King Darius III
In 331 BC the Persian King Darius III suffered his shattering defeat by Alexander the Great at the battle of Gaugamela. In the aftermath Darius was murdered by his kinsmen. With his death ended the Achaemenid dynasty which had reigned supreme over the Ancient world for more than two centuries.Of all Achaemenid kings Darius III is the only one of whom a true-to-life portrait has survived. This is the Roman mosaic from c. 79 BC, excavated in Pompeii. Of Darius' predecessors we possess stylized silouhettes on reliefs. But Darius III is the single Persian Great King whom we can still look right in the eye.
The mosaic depicts Darius taking flight before the charge of Alexander. His expression is one of helplessness and shock. His eyes are filled with despair and disbelief. In the seconds of that moment Darius fell down from glorious power to a state of mysery and bereavement.
www.gaugamela.com
Alexander had crushed an enchanting and unique culture. The aim of gaugamela.com is to help you to discover the wealth and heritage of foreign, distant or lost cultures. This is a tribute to the Great King Darius III. At Gaugamela he found his 'Waterloo'.Please use the drop down menus to navigate. There is a "Print this page" option on the Biography pages. Site update: Sunday December 5th 2004.