ALEXANDER THE GREATCAMPAIGNS IN THE WESTERN PERSIAN EMPIRE334 – 331 BC

CROSSING THE HELLESPONT 334BC

•Alexander took his army across the narrow channel that divides Europe from Asia called the Hellespont.

•He joined his army with the one Philip had already sent to secure a landing place in Asia

•Before he landed from his ship he jumped into the water and threw his spear ashore.

Symbolism of this Act

•He claimed by this act that Asia was now his “spear won land”.

•He was laying claim to the Persian Empire

•One of the reasons Alexander gave for his invasion of the Persian empire was revenge for earlier Persian invasions of Greece

VISIT TO TROY

•He left most of the army and went to the site of ancient Troy.

•He offered sacrifice at the tomb of the first Greek to die in the Trojan war.

•He sacrificed to Athena, Zeus,Herakles and Poseidon

•He raced around Achilles and Patroclus’s graves with Hephaestion

Symbolism of this Act

•The Greeks (from Europe) had beaten the Trojans (from Asia)

•His Macedonians (from Europe) would beat the Persians (from Asia)

•He modelled himself on the great Greek warrior hero Achilles (who he claimed descent from through his mother).

THE BATTLE OF GRANICUS 334BC

•Two of Darius’s satraps and Memnon (leader of the Greek mercenaries fighting for Darius) gathered an army to meet Alexander

•Hard fought battle with Alexander fighting at head of his cavalry

•Superior strength and weapons of Macedonians led to their victory

•Greek mercenary survivors either killed by Alexander or sent as slaves to mines

After Granicus

•Many Greek cities in Asia Minor opened their gates before Alexander’s army

•The important city of Sardis surrendered and gave Alexander their tresure

•Miletus was placed under siege and was taken as no Persian forces arrived to help

•Important port of Hallicarnassus was besieged for 12 months supported by the Persian fleet

Alexander disbands his fleet

•Alexander’s fleet was outnumbered by the persian fleet (400 to 160)

•Most ships were from Greek states that he could not altogether rely on

•He feared a loss of confidence in his men if the fleet was defeated

•He decided he could take the Persian fleet out of the war by taking their supply ports

The Gordium Knot 333BC

•In this once important city was a wagon tied to a pole by a complex knot

•Legend said that whoever could untie the knot would rule all of Asia

•Alexander couldn’t untie it so used his sword to cut the knot open

Symbolism of this act

•Alexander went out of his way to visit Gordium

•He wanted this act to reinforce his belief and that of his army that they would conquer Asia

•He achieved what others had failed by a decisive stroke

•Darius surprised Alexander’s rearguard at Issus killing all sick and wounded Macedonians

•Darius left the plain where his larger army had an advantage and fought Alexander on a rough piece of land between the sea and the mountains

•Alexander told his Macedonian infantry to hold the Greek mercenaries in the Persian centre while he attacked the weaker Persian infantry on the left

THE BATTLE OF ISSUS (333BC)

The Battle of Issus cont.

•He then launched his cavalry at Darius’s bodyguard and generals forcing Darius to flee for his life.

•With Darius gone the Persians lost the will to fight and ran or were killed

After Issus

Alexander captured the Persian camp including:

•Darius’s family (mother, wives, children)•All Persian equipment•Darius’s treasureAlexander now controlled the western

Persian EmpireThe Greeks saw how strong and successful

Alexander was and offered him tributes

DARIUS WRITES TO ALEXANDER 1After Issus Darius sent an embassy to

Alexander.There are different versions of what was

offered:•Friendship and alliance in return for

return of his family•A ransom and offer of territory if his

family were released•An insulting

THE SEIGE OF TYRE 332BC•Tyre was a major strategic base for the Persian

navy•The Tyrians deserted their mainland part of

the city and went to a fortified 800m off shore•Alexander blockaded the island for seven

months and built a causeway to the island so he could use siege engines to break its walls

•During the siege the Persian navy surrendered to Alexander as he controlled its bases

THE SEIGE OF TYRE (cont.)

•The Macedonians managed to use ships fitted with battering rams to make a breech in the walls

•Once the Macedonians were inside the city was doomed

•Alexander destroyed half the city, killed 8000 Tyrians and enslaved 30,000 more

SIEGE OF GAZA•The inhabitants of the city of Gaza refused

to admit Alexander to their hill fortress•Alexander used siege engines to breech

the walls and then led the attackers into the fortress receiving a shoulder wound

•All male Gazans were killed and the women and children enslaved

•The Gazan leader Batis was dragged behind Alexander’s chariot copying Achilles treatment of Hector

ALEXANDER IN EGYPT 331BC

•Alexander was welcomed in Egypt as a liberator from Persian rule

•The Egyptians made him Pharoah and as in other conquests he allowed locals to govern under Macedonian military control

•Darius offered Alexander control of the western Persian Empire if he stayed away from the Persian heartland but Alexander wanted it all.

Alexander the God

•While in Egypt Alexander and a few of his closed companions undertook a dangerous and difficult desert journey to the oasis of Siwah where there was a temple to the god Zeus Ammon.

•Legend has that the priests of the temple told Alexander he was the son of Zeus and was destined to rule the world.