Battle of the Persian Gate 330 BC - Alexander the Great DOCUMENTARY

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I have an idea to make a cover of Sunn0)))'s "My Wall" and replace the lyrics with references to the history and ancient cultures spanning from Greek to Persian Empires and all between 1000BC to 600AD.

It'd be hilarious to publish yet informative for unknowing listeners.

👍︎︎ 1 👤︎︎ u/FashionTashjian 📅︎︎ Jun 27 2022 🗫︎ replies
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The Battle of Gaugamela had resulted in  the defeat of Darius’ second great army,   but Alexander’s failure to capture or kill  Darius meant that the war was not over. The   entirety of Persia’s Eastern provinces had  been left relatively untouched by the war   and Darius would be able to gather enough  money and manpower to raise a third army   and challenge Alexander again. In  order to complete his conquest,   Alexander would need to push into the Persian  heartland and remove Darius once and for all. You might know Alexander  cared a lot about this image,   and would have wished things could be as easy  as they are today with our sponsor Manscaped. They’re the world leader in  men’s grooming and hygiene,   and thanks to them you can get everything  you need for head-to-toe grooming in the   Performance Package Bundle, which includes the  star of the show: the Lawn Mower four point oh. 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Get yourself geared up right now, or pick stuff up  as nice gifts for a man in your life, at Manscaped   dot com slash kings and you’ll get twenty  percent off, plus free international shipping.   Following his defeat at Gaugamela, Darius withdrew  to Media, effectively abandoning two of Persia’s   greatest cities, Babylon and Susa, as he knew that  Eastern Provinces could sustain the war effort.   The main thing Darius needed was time and  he hoped that Alexander would be distracted   by two of the wealthiest cities of the Empire  long enough for Darius to rebuild his forces.  Alexander arrived at Babylon around October  23rd, 331BC. The city, which had rebelled against   Persian rule numerous times in its history,  welcomed him with gifts. Babylon was one of the   most impressive cities in the world and Alexander  treated his men to a well-deserved month-long rest   during which they were reinforced by  men from Greece, Macedonia, and Thrace,   including approximately 15,000 infantry  and 2,000 cavalry. While his men enjoyed   the luxuries, wine, and women, Alexander  occupied himself with administration.   Satraps were appointed, mainly Greeks and  Macedonians, but with one notable exception:   the Persian satrap of Babylon, Mazaeus. Mazaeus  had commanded the Persian right at Gaugamela   and was allowed to retain his position as satrap,  having surrendered Babylon without a fight. This,   combined with Alexander’s partaking in Babylonian  religious ceremonies, made some of Alexander’s   companions uneasy. Alexander had professed  to be invading Persia as revenge for the   Persian attacks on the Greeks: appointing  Persians and taking part in Eastern rites   seemed to fly in the face of that agenda. This  attempt to blend Eastern and Hellenic cultures   would prove to be a consistent theme in  Alexander’s life from this point onwards.  From Babylon, Alexander marched the 200 miles  to Susa in 20 days. Following Gaugamela,   he had already sent men ahead to secure the  city's surrender, and once again the city was   taken without a fight, Alexander also finding  almost 50,000 talents worth of gold and silver.   Back in Greece, a Spartan-led revolt had  arisen, and Alexander was now able to send   a large amount of money back to Macedonia to  help Antipater stay on top of the situation,   as well making sure to pay his own troops  a generous bonus for their service so far.   Alexander did not spend long in Susa,  though. Darius was still his priority   and so, rather than wait out the winter in the  city, Alexander headed to the Zagros Mountains.  The Zagros Mountains were in the territory of  the warlike Uxian tribe. The Persians had never   been able to completely subdue the tribe, settling  for an agreement, where the Persians paid a fee to   the Uxians if they needed to pass through their  lands, in return for which the Uxians would not   bother the Persians. When Alexander approached,  the Uxians similarly demanded that he also pay the   fee. Alexander seemed to agree to this, sending  messengers requesting a meeting in the defiles   to pay the tax. Precisely what happened next is  not clear, and our sources differ drastically.  According to Arrian, after sending  the messengers to the Uxians,   Alexander was informed by men from  Susa about a pass around the defile   and took a force of 1,000 hypaspists and another  8,000 infantry along this path. He fell upon   some Uxian villages in the night, killing many and  forcing the remainders to flee into the mountains.   