Alexander the Great: The Battle of Issus (Flashcards)

The Battle of Issus, fought in 333 BC, marked a significant encounter between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III, showcasing Alexander's tactical brilliance and the effectiveness of his phalanx formation. Alexander’s army was incredibly outmatched, with Darius’ consisting around 168,000 men, and Alexander’s just around 45,000 men. However, it was Alexander’s brilliant leadership skills which allowed his army to be victorious in battle.

Before the battle took place, Darius was stationed in Sochi, waiting for Alexander to come to him. Amyntas advised Darius to stay where he was, however, he was influenced by his flattering courtiers to believe that Alexander would not come to Darius because he was afraid. Darius marched north through the Amanus Mountains and waited at the river Pinarus for Alexander’s arrival.

At the same time, Alexander sent some of his men to the sea to discover Darius’ position. This shows that Alexander was indeed cautious, but willing to face Darius. Alexander then realised that where Darius was positioned was exactly where he wanted him- the gates to the Amanus Mountains were narrow, and it would cause Darius’ army trouble due to their sheer numbers. Alexander then held a war council in which he gave a speech to his officers, readying them for battle. He and his army then marched to meet Darius on the other side of the Pinarus river.

When Alexander arrived at the river Pinarus, he allowed his men to rest and eat - demonstrating that he was clever enough to give his men energy before the battle. He the got his men into formation, let them rest again, and gave another speech to his soldiers- inspiring courage within them. This was also a very strategic thing to do, as his men’s spirits would have been considerably low going up against such a big army.

The formation of the army was as follows; on the left side of Alexander’s army was some light infantry, led by Amyntas. Then the phalanx (heavy infantry), which were split up amongst four officers to control, from left to right; Ptolemy, Meleager, Perdiccas and Coenus. Then there was some more light infantry on the right side, led by Nicanor. Alexander and the royal companions were on the furthest right side of the army.

Before the battle commenced, Alexander made some small changes to the formation. First he ordered the Thessalian cavalry to move to the left side, as well as the Cretan archers and Antiochus’ archers. Seeing that Darius had led some of his men up the mountain to Alexander’s right, Alexander stationed the Agrianians, 2 squadrons of the companion cavalry, the Cretan archers and the Thracians to face the mountains. The whole left side of Alexander’s army was controlled by Parmenio, and the right side by Alexander. By positioning his army in the way that he did, Alexander showed excellent leadership. He made sure his army was balanced and protected on all sides. Darius however positioned himself in between two parts of his army, which was the traditional place of a Persian King, but it also showed that he was coward and hid behind his army.

The first move of the battle was made by Alexander who, alongside his companions, began to cross the river Pinarus. This proved to be difficult as Darius’ army began to shoot darts at them. Alexander and his men persevered to the other side, where it became easier, since the archers could not shoot at close range. Alexander made quick work of Darius’ army on Darius’ left-hand side. At the same time, Alexander’s phalanx crossed the river. The right side of the phalanx was starting to become broken and disjointed due to Darius’ Greek mercenaries. When Alexander saw that his phalanx was under pressure, he and his royal companions turned their attention towards the Greek mercenaries and broke through their ranks.

At the same time, Darius’ army on his right-hand side crossed the river and began to attack Alexander’s Thessalian cavalry. Once Alexander has defeated the Greek mercenaries, he saw that Darius was in view and began to charge straight towards him, displaying his courage and bravery. Darius then began to flee and when his army noticed this, they began to retreat as well. Alexander, despite his small army, had managed to overcome Darius’ with the help of strategy and excellent planning.

While Darius fled, Alexander and his men pursued, but eventually gave up by nightfall. However, they made sure to kill any member of Darius’ army that they caught up to. Alexander after the battle held a ceremony for those in his army who had died- showing his men that he appreciated their valiant efforts.

Alexander, despite his small army, had managed to overcome Darius’ with the help of strategy and excellent planning. He reacted quickly when his men were under attack, and his role as a leader did not prevent him from getting directly involved in the fight. Compare this to Darius, who did not do any fighting, and when the battle was not going his way he fled. This shows how the leadership of Alexander the Great influenced the outcome of the Battle of Issus (333 B.C)