander the Great ⓘ |
| PersianForcesIncluded |
scythed chariots
ⓘ
war chariots ⓘ war elephants ⓘ |
| precededBy | Battle of Issus ⓘ |
| result |
collapse of effective Achaemenid resistance
ⓘ
decisive Macedonian victory ⓘ defeat of Darius III ⓘ |
| strategicSignificance |
decisive blow to Achaemenid imperial power
ⓘ
opened the way to Babylon ⓘ opened the way to Susa and Persepolis ⓘ secured Macedonian dominance in the Near East ⓘ |
| tacticsUsed |
hammer and anvil tactic
ⓘ
oblique advance by Macedonian right wing ⓘ use of Companion cavalry charge ⓘ use of Macedonian phalanx ⓘ |
| terrain |
ground leveled by Persians for chariot use
ⓘ
open plain ⓘ |
Referenced by (33)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Wars of Alexander the Great
this entity surface form:
Battle of Gaugamela (as part of Alexander’s empire)
this entity surface form:
Battle of Arbela
this entity surface form:
The Battle of Arbela