Реферат: Alexander

Darius into his narrow battlefield yet Darius wasn’t easily fooled. Darius sent troops to

the rear of Alexander’s army and tried to defeat them like this. Alexander, after learning

of this, pursued Darius to the little town of Issus. The Battle of Issus9 took place in

November 333 BC on the Payas river. Darius’s army was huge in comparison to

Alexander’s. This didn’t stop Alexander before nor would it stop him now. Darius’s plan

was to hold Alexander on the river-line and use his best cavalry on the right, along the

seashore, to break through Alexander’s left-wing army. Alexander assessed the situation

from his standard position up on the right wing. He saw that Darius’s cavalry were

concentrated on his left by the sea, and immediately switched his to the left to back up his

army. Once he realized that there was a weak Persian formation of inexperienced archers

against the foothills, Alexander was sure that Darius did not have enough confidence in

his infantry to hold the line on its own. Realizing Darius’s weakness, Alexander led an

attack himself down the river on the right. The Persian archers failed to protect the land

from Alexander’s pursuit. Alexander’s Companion Cavalry marched down across the

river and annihilated the Persian infantry line. Now the path was cleared to reach the

Persian center comprised mainly of Greek mercenaries. The mercenaries held their own

for a short while against Alexander’s phalanx, but soon they would realize they were

being surrounded. The mercenaries realized they lost and retreated. Alexander’s main

focus now was Darius himself.

The main goal of the Battle of Issus was to capture or kill Darius. Alexander got

very close to Darius yet not close enough. Alexander’s army got close enough to where

Darius’s kinsmen were fighting hand-to-hand in order to protect their king. Darius’s

forces were being wounded quickly left and right. His only option was to stay alive, so his

bodyguard took him and fled. Darius left his leaderless army at this point to fend for

themselves. Once again Alexander emerges victorious yet without his goal – Darius.

Through the years Alexander swept the Persians away from the coast of Phoenicia

and in 332 drove them out of Egypt, a land they had held for two centuries. The Egyptians

welcomed him as a liberator and recognized him as their pharaoh. Alexander and his

army marched on to Tyre and met great opposition. The Tyrians fought off Alexander’s