Why Is The Battle Of Gaugamela Called Broken ‘Camel’s Back’?

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - Alexander the Great (356 BC - 323 BC) rejected the peace terms of the Persian Emperor Darius in 331 BC.

Darius offered him much, including the land west of the Euphrates River. Additionally, Alexander could get a large sum of money and Darius’ daughter’s hand in marriage.

Alexander III route from Tyre to the Battle of Gaugamela site, and from there to Babylon. Map - credit: Dimitrios Dendrinos, University of Kansas/Researchgate.net

But the great military leader refused, and instead, he marched across the Tigris River into northern Mesopotamia. Darius assembled an even more massive army than the one he had led at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.

Contemporary records claim Darius was in command of up to one million soldiers.

The Persian Emperor was determined to fight on open ground where his large army and 200 formidable Scythian chariots would be useful. The land on which they fought on October 1 was close to the village of Gaugamela. The name of the place means “camel’s back.” Gaugamela (probably Tel Gomel) was once located near Erbil, modern Iraqi Kurdistan.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, Alexander advanced, forcing Darius to attack with his chariots in the center. He conducted a careful survey of the enemy and ground. He also did not always listen to Parmenion, one of the leading generals in Macedonia, and Alexander’s primary general, who suggested a surprise night attack on Darius’s forces.

Parmenion’s suggestion was dismissed because Alexander wanted to defeat Darius in open battle but did not rush to the fight, being aware that his only chance to succeed against such odds (a million soldiers!) was strategic and tactical perfection. His tactical movement enabled him to open their ranks and attack the forces of Darius from the sides.

At the same time, he lured the large Persian army toward the wings before making a wedge-shaped attack on the Persian line to cut through enemy lines, confuse his cavalry forces and, thus, weaken them.

By making this decision, he endangered Darius’s position, who understood that there was nothing more to do than escape, so he did. Alexander remained on the field, and the battle was over. He was once again victorious.

Most importantly, he finally broke the Persian Empire for good, taking place at Gaugamela (“Camel’s Back”).

Alexander captured the Persian royal train and marched into Babylon.

By January 330 BC, he had taken Darius’s capital Persepolis and proclaimed himself King of Persia. Darius escaped but was soon murdered by Bessus, his relative and prominent Persian Satrap of Bactria.

Updated on September 30, 2023 

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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