Alexander the Great 11
"Livin' On the Edge": The Liberation of Greece, the Destruction of Persia
by CTCWeb Editors
"There's Something Wrong With the World Today" - Aerosmith
What would a hero be without an arch nemesis? Alexander’s nemesis was the Persian king Darius III (Darius Codomannus). Darius personified for Alexander the barbaric despot from whose iron grip Alexander intend to liberate the Greeks. Born into a family dynasty that wielded great power over Greece and Asian Minor for over two hundred years, Darius ruled the vast Persian Empire and was commander-in-chief of the Persian army.
The conquests and range of the Persian Empire were far-reaching. Lands - stretching west from India to the Persian Gulf and south from the Turkish peninsula to Egypt - were under the sway of Persian might (click here for a map of the Persian Empire). However, foreshadowing the plight of future empires, the Persian Empire had grown too large and its political harmony was rife with discord. To Darius fell the unenviable chore of reunifying the Empire.
Alexander Mosaic, Napoli (Museo archeologico nazionale)
Believed to Be The Battle of Issus
Alexander is on the far left and Darius is in the middle in the orange turban
Livius.org
Click here for a larger version of this image.
Darius enjoyed some initial success. In 334 BCE, he effectively put down an Egyptian revolt against Persian rule. But, his efforts to discipline enemies within the Empire would be undermined by an enemy from without. The external threat was the king of Macedonia. Alexander and Darius’ forces first clashed at the Battle of Issus (modern Payas). The Persian troops outnumbered Alexander’s combined Macedonian and Greek forces by two to one. But, Alexander was forced to fight. The Persians had cut off his supply lines and Alexander’s progress was impeded by the massive Persian army to the south and east. Despite the odds, Alexander’s military tactics won the day.
Immediately following this decisive battle, Alexander founded Alexandria (modern Iskenderun) in which he settled 4,000 wounded soldiers. Mindful that his reputation preceded him on his march to liberate the Greek world, Alexander continued to honor the Persian soldiers killed in battle against his army, singling out one Persian general in particular who had fought well against him.
Darius managed to escape capture by Alexander’s forces, but his family fell into enemy hands. Pan-Hellenic forces captured Darius’ royal harem. This included his mother and his wife, Stateira, who reportedly was the most beautiful woman of her time. It also included his five year old son Ochus, and his daughters Barsine (or Statira) and Drypetis. Alexander ensured that the royal Persian women were treated respectfully, with the rights and comforts due women of their status. His behavior towards Darius’ harem was telling, because it signaled that Alexander meant to claim the Persian throne. According to Persian tradition, a successor took responsibility for the care of his predecessor’s family.
By 333 BCE, Alexander and his now seasoned army controlled Damascus in Syria and continued to move south. On an open battlefield, Alexander and his troops had no equal at the time. But siege warfare, which required a protracted stay in a single location, proved more difficult for a mobile army practiced at hand-to-hand combat. One city in particular, Tyre (modern Lebanon) proved particularly difficult to conquer. Tyre was on an island, half a mile off the coast of Lebanon. It was a strategically important city and a base for Persian naval operations.
Early into the siege of Tyre, Alexander ruthlessly crucified 2,000 of the city’s inhabitants. This action strengthened the Tyrians’ resolve to resist. Only after an arduous seven-month siege did Alexander’s army finally triumph over the Tyrians. The victory proved to be a turning point. The fact that the Alexander’s army could conquer Tyre, a city well known for its excellent warriors, caused Persian allies to desert Darius in droves. The capture of Tyre gave Alexander naval control of the Mediterranean, and the Persian army withdrew into Mesopotamia.
