On October 1, 331 BC, the forces of Alexander the Great met a larger Persian force under Darius III at Gaugamela. This encounter has been called both the battle of Gaugamela and the battle of Arbela. It was a crushing victory over a numerically superior army on ground chosen by the Persians. Alexander’s bold cavalry won the day.
In 334 BC, Darius ruled a vast Persian Empire that stretched from Anatolia (modern Turkey) to the plains of India. Phillip of Macedonia had already begun plans to make war on the Persian Empire, and when he died Alexander inherited those plans. In the spring of 334 AD he crossed the Dardanelles with an army of some 50,000 men, including 7,000 highly trained horsemen.
Within three years, Alexander had conquered Anatolia, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt, and had defeated many of Darius’ satraps (provincial governors). Darius tried to buy him off, promising to cede substantial territory, and pay 10,000 talents of gold. Alexander’s most senior lieutenant, General Parminio, said, “I would accept it were I Alexander,” to which Alexander responded, “and so truly would I, if I were Parminio.”
It was clear to Darius that he would have to risk everything on one massive battle. He carefully prepared a battleground on the Plain of Gaugamela, near Arbela (modern Irbīl in northern Iraq), and posted his troops to await Alexander’s advance. Darius’ main weapon was his scythed chariots, which had a sharpened blade extending from the axel about three feet beyond the wheels on each side. Darius had the prospective battlefield smoothed level so that the chariots could operate with maximum effectiveness.
Alexander’s army faced Darius’ massive battle line and organized for attack, charging the left of the Persians’ line with archers, javelin throwers, and cavalry, while defending against Darius’ outflanking cavalry with reserve flank guards.
A charge by Darius’ scythed chariots at Alexander’s center was ineffective, as the Greeks parted their lines to allow the chariots through, then fired arrows and javelins at them from behind as they sped past.
During the fighting, much of Darius’ cavalry screen became involved in attempts to flank Alexander’s right wing, leaving a gap in the center of his line. Alexander and his personal cavalry immediately penetrated this gap, then wheeled to attack the Persians’ flank and rear. Afraid he might be circled and trapped, Darius took flight, and panic spread through his entire army, which began a headlong retreat.
The battle then became a slaughter in which only about 700 Greeks were killed as against some 20,000 Persians. Darius was later murdered by one of his satraps, and Alexander took Babylon. The Persian empire was destroyed.
Prophecy Fulfilled
Of course, this was all predicted by the greatest of the prophets, Daniel. During the reign of the Babylonian King Belshazzer, Daniel was shown that the kingdom would be handed over to the Medes and the Persians:
“In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.” Dan. 8:2-4.
The Persian Empire would have its time in the sun, but it would be destroyed in turn by a king from the West:
“As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power.” Dan. 8:5-7.
This is clearly a picture of Alexander’s defeat of Darius. Alexander’s conquest was so swift that it seemed like he was flying; he conquered one of the largest empires in the history of the world in just four years.
But Alexander’s triumph was short-lived, as Daniel predicted it would be:
“The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.” Dan. 8:8.
Here again, Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. In June, 323 BC, less than 8 years after his triumph at Gaugamela, Alexander died in a palace of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. He was at the height of his power, and only 32 years old. The vast empire he had conquered so quickly was divided among four of his lieutenants, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemy.
When God’s prophets prophesy future history, you can be sure that it will be fulfilled with exactitude.