Alexander the eve before the battle The Battle at Gaugamela was fought deep in Persian territory, where Alexander was far outnumbered and isolated from his country or reinforcements. It was the decisive battle for him, and his victory there severely weakened the Persian Empire. Ancient sources are varied in terms of numbers, but all say that Alexander was vastly outnumbered. Some of the estimates concerning Persian numbers include:
Arrian 40,000 cavalry and 1,000,000 infantry
Diodorus Siculus 200,000 cavalry and 800,000 infantry
Plutarch 1,000,000 troops
Curtius Rufus 45,000 cavalry and 200,000 infantry
According to Arrian, the most reliable historian of Alexander (who is believed to be relying on the work of the eye-witness Ptolemy), Alexanders troops numbered 7,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry, a lot less that the Persian army!!
In your opinon, how did Alexander out-general Darius III? Immediately before, during and immediately after the battle. What do you think his best tactics were?
Check out this video on youtube for a visual analysis of the battle from the movie Alexander
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDhUZGX4T0s
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