The Macedonian army under Alexander the Great was highly effective due to its use of phalanx infantry formations, elite cavalry units like the Hetairoi, and siege weapons such as catapults and ballistae. Alexander led his army in major battles including Granicus River where he defeated Darius' forces, Issus where he trapped the Persian army, and the Siege of Tyre where he constructed a massive causeway and used siege towers to breach the city walls. The final showdown was at Gaugamela, where despite being outnumbered, Alexander attacked during the day and was able to rout Darius' army, marking his victory over Persia and allowing him to claim the title of King of Asia.

1. Alexander the Great
The Macedonian army & the major battles of
his campaign
Year 11 Ancient History

2. The Macedonian Army
INFANTRY
• Phalanx
• Developed by Phillip II & Alexander
• These soldiers fought in close-ranked rectangular formations which
could spear through enemy cavalry and infantry from a safe distance
• Could also be quickly manoeuvred into battle and travel quickly
• Hypaspists
• The elite arm of the Macedonian infantry, armed with spears
• Would protect the right flank of the Phalanx
Phalanx in formation

3. The Macedonian Army
CAVALRY
• Hetairoi
• The elite arm of the Macedonia army
• Regarded as the best cavalry of the Ancient World
• Would dominate other cavalry in battle
• Thessalian Cavalry
• Used short spears and javelins
• Highly manoeuvrable in battle
• Used to defend the left flank of the army in battle
• Light Cavalry and Allies
• Used for reconnaissance, scouting ahead & to fill
lines during an attack or defence

4. The Macedonian Army
SIEGE
• Catapult
• Developed by the Greeks in order to attack and destroy enemy structures
and buildings.
• Uses a range of tensions to hurl large and heavy objects at designated
targets
• According to historian Diodorus Siculus, this siege weapon was first used in
399 BCE
• Ballista
• Similar to catapult, but uses large
arrow shaped projectiles

6. Battle of Granicus River (334)
Lebrun. Source: Encyclopedie Larousse Illustre 1898.

7. Battle of Granicus River (334)
 Alexander leads his army across the Hellespont to
meet Darius’ forces led by Memnon of Rhodes
History Channel,
Battle of Granicus

8. Battle of Granicus River (334)

9. Battle of Issus (333)

10. Battle of Issus (333)

11. Battle of Issus (333)

12. Siege of Tyre
 Tyre
◦ Strategic coastal of Persia
◦ Largest & most important city-state of Phoenicia
◦ 40 000 inhabitants (c332)
◦ Situated on an island 800 metres off the coast of the
Mediterranean mainland
◦ Supported by Persian fleet (based in Carthage)
Map of Mediterranean

13. Modern Map of Mediterranean

14. Siege of Tyre
 Cause of siege
◦ Alexander needed to secure
the city in order to restrict
Persian naval movement
along the Syrian coast
◦ Within the city walls also
stood a temple to the Greek
god of Heracles – son of Zeus
◦ Alexander promised that all
the inhabitants would be
spared if the Macedonians
could make a sacrifice
◦ Tyrians refused = SIEGE!
Heracles – god of
Extraordinary
strength, courage,
ingenuity, and
sexual prowess

15. Siege of Tyre
 Siege Strategy
◦ Using a natural land bridge no more than 2 metres deep
Alexander order his troops to build a 800 metre long
causeway directly to the island city
◦ Using boulders and lumber from a Lebanese forest the
Macedonians spent 8 months constructing the platform
◦ Alexander was determined to crush the city

16. Siege of Tyre (332) Dept. of History, United States
Military Academy

17. Siege of Tyre
Aerial photograph - 1931

18. Siege of Tyre
 Battle
◦ Once the causeway was ready Alexander built two 50
metre tall siege towers equipped with catapults and ballista
siege machines to break through the city walls.
◦ He surrounded the city with use of 80 Macedonian ships
and 120 allied ships from Cyprus
According to Quintus Curtius
Rufus 6,000 fighting men were
killed within the city and 2,000
Tyrians were crucified on the
beach. The others, some 30,000
people, were sold into slavery.

19. Questions
 Video – the Siege of Tyre
◦ Questions
1. How high were the walls of Tyre?
2. What devices did the Tyrians use to defend themselves
before the city walls were breached? List at least two.
3. What sort of issues did Alexander and the Macedonians face
when constructing the causeway?
4. How did the siege of tyre benefit Alexander on his
campaign?
5. List some anomalies between the video and what has been
discussed in class.

20.  Gaugamela
◦ A flat plain decided on by King Darius III of Persia where he
could deploy his numerically superior forces
◦ He most commonly accepted opinion about the location is
(36°22′N 43°15′E / 36.36°N 43.25°E / 36.36; 43.25), east of
Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq – suggested by Sir
Aurel Stein in 1938 (see his Limes eportrpp. 127–1)
Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE)
• Marks the final
showdown between
Alexander and Darius
• The winner to become
the King of Persia

21. Battle of Gaugamela

22.  Motivation & cause
◦ Alexander had conquered Greece, Macedonia, the
Mediterranean coastline and Egypt and sought to continue
east into Asia via Syria
◦ He needed to defeat Darius III in order to truly become the
King of Asia, Persia and Macedonia or “Lord of Asia”

23. Battle of Gaugamela
 Size of the Persian
force
◦ Warry estimates a total
size of 91,000.
◦ Welman estimates a
total size of 90,000.
◦ Delbrück (1978)
estimates a total size of
52,000.
◦ Engels (1920) and Green
(1990) also estimate the
total size of Darius' army
to be no larger than
100,000 at Gaugamela.
Darius’ army also included
• 15 trained Indian elephants
• Scythed chariots (above)
• 1500 archers

25. Battle of Gaugamela

26. Battle of Gaugamela
 Time of attack
◦ Macedonian army v. Persian force
 37 000 units v. 53 000 – 100 000 units (modern estimates)
◦ Alexander’s forces were terribly outnumbered – Daruis III
had expected him to launch his attack during the night so
his units would not be intimidated by the sheer size of the
Persian force
◦ Alexander wished to face the Persians during the day
◦ On the eve of the battle Persian troops stayed up all night
on watch whilst Alexander’s had rested and slept

27. Battle of Gaugamela

28. Battle of Gaugamela

29. Battle of Gaugamela
 "For a short time there ensued a hand-to-hand fight; but
when the Macedonian cavalry, commanded by Alexander
himself, pressed on vigorously, thrusting themselves
against the Persians and striking their faces with their
spears, and when the Macedonian phalanx in dense
array and bristling with long pikes had also made an
attack upon them, all things together appeared full of
terror to Darius, who had already long been in a state of
fear, so that he was the first to turn and flee."
The Battle of Gaugamela (Book III, 7-16) By: Arrian (Lucius Flavius Arrianus)

30. Battle of Gaugamela
 Aftermath
◦ Darius had managed to escape the battle with a small core
of his forces remaining intact.
◦ Persia had been split in two
 Alexander controlled the West,
◦ The Persian satraps (provincial governors) decided to have
Darius killed & pronounced Alexander ‘Lord of Asia’
◦ When Alexander discovered Darius murdered, he was
saddened to see an enemy he respected killed in such a
fashion

31. Battle of Gaugamela
 Video – The Battle of Gaugamela
◦ Questions
1. By what means did Darius upgrade his forces in
preparation for the battle?
2. What reasons did Alexander give to his general
Parmenion to attack in the day rather than the night?
3. How affective were the Persian Scythe chariots and why?
4. At what point does Alexander order the left flank to push
forward?
5. How does this battle define Alexander as a successful
strategist?