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The Great Commanders - Alexander the Great - The Battle of Issus [VHS]

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The battle of Issus was to Alexander of Macedon what Cannae was to Hannibal, and what Jena was to Napoleon. In short, it was his greatest military triumph. According to the Greek historian Arrian, in 333BC Alexander marched his 35,000 Macedonians (and doubtlessly a handful of Greeks) against a massive Persian army numbering over 200,000. The Armies met for battle @ a small (actually, more like tiny) riverbed known as Issus in what is modern day Turkey.

Despite being outnumbered nearly 6 to 1, the battle was a lopsided affair. The Macedonians used their superior training and tactics to rout the Persian forces with Alexander himself leading the way. Few military engagements in history have demonstrated the advantage of training vs sheer numbers on the field of battle.

This was the first major sortie for Alexander. It was at Issus that he began his campaign to get "payback" for the Persian invasion of Greece in 490 and 480 BC. It was here that he grappled for the first (but not the last) time with the Persian general Darius; a descendent of Darius the Great and Xerxes (who lead the expedition against Greece). As such, the topic of this film is invaluable for people who wish to understand Greek and Persian history.

One of the key features of this documentary is its descriptions of the tactics and weaponry of the Macedonian phalanx. The primary weapon used during a charge by the Spartan phalanx was the 8 foot pike (called 8 footers), which was used to knock the enemy down. The Macedonian version of the phalanx took this concept a step further: instead of being 8 feet long, their pikes were 18 feet long. Trained to charge with uncanny precision, the Macedonians made one of the most formidable military formations in the history of warfare. This video does an excellent job of covering the concept of using the lance and much more.

Here is a must-buy video for military historians, classical scholars and aficionados of Alexander of Macedon. It is also highly recommended as a pedagogic study for war colleges.

alexander the great - the battle of issus