Macedonia Archives

Meeting with leaders of Tyre, Alexander the Great hoped to capture the city without the use of force. Alexander is shown in this detail of a 17th century fresco depicting his life.

Macedonia

Siege of Tyre: Alexander the Great’s Assault on the Persians

By Marc G. De Santis

It was the autumn of 333 bc and Alexander the Great stood triumphant on the battlefield of Issus. Read more

Viking longboats cut through the sea while on expedition. King Harald’s nickname was “Hardradi,” meaning “the ruthless;” something his enemies could surely attest to.

Macedonia

Harald “Land Waster” Hardradi

by Kenneth Cline

For many history buffs, the date 1066 conjures up an image of Norman knights breaking through the shield wall of the ax-wielding Anglo-Saxons at Senlac Hill. Read more

Alexander’s army of 35,000 dealt the Persians a crushing blow at the Battle of Granicus in 334 bc. The Persians lost 15,000 men to a mere 100 Greeks.

Macedonia

A Storm of Terrors: Alexander the Great at Halicarnassus

By Jeffrey A. Easton

A major dilemma confronted Alexander the Great and his 35,000-man Macedonian army in the summer of 334 bc, as they moved to secure the northwestern corner of Asia Minor. Read more

Macedonia

The Eagle at Asculum: General Pyrrhus of Epirus

By Jeffrey A. Easton

By the middle of the 4th century bc, the Roman Empire had steadily expanded its reach into the southern half of Italy. Read more

Athenian general Iphicrates modified the battle gear of his peltasts, shown in this Johnny Shumate illustration wearing lightweight linen instead of bronze armor and carrying half-moon shields, swords, and javelins.

Macedonia

General Iphracates: Innovative Commander of Ancient Greece

By Charles Hilbert

The 3rd century BC in Greece was an age of military innovation. The lessons learned in the Peloponnesian War (431-404) led to the increased use of lightly armed troops and cavalry. Read more

A modern illustration shows Roman legionnaires on the march. The front ranks typically charged into battle, stopping to hurl their pilum before closing with the enemy using their gladius. In the melee, they used their scutum to knock their opponents off balance.

Macedonia

Roman Armageddon at Pharsalus

By William E. Welsh

The snow-capped peaks of the Ceraunian Mountains stared down on the sturdy barks hunting for a suitable place to land on the coast of Epirus on January 5, 48 bc. Read more

Macedonia

Roman Army Pluck at the Battle of Pydna

By Tim Miller

What began as a polite truce between armies that allowed each to draw water from the same river turned into the battle that would give Greece to Rome. Read more

Macedonia

Vanguard of Elephants on the Hydaspes River

By Gabrielle Esposito

The Macedonian soldiers stood transfixed on the flood plain as the Pauravan army advanced toward them. The ground shook with each step the great lumbering war elephants took as they advanced toward the wide-eyed Greeks. Read more

Macedonia

Greek Triumph at Plataea

By Eric Niderost

Persian King Xerxes I “The Great” was a man who liked to solicit different opinions before he made a decision on any important matter. Read more

Macedonia

Alexander’s Triumph at Granicus

In the spring of 334 bc, Alexander of Macedon paused with his army on the western side of the Granicus River. Read more

Alexander enters Babylon in this romantic painting by Baroque artist Charles Le Brun. Alexander grew increasingly megalomanical and paranoid as he went eastward into the Persian empire.

Macedonia

Alexander the Great in Afghanistan

By Marc G. De Santis

In the autumn of 331 bc, Alexander the Great won a decisive victory over the Great King Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela. Read more

Though heavily outnumbered at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, Alexander the Great's superior tactics won the day over Darious III.

Macedonia

The Battle of Gaugamela: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III

By Marc G. De Santis

The Battle of Gaugamela began on the morning of October 1, 331 bc, when two great armies drew up for battle to determine the destiny of empires. Read more

From Around the Network

The Sphinx and Ancient Thebes: Napoleon’s Army in Egypt

Medal of Honor Recipient: Henry Lawton

Fire Over Texas: Galveston in the Civil War

Warriors on Water