Alexander then split his force, sending some  under Craterus to wait in ambush on high ground,   while Alexander took his portion of the army  on a forced march to the defile, reaching it   before the Uxians. From this commanding position,  Alexander was easily able to rout the Uxians,   who tried to flee to the high ground but were  ambushed there by Craterus’ force and cut down.  Quintus Curtius Rufus, however, gives a very  different account. He claims that Alexander sent   a force of 2,500 light infantry under Tauron,  one of his lieutenants, to take the path around   the Uxians position. Alexander, meanwhile, led the  main force in a difficult siege of an Uxian city.   Siege towers were built, and the Uxians inflicted  many casualties from their strong defensive   position. Alexander kept up the attacks, however,  until Tauron finally emerged behind the Uxians   position, at which point they surrendered.  The two accounts have enough similarities   that they are surely discussing the same battle,  but they seem almost impossible to reconcile.   In general, Arrian’s history was better researched  and primarily used two eye-witness accounts.   His work undoubtedly has flaws, often overlooking  some of the more negative actions of Alexander   and assuming some of the biases  of the eye-witness sources,   but he is generally the most reliable  when it comes to military affairs.   In comparison, Rufus’ main source was Cleitarchus,  who was not an eyewitness, and was generally   considered by the ancients to be an excellent  writer, but an inaccurate historian. Rufus did   use other sources as well, but his work was often  more interested in the psychology of Alexander   than the military details. As such, Arrian’s  version is generally the one that is preferred.  Whichever version is favored though, the  outcome was the same. The Uxians sued for peace,   sending messages to Darius’ mother to entreat on  their behalf. Alexander agreed, enforcing a yearly   tribute of horses and livestock from the Uxians  and then pressing on into Persis, the heart of the   Persian Empire. Before crossing the mountains into  Persis, Alexander split his army in two. Parmenion   would take the less direct, but easier route,  leading the Thessalian cavalry, Greek allies and   other mercenaries along with the baggage train.  Alexander, meanwhile, would lead the main phalanx,   Companions, light cavalry, Agrarians, and  archers, approximately 14,000-20,000 men,   on a forced march through the mountains, aiming  for the Persian ceremonial capital of Persepolis.  Unbeknownst to Alexander, a Persian force  under the command of Ariobarzanes, a veteran of   Gaugamela, had built a makeshift wall across the  narrow pass through the mountains, known as the   Persian Gate, and was waiting for him. The exact  size of Ariobarzanes’ army is of some debate.   Ancient sources give Ariobarzanes numbers as  being between 40,000 and 25,000 infantry with   a few hundred cavalry, while some modern writers  give a number as low as 700 total. The number of   40,000 is likely exaggerated, as was the often  case with Greek sources giving Persian numbers,   but the number of 700 is almost certainly too  low. In order to arrive at such a low number,   one would have to almost completely  disregard the ancient sources entirely,   and assume that the Persians fielded only  a fraction of their total military power to   defend the capital. Leading experts on Alexander,  such as Heckel, Worthington, Borza and Lane Fox,   tend to agree that the ancient sources  which claim 40,000 are too large,   usually preferring the sources that give  their numbers as, at maximum, 25,000.  Alexander’s force passed through the  narrow gorge, until they found their way   blocked by the wall. Suddenly, Ariboarzanes men  attacked the Macedonian column from both sides,   showering Alexander’s ranks with  a mix of missile fire and rocks.   The Macedonians took severe casualties in this  initial ambush, with the terrain making it   almost impossible for Alexander’s men to fight  effectively. As more of his men were killed or   wounded, Alexander signaled a retreat. The narrow  pass made such a withdrawal difficult however,   and his men were continuously harassed by  arrows and javelins from the Persians. Finally,   though, Alexander’s force managed to extract  itself from the gorge and establish a camp.  While encamped, Alexander had any Persian  prisoners that had recently been taken brought to   him, and questioned about any other routes around  the Persian position. One of these prisoners had   been a shepherd in the area and, in return for  a hefty reward, agreed to show Alexander a path   around Arizobarnes defences. Taking the majority  of the army with himself, Alexander made for this   path, leaving Craterus with approximately 3,000  infantry, 500 cavalry and archers in the camp and   with orders to light extra fires at night to make  it appear as if the entire army was still there.  