The Battle of Gaza was a battle of the

Third war of the Diadochi The Wars of the Diadochi ( grc, Πόλεμοι τῶν Διαδόχων, '), or Wars of Alexander's Successors, were a series of conflicts that were fought between the generals of Alexander the Great, known as the Diadochi, over who would rule h ...

between

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

(and Seleucus) against

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumit ...

(son of

Antigonus I Monophthalmus Antigonus I Monophthalmus ( grc-gre, Ἀντίγονος Μονόφθαλμος , 'the One-Eyed'; 382 – 301 BC), son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian Greek nobleman, general, satrap, and king. During the first half of his life he serv ...

). In late 312 BC, Ptolemy launched an invasion from Egypt, he marched with 18,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry along the northern edge of the Sinai. Receiving timely intelligence, Demetrius recalled his troops from their winter quarters and concentrated them at Gaza. Demetrius's advisors told him not to fight the more experienced Ptolemy and Seleucus, but he ignored their advice.

Armies and deployment

Demetrius deployed 2,900 elite cavalry, 1,500 light infantry, and 30 Indian war elephants under his command on the left. The Antigonid phalanx of some 11,000 was deployed in the center, with 13 war elephants in front and light infantry protecting the main line. On the Antigonid right, there were 1,500 cavalry.Diodorus Siculus,''Bibliotheca Historica'', XIX 83,1-3. Ptolemy and Seleucus originally put most of their cavalry on the left, but when they learned of Demetrius' disposition, they massed their 3,000 heavy cavalry to the right, under their personal command. An anti-elephant corps of 3,000 light infantry (peltast, archers and slingers) equipped with anti-elephant devices (spikes connected by chains) were positioned in front of the cavalry, with orders to throw the devices in the path of the elephants and then target the

mahouts A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining h ...

. Their phalanx was stationed in the center, with the remaining 1,000 cavalry deployed on the right.

Battle

The battle opened with the advance guards of the stronger cavalry wings engaging each other. Demetrius drove off the enemy. Ptolemy and Seleucus responded by riding around Demetrius's left flank to attack. A fierce melee ensued, with the cavalry of both sides fighting with their swords after their lances had been shattered. While the cavalry battle on the flank was taking place, Demetrius brought forward his elephants apparently hoping to demoralize the Ptolemaic phalanx. As the elephants approached, the Ptolemaic archers and javelinmen began showering the elephants and their crews. This, along with some elephants stepping on the spiked chains, led to them becoming panicked. After shooting down nearly all the crews, the Ptolemaic light infantry were able to capture and kill most of the elephants. The loss of the elephants panicked Demetrius' cavalry and many of his men retreated. The infantry then engaged, and the fight was stiff. However, neither phalanx could gain the upper hand. After trying to keep more cavalry from retreating, Demetrius and the remaining cavalry fell back but still managed to stay in formation while retiring over the open plain. This discouraged Ptolemy and Seleucus from pursuing the enemy. The Ptolemaic phalanx began to push back the Antigonid phalanx, and the Antigonid Phalangites threw down their arms and retreated in chaos. Ptolemy and Seleucus had won a hard-fought victory.

Aftermath

Demetrius lost 8,500 men (500 were killed in battle, a further 8,000 taken prisoner), including generals such as

Andronicus of Olynthus Andronicus ( el, Ἀνδρόνικος) of Olynthus was a Macedonian nobleman and general in the 4th century BCE. This Andronicus is probably the same as the son of Agerrhus mentioned by Arrian and Diodorus Siculus:Diodorus Siculus, ''Bibliothec ...

, and all his elephants. He retreated to Tripolis in Phoenicia, and started to rebuild his army. He also sent a report to his father, who had just finished his campaign in

Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionians, Ionian and Dorians, Dorian Greeks colonized the west of i ...

, urging him to send help. Meanwhile, Seleucus had convinced Ptolemy to release him from service and give him an army to try and take back his old province of Babylonia which was now without a governor (

Peithon Peithon or Pithon (Greek: ''Πείθων'' or ''Πίθων'', 355 – 314 BC) was the son of Crateuas, a nobleman from Eordaia in western Macedonia. He was famous for being one of the bodyguards of Alexander the Great, becoming the later ...

had died in the battle). Ptolemy agreed, and sent off Seleucus with a small force of around 1,000 troops.Diodorus Siculus,''Bibliotheca Historica'' XIX 86,1-5.

Battle order and deployment at Gaza

Antigonid: * left wing: 2,900 cavalry, 1,500 light infantry and 30

war elephant A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant ...

s under Demetrius command * center: 11,000 infantry

phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly use ...

and 13 elephants * right wing: 1,500 cavalry Ptolemaic: * left wing: 3,000 cavalry, under Ptolemy and Seleucus * center: 18,000 phalanx * right wing: 1,000 cavalry

Popular culture

Alfred Duggan Alfred Duggan (born Alfredo León Duggan; 1903–1964) was an English historian and archaeologist, and a well-known historical novelist in the 1950s. His novels are known for meticulous historical research. Background Though brought up in Brita ...

's novel on the life of Demetrius, ''Elephants and Castles'', covers the battle. The third novel in

Christian Cameron Christian Gordon Cameron (born August 16, 1962) also writes under the pen names ''Miles Cameron'' and ''Gordon Kent'' (used only for those novels written with his father, author Kenneth Cameron). Christian, a Canadian novelist, was educated and t ...

's ''Tyrant'' series, ''Funeral Games'' features the Battle of Gaza.

References

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External links

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Lecture Notes for Week Fourteen
Gaza, battle of Gaza (312 BC) Gaza Antigonus I Monophthalmus 4th century BC in the Ptolemaic Kingdom