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Marching to an Ancient Drumbeat
Erbil is a small Kurdish city, quiet at present like much of Northern
Iraq; an uneasy hiatus in violence prevails. Iraq’s army menaces
from the south while British and American planes fly cover overhead. This
land has seen too many battles and still loiters on the threshold of armies
eastern and western. Another uneasy hiatus in hostilities prevailed 2,300
years ago - and was broken.
In late September 331 BC, Alexander of Macedon was raging through the
most powerful empire in the world. The Persians dominated territories
equal in size to the modern U.S. At Persepolis, the capital of the Great
King, Darius III ruled absolutely; all other peoples under his sway were
his slaves. Twice his ancestors had attempted the subjugation of the tiny
city-states of mainland Greece. Twice they had failed. Now a Macedonian
king, Hellenized and acting in the name of the Greeks, rampaged through
Persia. Twice Alexander met a huge Persian army and twice crushed it.
Gaugamela was a small village not far from Arbela (the modern Erbil).
Here Alexander collected his largest force ever, still under 50,000. The
Persian army was five times as large. West met East. The enormous resource
of eastern manpower ensured that both Persian wings outflanked the Macedonians
by more than a mile. Persian gold purchased tough Greek mercenaries and
elephants to crack Alexander’s center. Directly opposite Alexander
himself was a special force of Bactrian and Persian mailed cavalry; in
addition scythed chariots assembled.
Darius planned to outflank both Macedonian wings and then crash through
the weakened center. Instead, the Macedonians bowed their line until the
flanking Persians overextended. The Macedonian left wing held until Alexander
broke through on the right. Darius fled. Fifty thousand Persians died
that day, trampled or speared in the rout.
Quiet Erbil has seen bloodshed. One prays it sees no more.
James Clark
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(c) 2002 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 2 no. 26
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