Re: Elephants at Gaugamela?
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:02 am
I advance the motion that the elephants are a case of misidentification. Ptolemy not once mentions the elephants at anytime during the battle. I do not have Arrian in front of me right now, so forgive me if I am a bit off here. At the beginning of the battle we learn from Ptolemy that the Comp. cavalry was directly opposite Darius' royal squadron- so close in fact they could see the apples on their spears. If the elephants were posted in front of Darius' royal squadron I cannot believe that Ptolemy would have found a reason to omit them.
During Alexander's persuit of Darius (first time) Ptolemy takes us away from the battle. Then we learn of Parmenio's plea for help and Alexander has to wheel around after cutting off the chase. After the route of the Persian right wing (Alexander's left) Alexander resumes the chase for Darius. It was during the brief stop at the river Lycus (may be misspelled) that we learn from Ptolemy that Parmenio took possession of the baggage train, the camels, and the "elephants." What's this, a second set of elephants?
Tarn believed that Callisthenes was in part responsible for the muddled account of Gaugamela. In deed it must have been from Callisthenes that Aristobulus gained his information. It is important to note that neither one of the them was present at the battle. Hence the confusion over Alexander's baggage train and the raid of said baggage (wherever it was).
It must have been during Parmenio's "rounding up" of Darius' baggage train that the Persian dispositions fell into Parmenio's hands. At some point they were given to Callisthenes who passed them along to Aristobulus, or for all that we know Callisthenes could have mentioned the Perisan forces to him [Aristobulus] over dinner one night. Regardless of how, it is to Aristoblus we can thank for the garbled account, the elephants are just more evidence of this.
There were elephants at Gaugamela, but not "war" elephants.
During Alexander's persuit of Darius (first time) Ptolemy takes us away from the battle. Then we learn of Parmenio's plea for help and Alexander has to wheel around after cutting off the chase. After the route of the Persian right wing (Alexander's left) Alexander resumes the chase for Darius. It was during the brief stop at the river Lycus (may be misspelled) that we learn from Ptolemy that Parmenio took possession of the baggage train, the camels, and the "elephants." What's this, a second set of elephants?
Tarn believed that Callisthenes was in part responsible for the muddled account of Gaugamela. In deed it must have been from Callisthenes that Aristobulus gained his information. It is important to note that neither one of the them was present at the battle. Hence the confusion over Alexander's baggage train and the raid of said baggage (wherever it was).
It must have been during Parmenio's "rounding up" of Darius' baggage train that the Persian dispositions fell into Parmenio's hands. At some point they were given to Callisthenes who passed them along to Aristobulus, or for all that we know Callisthenes could have mentioned the Perisan forces to him [Aristobulus] over dinner one night. Regardless of how, it is to Aristoblus we can thank for the garbled account, the elephants are just more evidence of this.
There were elephants at Gaugamela, but not "war" elephants.