Alexander the Great and the Campaign of Gaugamela

New Research on Topography and Chronology : IAMNI 1 (Italian Archaeological Mission to Northern Iraq)

Marciak, Michal

The Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great’s army faced the Persian army of King Darius III in 331 BCE, remains a famous date in history, the last battle that led to Alexander’s conquest of the Achaemenid Empire. However, the topography and chronology of the campaign have, up to now, remained little studied. Taking these two elements as its starting point, this volume draws both on the latest archaeological research in the region and on recent advances in science (in particular GIS) to offer a completely new reconstruction of the Gaugamela campaign, arguing for a much shorter campaign than has hitherto been understood. By turning the spotlight for the first time onto the geographical and topological context of the campaign, the author here also provides a new understanding of both the scale of Alexander’s military achievement and the long-term effects of the military reforms introduced by his father, Philip II.