Alexander’s force departed in the night. It was  still mid-winter, and the mountain cold and rough   terrain made it a particularly difficult journey.  Part way through, Alexander came to a split in   the mountain path; one of these led more directly  to Ariobarzanes position, the other circled even   further behind, leading to the Persian camp.  Alexander ordered Philotas and 3,000 men to   take the first, while he led the remaining force  along the second path around the Persian camp.   After a day and two nights of grueling marching,  Alexander’s men were finally in position.  After resting his men, Alexander began the  attack falling upon the Persian camp and   blasting trumpets as he did so. At this signal,  the forces of Craterus and Philotas also attacked   the Persians who now found themselves attacked on  three sides. Ariobarzanes' men fought back bravely   and desperately, despite being almost completely  surrounded. It soon became clear, however,   that the battle was lost, and Ariobarzanes, along  with 40 cavalry, were able to cut their way out   of the encirclement and escape. The rest  of the Persian force was cut down to a man.   It is not exactly clear how long Ariobarzanes  and his men had been able to delay Alexander,   but some modern sources suggest it had been  almost a month. The amount of casualties the   Macedonians took is also not given in the sources,  though it seems clear that they were significant.   Though Ariobarzanes had fought  bravely, his fate is not clear.   Arrian says he simply escaped into the hills,  while Rufus says that he fled to Persepolis   but found the gates barred to him, and  was eventually killed by Alexander’s men.  Despite the losses and delay, however, Alexander  had once again managed to salvage victory and   the route to Persepolis now lay open to him. The  governor of Persepolis sent messages to Alexander   and, with Ariobarzanes force having been  destroyed, offered to turn the city over to   Alexander, an offer he gladly accepted. En route  to the city, a number of sources mention that   Alexander’s army came across a group of Greeks  on the road, usually given as numbering 800,   all of whom were old and mutilated. They  had all apparently been skilled craftsmen,   captured by the Persians and mutilated in order  to prevent them from escaping. Moved to pity   at the sight of them, Alexander made sure to  award land, riches, and grain to all of them,   ensuring that they would live out their remaining  days in luxury. How true or not this story is,   is hard to say. Alexander certainly was known as a  generous man who often gave lavish gifts, however,   given the later actions of Alexander and his army  in Persepolis, it may be that these mutilated   Greeks were an invention of pro-Alexander  sources to justify the subsequent events.  Upon entering Persepolis, sometime in January  of 330BC, Alexander claimed the Persian massive   Persian treasury of 120,000 talents,  sending the majority back to Susa.   Persepolis was one of the richest and most  brilliant cities in the world at the time,   and many of Alexander’s men took to looting the  city. Whether this was on Alexander’s orders,   and the extent of the looting, is debated.  Arrian is silent on the issue, but Diodorus and   Rufus paint a grim picture. According to them,  looting was ordered by Alexander specifically,   and the Macedonians proceeded to kill many  civilians, with some Persians preferring   to kill themselves instead. The Macedonians  spent an entire day looting houses and palaces,   and even fought and killed one another in  order to get the most, and best riches.  Alexander himself celebrated his winning  of the city by banqueting and drinking   in the palaces of the Persian kings with his  Companions and courtesans. Diodorus, Plutarch,   and Rufus all claim that during this drinking  session, an Athenian courtesan, called Thais,   proposed that they should burn the Persian palaces  down, pointing out how ironic it would be for an   Athenian woman to be burning the Persian capital  after they had burned Athens 150 years earlier.   The drunk Macedonians welcomed the suggestion  and led by either Thais or inebriated Alexander   himself, burned the renowned palaces of  Persepolis. A slightly different account   is given by Arrian, who does not mention Thais  or Alexander being drunk, instead saying that   Alexander burnt the palaces as a calculated  act of revenge for the burning of Athens.  