BBC - In the footsteps of Alexander (Persian Gates) 12

In the footsteps of Alexander the Great

The Battle of the Persian Gate was a military conflict between the Achaemenid Empire and Alexander the Great at the Persian Gates. The Achaemenid army was commanded by the satrap of Persis, Ariobarzanes and the invading Macedonian army was commanded by Alexander the Great. In the winter of 330 BC, Ariobarzanes led a last stand of the Persian forces[4][5] against Alexander's forces and successfully held the Macedonian army at bay for 30 days.[6] Alexander eventually found a path to the rear of the Persian army from the captured prisoners of war.

The Persian Gate was only a couple of meters wide at the point of ambush. Once the Macedonian army had advanced sufficiently into the narrow pass, the Persians rained down boulders on them from the northern slopes. From the southern slope, Persian archers and catapults launched their projectiles. Alexander's army initially suffered heavy casualties, losing entire platoons at a time.[9] The Macedonians attempted to withdraw, but the terrain and their still-advancing rear guard made an orderly retreat impossible. Alexander was forced to leave his dead behind to save the rest of his army—a great mark of disgrace to the Greeks and Macedonians who valued highly the recovery and proper burial of their fallen.[10]

Ariobarzanes had some reason to believe that success here could change the course of the war. Preventing Alexander's passage through the Persian Gates would force the Macedonian army to use other routes to invade Persia proper, all of which would allow Darius more time to field another army, and possibly stop the Macedonian invasion altogether.

Ariobarzanes held the pass for a month, but Alexander succeeded in encircling the Persian army in a pincer attack with Philotas and broke through the Persian defenses. Alexander and his elite contingent then attacked the force of Ariobarzanes from above in a surprise attack until the Persians could no longer block the pass.[11] Accounts of how he did so vary widely. Curtius and Arrian both report that prisoners of war led Alexander through the mountains to the rear of the Persian position, while a token force remained in the Macedonian camp under the command of Craterus.[12]
"[The Persians]...Fought a memorable fight... Unarmed as they were, they seized the armed men in their embrace, and dragging them down to the ground... Stabbed most of them with their own weapons."[13]

Diodorus and Plutarch generally concur with this assessment, although their numbers vary widely. Modern historians W. Heckel and Stein also lend credence to this argument. Although precise figures are unavailable, some historians[who?] say that this engagement cost Alexander his greatest losses during his campaign to conquer Persia.[5]

According to some accounts, Ariobarzanes, and his surviving companions were trapped, but rather than surrender, they charged straight into the Macedonian lines.[5] One account states that Ariobarzanes was killed in the last charge while another version by Arrian reports that Ariobarzanes escaped to the north where he finally surrendered to Alexander with his companions.[5] Modern Historian J. Prevas maintains that Ariobarzanes and his forces retreated to Persepolis, where they found the city gates closed by Tiridates, a Persian noble and guardian of the royal treasury under Darius III, who had been in secret contact with Alexander the Great.[11] Tiridates realized the futility of trying to resist Alexander's forces, and so allowed Alexander to massacre Ariobarzanes and his troops right outside the city walls of Persepolis rather than fight against Alexander.[11]

A few historians regard the Battle of the Persian Gate as the most serious challenge to Alexander's conquest of Persia.Michael Wood has called the battle decisive and A. B. Bosworth refers to it as a "complete and decisive victory for Alexander".

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[LloydMadoff]

How sad that this man hated Alexander for what he did to Iran. Persia before Islam was a 1st world country. Islam ruined the people and the nation. Most of all, it ruined their ability to see the true culprit. Long live Zoroaster! Please don't forget your history.

[Ziggurathss]

thx

[SadCarnage1224]

@theprodigy1600 lol angry losers hate the righteous

[theprodigy1600]

Iranians have a grudge vs Alexander...ok.

But the Persians also tormented Greece in the 5th Century and burned Athens,in fact, Xerxes took Greek art/statues back to Persia and Alexander send them back to Athens.

[ImperialGuard9001]

The "Spartan" Persians! Trully Westerns very soon forget that Eastern Peoples can also figh to the death! Honor to both Western(Greeks) and Eastern(Persians and allies) warriors!

[YaBudala]

LOLL at the bloke who would like ta cut alexander up for one the time he tried ta even slash him hes head would be dicapitated form hes shoulders ... dats how talented alexander was(:

[becharev]

The Great Alexander crushed this empire and revenged Hellas with 30,000 Macedonians.

A pushover for the Yanks !

[VictumRoManius]

@crashoveryu If you had not dissed the history class you would understand that Islam came first in the 7th century.

You where talking about the muslims. The muslims conquered Balkan via the Turks...

[crashoveryu]

@VictumRoManius Ammm... You see, Turks came to Anatolia in 12th century.. I hope that you can at least calculate the year difference between this migration and the conquest of Alexander the Great.

[VictumRoManius]

@crashoveryu Well, thats history. Your retarded forefathers conquered Anatolia and gave the retarded Turks problems. The retarded Turks got angry and powned your retarded forefathers and conquered balkan while they where fighting against whole of Europe.

[Shahin2102]

@Masoud5991 they're not our people. Our people are Persians. The IR are arabs and anyone who follows them is an arab.