Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC): How Alexander Beat a Persian Army Five Times Bigger

Darius levelled an entire plain for 200 scythed chariots. Alexander used that flat ground to beat him, and the Persian Empire fell with it. The Battle of Gaugamela, 1 October 331 BC: Alexander the Great's 47,000 Macedonians against the King of Kings and an army that may have been five times bigger. We follow the road from Issus and Tyre to the plain near Erbil, the eclipse, the night Alexander refused to attack, and the morning Darius's men stood awake in their ranks. Then the battle itself on a war table: the slide to the right, the scythed chariots running through the opened phalanx, the gap that opened beside Darius, the Companion cavalry wedge, and the second gap that nearly cost Alexander everything. What the sources really say about the numbers, why Darius lost despite making every sensible choice, and three lessons from Gaugamela. Subscribe for more battles explained, and tell us in the comments: was Gaugamela won by Alexander's genius or by Persian mistakes? Chapters: 0:00 Gaugamela, 1 October 331 BC 2:18 Issus, November 333 BC 3:59 Tyre, 332 BC: Darius's letter 5:36 Alexander's army 6:41 Thapsacus, summer 331 BC 7:48 Gaugamela: Darius levels the plain 9:29 The night of 30 September 331 BC 11:06 Gaugamela, 1 October: the battle lines 13:24 The chariot charge 14:21 The gap 18:06 Arbela to Persepolis, 331-330 BC 19:55 Why Alexander won #AlexanderTheGreat #Gaugamela #History Our Team: Writer: Thomas Hartley Research: Claire Donovan Video Editing: Lucas Bennett Thumbnail Design: Megan Price & Hannah Ellis