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Persians: Great Battles of the Persians
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Posted by Paal_101 on November 21 2004, 05:19 PM
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Great Battles of the Persians
Paul Basar aka Paal_101
The Achaemenid Persian Empire erupted onto the world stage during the 6th century BC, taking over the related Medians. Under the great King Cyrus the Persians progressively conquered massive amounts of territory, creating an empire that ranged from Thrace in Europe to India in the east. A major feature of Persian warfare was the heavy use of cavalry with light infantry, in very large numbers. Of all the ancient powers, the Persians recruited one of the most diverse militaries to have ever existed, having troops from as far away as Ethiopia and modern day Russia and men from everywhere in between. Bactrians, Massagetae, Assyrians, Paphlagonians, Cappadocians, Egyptians, Medes, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Indians, and Sycthians could all be found in armies that could number into the hundreds of thousands. Not even Imperial Rome could raise forces this large. In the end it was partially the inability to adequately train and equip these troops that led to the downfall of the Empire when faced by the well-equipped and professional Macedonians under Alexander.
Battle of Pasargadai – 550 BC
Cyrus the Great defeats the Median king Astages at Pasargadai after a short battle. Although it spells the end of the Median Empire, it politically establishes the Persian Empire with Cyrus as king.
Battle of Pteria – 547 BC
The Lydian king Croesus destroys the Median city of Pteria as he attempts to capitalize on the sudden demise of the Median Empire. Cyrus marches to face him and they meet on the plains of Pteria. In a brutal battle the Lydians remain undefeated but are forced to retire. Croesus is confident that the Persians will return to their homeland and disbands his army.
Battle of Thymbra – 546 BC
Cyrus does not return home, rather he invades Lydia on the heels of his victory at Pteria. Croesus manages to gather an army to meet the Persians, amazingly larger than the one he had at Pteria. Included are the magnificent Lydian cavalry and Egyptian allies. To defeat the far superior cavalry of the Lydians, the Persians form a square with their pack camels in front of their lines. The horses smell the camels and become uncontrollable. As the Lydian army wraps around the square, gaps appear in the wings through which the Persians surge. The Lydians retreat into their capital city of Sardis, while the Egyptians are offered separate peace terms by Cyrus.
Siege of Sardis – 546 BC
Besieging Sardis after the Battle of Thymbra, the Persians have little success. Then a Persian soldier sees a Lydian climb down a rock face on one side of the city’s defenses to retrieve a helmet. Springing forward the Persians climb to the top and take the city.
Capture of Babylon – 530 BC
Cyrus invades Babylonia, capturing many cities as he proceeds into the heartland. After surrounding the ancient city of Babylon, Cyrus manages to take the city without a struggle. This brings the fertile and extremely wealthy region of Mesopotamia under direct Persian control, ending the line of Babylonian kings at King Nabonidus.
Massagetae Campaign – 529 BC
Flushed with victory and eager for more conquest, Cyrus marches north to the land of the Massagetae, east of the Caspian Sea. The Massagetae try to distract the Persians with diplomacy as the invaders bridge a river marking the boundary of their territory. Sacrificing part of his army in a ruse, Cyrus is able to defeat the Massagetae and capture the son of Queen Tomyris who quickly commits suicide at the first opportunity. The Massagetae attack in force and Cyrus is killed along with a large part of his army in extremely fierce combat. Although his body is retrieved, the king’s head is never found.
Invasion of Scythia – 513 BC
King Darius takes a large army across the Danube into Scythian territory. The fierce nomadic Scythians have no standing cities or farms and as a result slowly move one step ahead of the Persians, attacking foraging parties. The Scythians and their Sauromatae allies refuse to face the Persians in a head-on battle. Meanwhile they try to persuade the Ionian Greeks guarding the bridge across the Danube to destroy it and go home. To Darius’ good fortune they do not listen and are still guarding the bridge when Darius returns to the river. Driven back by hunger and a lack of results, this is the farthest north and west that the Persians come.
Battle of Ephesus – 498 BC
During the Ionian Revolt the Greeks manage to burn Sardis but retreat back to the relative safety of Ephesus. In retaliation the Persians bring a large army against the Greeks, who opt to fight outside the city walls. They are defeated, many men and officers dying at the hands of the Persians. Unfortunately this battle only fuels the fires of rebellion in other Ionian Greek city-states.
Battle of Marathon – 490 BC
In revenge for Athenian support of the Ionian Revolt, Darius sends a force of 25,000 men to Attica via a fleet of 600 vessels. Met by 10,000 Athenians, the Persian army is almost surrounded and flees into the marshes of the Plain of Marathon. They are defeated, loosing 6400 men.
