Battles of the ancient world

Before the battle, Darius was able to surprise Alexander and cut him off from the main force of Macedonians. However, the battle ended with Darius fleeing the field and the capture of his tent and family.

Persian King Darius I's invasion of mainland Greece ended with a decisive victory for Miltiades and the Athenians at this battle (490 BC). The defeated Persian commanders were Datis and Artaphernes.

The battle was the subject of a 1528 painting by Albrecht Altdorfer, the leader of the Danube School.

Although a total disaster for the Romans, it resulted in their adopting of the Fabian strategy, in which battles are avoided in favor of a war of attrition. This eventually wore down Hannibal's army, and the Carthaginians had to leave Italy.

Prior to the battle, the Numidian king Masinissa switched sides, and brought his considerable cavalry force to join the Romans.

Battle between the Romans under the command of Consul Publius Decius Mus and the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus. Pyrrhus won; a Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.

This, coupled with Scipio's strategy of opening up his lines to allow Carthaginian elephants through without harming his troops, led to a complete Roman victory.

The Romans built a wall to surround the city (a "circumvallation") and a second wall around that (a "contravallation") to protect themselves from the Gaulish relief army under Commius.