EmmaEWard
Joined: 11 May 2010
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 6:37 am Post subject: |
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1. Why does Alexander win at the Granicus?
Alexander wins at Granicus for a number of reasons. First, the Persian army is much smaller than his, perhaps “35,000 to his 50.000” (pg 119). They were also heavily armored, rather than outfitted with mobility in mind, which comes into play when Alexander uses his chosen plan of attack. The plan is to camp for the night on the Macedonian side of the river, as the outnumbered Persians would “not dare to bivouac nearby” (pg 121), and the Macedonians could rise at dawn and take advantage of the Persian’s practice to not march before sunrise. When the Persian cavalry races to Alexander’s battle line, they are beaten and flee, at which point the Macedonians flood the enemy camp and massacre a lot of people, winning decisively. Alexander uses the Persian battle habits, as well as – though not explicitly mentioned – the fact that their heavy armor makes them less likely to be equipped and/or in the right place when they are surprised with a fight – to tailor his battle plan.
2. Why is Parmenion getting such a raw deal, historically?
Parmenion’s raw deal is that he has the reputation of having recommended a battle plan (to encamp and attack at dawn) that Alexander then rejected, after which Alexander followed his own plan (attack in the afternoon) to great victory. However, that is probably not how it actually happened; in reality Alexander probably used the encamping-attacking-at-dawn plan, to great success. However, Parmenion got the short end of the stick in the sense that he is frequently portrayed as the incorrect advisor, so as to “set off his master’s daring and intelligence” (pg 121). This rumor may have been to Alexander’s liking, potentially because it came about after Alexander had already executed Parmenion for his son’s conspiracy.
3. Do you believe the battle was fought in the afternoon or at dawn? Why?
I believe that the battle was fought at dawn, partially because the well-informed Robin Lane Fox believes that, but also because it seems a more strategic and Alexander-y plan. Alexander, as is proven by his complex battle formations and variety of types of soldiers, usually prefers the more though-out plans, rather than the “rush ahead in the water blindly with very little strategy” sort of idea. |
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