Battle of Thermopylae – 480 BC
Invading Greece in search of new conquests, Xerxes brings a massive army of 250,000 men. To stop him are 7000 Greeks under Leonidas of Sparta, camping at Thermopylae, a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea. Despite repeated attacks the Greeks hold firm. Xerxes grows impatient, but cannot move for two days. Finally a Greek traitor shows the Immortals an alternate route behind the Greeks, surrounding the 1100 Spartans and Thespians who stay and fight. They are slaughtered to a man.
Battle of Salamis – 480 BC
After taking Athens, Xerxes finds the Greeks holed up on the island of Salamis. In addition the combined Greek fleet of 310 ships is sheltering in the strait between the island and the mainland. The 485 ships of the Persian fleet attack and are utterly defeated, losing 200 triremes. Xerxes sets off for Persia with most of his army, leaving a token force to continue operations against the Greeks.
Battle of Plataea – 479 BC
The 75,000 remaining Persian troops in Greece are faced at Plataea by a Hellenic army of over 100,000. In a long protracted battle over several days the Persians have considerable success against the Greeks using their cavalry. Eventually the Persian commander, Mardonius, orders a full attack. The Spartans prove too much for the Persians, while the Athenians defeat the Boeotians who allied with the invaders. Only 3000 men from the Persian army survive.
Battle of Mycale – 479 BC
After the Persian fleet fled from Salamis they retreat to Asia Minor, across the strait from the island of Samos. The Greek fleet follows and observes the Persian fleet beached with a palisade to defend themselves as the Achaemenids array their troops on the shore. Undeterred the Greeks attack, the Athenians in particular driving the Persians before them. The Persian fleet and camp are destroyed.
Battle of the Eurymedon River – 466 BC
The Athenian-led Delian League attacks the Persians on the Eurymedon River in Asia Minor. The 200 Persian ships are attacked by the Greek fleet and completely destroyed. After that victory the Greeks land to attack and destroy the Persian camp, which is also accomplished.
Battle of Cunaxa – 401 BC
Fighting for the throne are the rightful heir King Artaxerxes II and his brother Prince Cyrus. Leading an army of 36,000 men, Artaxerxes meets his brother at a place called Cunaxa, northeast of Babylon. Among Cyrus’ slightly smaller army is a force of 10,000 Greek mercenaries. Once the battle begins the formidable Greek mercenaries are lead off away from the battle to deprive Cyrus of his best troops. Artaxerxes and Cyrus manage to find each other in the melee, Artaxerxes receiving a wound from his brother. But Cyrus is struck down and killed, supposedly by his brother and the immediate loyal cavalry. With their leader dead, Cyrus’ army disintegrates.
Battle of Granicus – 334 BC
The satraps of Asia Minor are forced to contend with the invasion of Persia by Alexander the Great. Against the advice of the Rhodian general Memnon, the Persians attack with 17,000 cavalry and 18,000 infantry. Arrayed against them are the 40,000 men of the professional Macedonian army. The Persians wait across the Granicus River for the Macedonians, who attack quickly, fording the river and break through the Persian line. The Persians flee, but the Greek mercenaries among them retreat to a small hillock where many are killed and others captured. This battle signals the beginning of the end for the Achaemenid Empire.
Battle of Issus – 333 BC
Darius III marches out to meet Alexander with a huge army of over 100,000 men. He is able to swing his army around behind the Macedonians, stationing his men on the far bank of the Pinarus River. The Macedonians swarm across, the cavalry forcing a gap in the Persian line yet again, at which Darius flees, leaving his army to its fate. Seeing their king running, the Persians scatter. Among those captured by the Macedonians is Darius’ family.
Battle of Gaugamela – 331 BC
Having assembled roughly 90,000 men at Gaugamela, in Mesopotamia, Darius prepares to face Alexander. Equipped with elephants and 200 scythed chariots, the Persian army waits all night for a suspected Macedonian surprise attack that never comes. The next day brings the exhausted Persian troops up against the 47,000 Macedonians and Alexander the Great. The Persian line is huge and, thanks to the oblique formation adopted by the Macedonians, it wraps around the enemy line, forming a weak spot. Seizing the moment, Alexander breaks through the Persian line with the Companion Cavalry. On the Persian right the Asiatics are having good success against the enemy, but Macedonian cavalry come to support their countrymen. By this time Darius has fled again and the army runs in the face of the invaders. The Persian Empire has fallen. |
User Comments:
| Argalius
:: November 23 2004 |
Really nice article. I really like the way you told the battles, they all where small but you gave all the needed information like numbers, places who won and lost etc. Which is very well done, I enjoyed reading it.  |
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| espiesior
:: December 12 2007 |
| Consequently, the Graeco-Persians (Seleucid empire) and Parthian empire follow (preceding the Sassanids, who came in the 3rd century). |
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