The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 5: Persia: The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.Rawlinson, George
History
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 5: Persia: The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.
It is not quite clear what part Darius took in the battle, or how far
he was answerable for its untoward result. According to Arrian, he was
struck with a sudden panic on beholding the flight of his left wing, and
gave orders to his charioteer instantly to quit the field. But Curtius
and Diodorus represent him as engaged in a long struggle against
Alexander himself, and as only flying when he was in imminent danger of
falling into the enemy’s hands. Justin goes further, and states that
he was actually wounded. The character gained by Darius in his earlier
years makes it improbable that he would under any circumstances have
exhibited personal cowardice. On the whole it would seem to be most
probable that the flight of the Persian monarch occurred, not when the
left wing fled, but when the Greek mercenaries among whom he had placed
himself began to give way before the irresistible phalanx and the
impetuous charges of Alexander. Darius, not unwisely, accepted the
defeat of his best troops as the loss of the battle, and hastily retired
across Amanus by the pass which had brought him to Issus, whence
he hurried on through Sochi to the Euphrates, anxious to place that
obstacle between himself and his victorious enemy. His multitudinous
host, entangled in the defiles of the mountains, suffered by its own
weight and size, the stronger fugitives treading down the weaker, while
at the same time it was ruthlessly slaughtered by the pursuing enemy,
so long as the waning light allowed. As many as 100,000--90,000 foot and
10,000 horse--are said to have fallen. The ravines were in places choked
with the dead bodies, and Ptolemy the son of Lagus related that in one
instance he and Alexander crossed a gully on a bridge of this kind.
Among the slain were Sabaces, satrap of Egypt, Bubaces, a noble of high
rank, and Arsames, Rheomithres, and Atizyes, three of the commanders
at the Granicus. Forty thousand prisoners were made. The whole of the
Persian camp and camp-equipage fell into the enemy’s hands, who found in
the royal pavilion the mother, wife, and sister of the king, an
infant son, two daughters, and a number of female attendants, wives of
noblemen. The treasure captured amounted to 3000 silver talents. Among
the trophies of victory were the chariot, bow, shield, and robe of the
king, which he had abandoned in his hurried flight.
The loss on the side of the Macedonians was trivial. The highest
estimate places it at 450 killed, the lowest at 182. Besides these,
504 were wounded. Thus Alexander had less than 1000 men placed hors de
combat. He himself received a slight wound in the thigh from a sword,
which, used a little more resolutely, might have changed the fortunes of
the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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