It is possible that Thais was simply being used  as a scapegoat to try and exonerate Alexander,   whose destruction of Thebes had already shown  that he certainly had the capacity to destroy   great cities to make a political statement. What  is clear from all the sources, however, is that   none of them approved of this decision. Arrian  says that it was, in essence, simply a foolish   decision by Alexander, particularly because he was  effectively burning what was now his own property.   Plutarch includes a hasty apologia that Alexander  regretted his decision and ordered the fires to   be put out. Diodorus says that it was done  by Alexander in a “drunken madness”. Rufus’   account is perhaps the most poignant: “Such was  the end of the capital of the entire Orient,   from which so many nations once sought  jurisdiction, the birthplace of so many kings,   once the special terror of Greece…and not even  in the long age which followed its destruction   did it rise again”. Rufus was exaggerating  somewhat, much of the city remained standing,   the fire being concentrated on the  palaces and surrounding buildings,   but it nonetheless gives us an insight into  how ancient authors viewed the episode.  Alexander spent approximately four months in  and around Persepolis, at some point during this   time making a 30-day excursion to Pasargadae,  the old Persian capital. Sometime around May,   the Macedonian king continued his pursuit  of Darius, heading into Media. Darius,   who had been in Ecbatana, heard of Alexander’s  movements. Though Darius had been planning to   amass a third great army to fight Alexander, he  had thus far been unsuccessful and so, with a few   thousand men, he fled Ecbatana, hoping to retreat  further into the Eastern provinces of the Empire.   Alexander, in turn, sent Parmenion and the  slow-moving baggage train, loaded with money,   to seize the now abandoned Ecbatana, while he led  approximately 20,000 men in pursuit of Darius.   His plan, initially, was to catch Darius  before he could pass through the Caspian Gates,   the passes in the Alborz Mountains that  led from Media to Parthia and Hyrcania.   Alexander led his men on a grueling 10 day  forced march through the difficult terrain,   enduring their dehydration and suffering  alongside them. Despite their efforts though,   upon reaching the gates they discovered that  Darius had already passed through them. Alexander   allowed his men a few days of rest, before pushing  on again through the Gates towards Parthia.  The speed of Alexander’s march was  having an effect though. In Darius’ camp,   more and more of his remaining generals  and advisors were losing faith in him. Led   primarily by Bessus, the satrap of Bactria,  a conspiracy formed against the Great King.   Some in the army remained loyal, notably the  remaining Greek mercenaries, commanded by a   man named Patron, and Artabazos. Nevertheless, the  cracks were clear; Bessus’ faction even suggested   to Darius that he make Bessus king instead, on  the understanding that Bessus would return the   kingship after defeating Alexander, an  offer Darius, understandably, refused.   Patron tried to convince Darius to accept  his Greek mercenaries as his bodyguards,   but Darius refused not wanting to seem like he  was favouring the Greeks. Eventually, Darius   accepted his fate. He dismissed his servants and  inner circle, assuring them that he would “prefer   to die by another’s crime rather than my own”.  He then waited in his tent, and was promptly   seized by Bessus and his allies and put in chains.  Bessus, a part of the Achaemenid dynasty himself,   proclaimed himself King, taking the name  Artaxerxes V. The Greek mercenaries and others   who had been loyal to Darius, dispersed, the  remaining troops continuing under Bessus’ command.  Word of Darius' capture soon reached Alexander  late one night through deserters. Alexander   immediately picked 500 of his best cavalry and  set off in pursuit. They rode at breakneck pace   for a day and two nights, and by dawn of the  second day, they had closed in on Bessus’ party.   Bessus’ force, having been on a continuous  march and depleted by numerous desertions,   was in no position to fight, and many  fled seeing Alexander closing in,   Bessus and his Bactrians among  them. Before he fled however,   Bessus made sure that Darius would not be able  to concede the crown to Alexander, ordering him   to be killed. A small skirmish was fought between  Alexander and the few Persians that had not fled,   and a search for Darius began. He was soon found  by one of Alexander’s Companions, Polystratus.   The Great King had been stabbed by  javelins and was on the brink of death.   He asked for water, and after drinking thanked  Polystratus and, according to some sources, asked   that Alexander be thanked for treating his family  with kindness. By the time that Alexander arrived   on the scene, Darius had died. Alexander ordered  that his body be transported back to Persepolis,   where he received a magnificent funeral and  was buried alongside the other Persian kings.  