fastenings were so elaborately intertwined and coiled upon one another that their
ends were hidden: in consequence Alexander did not know what to do, and in the
end loosened the knot by cutting through it with his sword, whereupon many ends
sprang into view. But according to Aristobulus he unfastened it quite easily by
removing the pin which secured the yoke to the pole of the chariot, and then
pulling out the yoke himself.The story, whether or not it is true, suggests truths about Alexander that are borne
out by his short but brilliant career. Cutting the Gordian knot had a propaganda value
not to be missed, and suggests a decisiveness and an unwillingness to be put off by
niceties. He was regarded by others and regarded himself as a man with a special
destiny.
Shortly after, in 333 he defeated Persian forces, this time led by King Darius at
the battle of Issus. Once again, Alexander’s army was greatly outnumbered but the
narrowness of the plain at Issus prevented the Persians from using their numerical
advantage. When Alexander came dangerously near to the Persian centre, Darius
fled.
Alexander now moved south to free Phoenicia, Palestine and Egypt from Persian
rule and secure the coastline. He was delayed in his progress by the city of Tyre,
which resisted. After a six month siege, notable for the use of sophisticated siege
weapons on land and from the sea, he gained the city, and some thirty thousand
inhabitants were sold into slavery. In Egypt in 331 he founded Alexandria and he
visited the oracle of Ammon, where it is said he was addressed as the son of the god.
This suggestion of divine ancestry further marked him out as a heroic figure of destiny,
though later it may have been a factor in alienating some of his Macedonian followers,
by severing his connection with Macedonia, for his mother Olympias, the daughter
of King Neoptolemus of Molossia, was not Macedonian. It is interesting that the
Molossians claimed to be descended from Neoptolemos, the son of Achilles.
However, the visit to Ammon at the time and in legend had the effect of reinforcing
the quasi-divine status of the hero/king reflected in his depiction on coins in
Alexander’s lifetime and after (see fig. 27).
Returning to the Persian interior, he marched into Babylonia for the final
reckoning with Darius, with whom he had refused to make terms. Darius was defeated
decisively at Gaugamela in 331. In a mere three years Alexander had destroyed the
might of the Persian army. Military historians attribute his success in part to the
flexibility of the units at his disposal, as well as to his strategic sense and his personal
magnetism as a leader who led by daring personal example.
Darius escaped, but Alexander captured his wife and family, whom he treated
well. He now made himself master of the empire’s great wealth and material
resources, as he moved south and east to Babylon, Susa and Persepolis, the imperial
82 THE GREEKS