Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Gaugamela

Battle of Gaugamela was a battle fought on 1 October 331 BC at Gaugamela, in what is now Iraq. It was part of the Wars of Alexander the Great, which ran from 336 BC to 323 BC. The recorded result: Macedonian victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

The Battle of Issus, formerly known as the Battle of Gaugamela
The Battle of Issus, formerly known as the Battle of Gaugamela. Jan Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1 October 331 BC
WhereGaugamela, Iraq36.360N, 43.250E
OutcomeMacedonian victory
BelligerentsMacedonia; Hellenic LeagueagainstAchaemenid Empire
Part ofWars of Alexander the Great336 BC to 323 BC

Where it sits in the Wars of Alexander the Great

Battle of Thessaly, 336 BCBattle of Thebes, 335 BCAlexander's Balkan campaign, 335 BCBattle of Shipka Pass, 335 BCBattle of Mount Haemus, 335 BCSiege of Pelium, 335 BCSiege of Halicarnassus, 334 BCSiege of Miletus, 334 BCSiege of Termessos, 334 BCBattle of the Granicus, 334 BCBattle of Issus, 333 BCSiege of Tyre, 332 BCSiege of Gaza, 332 BCBattle of Gaugamela, 331 BCBattle of the Uxian Defile, 331 BCBattle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain, 330 BCSiege of Cyropolis, 329 BCBattle of Polytimetus, 329 BCBattle of Jaxartes, 329 BCBattle of Gabai, 328 BCSiege of the Sogdian Rock, 327 BC336 BC327 BCBattle of Gaugamela, 331 BC
21 placed engagements of the Wars of Alexander the Great in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1 October 331 BC
PlaceGaugamela, Iraq
36.360N, 43.250E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changeAlexander gains Babylon, half of Persia and all other parts of Mesopotamia
Strength47,000; (see #Size of the Macedonian army50,000–250,000 (modern estimates); 250,000–1,000,000 (ancient sources); (see #Size of the Persian army
Casualties and losses1,100–1,500; 1,000 cavalry; 100–500 infantry40,000–90,000; 300,000+ captured (according to Arrian)
Commanders
  • Darius III
  • Bessus
  • Mazaeus
Battle of GaugamelaBattle of GaugamelaBattle of NinevehFall of NinevehSiege of MosulSiege of MosulSiege of MosulBattle of NinevehSiege of MosulKirkukIrbilZakhoUrmiaAl QamishliDuhok100 km36.360N, 43.250E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Gaugamela
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Gaugamela today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-07-29. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 263 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 224 to 296 m, 72 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 35% built-up, 32% cropland, 19% grassland.

built-up: 35%cropland: 32%grassland: 19%bare ground: 13%built-up 35%cropland 32%grassland 19%bare ground 13%
west to east, 10.0 km245 to 283 mnorth to south, 10.0 km245 to 294 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 331 BC

Battle of Gaugamela is one of 143 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 206 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q179670, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Gaugamela, revision 1382842432, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.