Darius III is often seen by many as having been  an incompetent coward. This is thanks largely to   a passage of Arrian who calls him “pre-eminently  effeminate” in military matters, a view that,   for a while, was largely agreed upon even in  academic scholarship. More recently though,   this idea has been challenged, notably by Badian  and Marsden. In terms of his personal bravery,   Justin and Diodorus both agree that  Darius was renowned for his courage,   having in his youth killed a Cadusian champion  in single combat. Indeed, it was partly because   of his bravery that he was chosen to be King. The  fact that at both Issus and Gaugamela, Darius took   to the field personally is a further testament to  his courage. Though he retreated in each battle,   the sources are clear that Darius only fled  when things were looking disastrous. At Issus,   for instance, the horses pulling his chariot  had both been badly wounded, almost leaving   him stranded, and at Gaugamela, his chariot  driver was killed and himself possibly wounded.  In terms of military matters, while there is  no need to portray Darius as a military genius,   he was not utterly incompetent. Darius was forced  to take to the field after the death of Memnon   of Rhodes, and in just a few months had amassed a  significant army to confront Alexander at Issus;   no small feat of logistics. Issus was a poor  choice of battlefield, not allowing the renowned   Persian cavalry room to maneuver, but Darius  learned from the mistake and picked an excellent   location for his next battle at Gaugamela. Prior  to the battle, he also made sure to drill his   troops extensively to increase their discipline.  On both occasions, he was outmatched by Alexander.   However, being defeated by one of history’s  greatest tacticians is no source of shame.   It is also worth pointing out that, at Gaugamela  in particular, the Persians were able to force a   gap in the Macedonian line and almost crush the  Macedonian left. The battle was only won because   of Alexander’s audacious generalship, and Darius  may well have been victorious against a lesser   opponent. Darius’ fleeing from both battles is  often held as evidence of his cowardice. However,   it is worth pointing out that on both occasions  retreating was, probably, the best strategic   decision. If Darius had died or been captured at  Issus, for example, it is likely that Alexander   would have been easily able to proclaim himself  as the King of Persia there and then. Darius’   survival from both battles was crucial for there  to be any kind of organized Persian resistance to   the invaders. As a result, it is perhaps better  to treat Darius as Alexander did: with respect.  Many in Alexander’s army assumed  that the campaign would soon be over.   Years ago, Philip II had first pitched the  invasion of Persia to the League of Corinth   largely as an act of revenge. Alexander  had also espoused this same message.   With the death of the Persian king  and the sacking of Persepolis,   it seemed that those goals had been achieved.  However, Alexander was not ready to settle.   Bessus’ murder of Darius gave Alexander sufficient  cause to continue the war, insisting that the   pretender must be killed or else risk another  Persian invasion of Greece. Such a situation   was almost certainly unrealistic but, as we shall  see in the coming episodes, Alexander’s ambition   would soon stretch even beyond the borders of the  Persian Empire. If you don’t want to miss any of   these episodes, make sure you are subscribed  and have pressed the bell button to see them.   Please, consider liking, commenting, and sharing -  it helps immensely. Our videos would be impossible   without our kind patrons and youtube channel  members, whose ranks you can join via the links   in the description to know our schedule, get  early access to our videos, access our discord,   and much more. This is the Kings and Generals  channel, and we will catch you on the next one.
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Channel: Kings and Generals
Views: 376,716
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Keywords: persian gate, uxian defile, how, alexander, became, pharaoh, egypt, gaza, alexandria, Siege, of, Tyre, 333, issus, Granicus, Alexander, great, conquest, balkan, thebes, Issus, Halicarnassus, Gaza, Hydaspes, Gaugamela, macedon, macedonia, philip II, greek, greeks, Achaemenid, roman, history documentary, kings and generals, history channel, history lesson, world history, animated documentary, documentary film, decisive battles, military history, animated historical documentary, king and generals, battle, darius
Id: jkm4erY7l-0
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Length: 25min 38sec (1538 seconds)
Published: Sun Jun 26 2022
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