Alexander Mosaic is one of the most famous Roman Mosaic today. The Mosaic which measures 5.82*3.13 meters was recovered in 1831 during the excavation of Pompeii in House of the Faun 1 . According to the majority of historians, the Mosaic is thought to depict the Battle of Issus which was fought between Alexander the great and his rival king Darius III of the Persian Empire in the year 333 BC. However, other historians believe that the portrait depicts an earlier battle of Gaugamela between Alexander the great and King Darius III in the year 331 BC.
From the left edge, the Mosaic shows Alexander storming in front of his army attempting to engage King Darius in battle but who together with his troops appears to be fleeing with only his eyes fixed towards the chasing Alexander. The Mosaic provides an insight as to how the young Alexander launched a surprise attack against much superior Persian troops who were being led by King Darius who was more experienced in battle matters. The victory of the battle of Issus as depicted in the picture was much of a surprise to self-confident Persians. For his confidence, king Darius had brought with him his family members who included his pregnant wife and who fell into the hands of Alexander during the battle.
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At the middle of the portrait, Darius is depicted with his eyes wide open in horror looking to the left where one of his bodyguards is pierced by Alexander’s spear. From the portrait, it can be observed that the dying Darius bodyguard is still gripping the spear which Alexander has used to pierce him as though he wished to pull it out but it is evident that he is already collapsing from the back of his bloody dying horse. Also, observable is that Darius is gazing and gesturing towards the approaching Alexander. King Darius from the look is not himself fighting but gazing in general horror as his kinsmen, and army troops are being slaughtered by invading unstoppable Macedonian army. In contrast, Alexander seems to be actively directing the battle himself while actively fighting as he seems to be striking the Persian enemy with his long spear without giving much glance at his victim as he has his eyes widely fixed on the terrified Darius.
Although almost three-quarter of the portrait depicts the fleeing Persians, few Macedonians are recognizable owing to their bonnet-shaped helmets around Alexander 2 . The fleeing Persians who consume almost three-quarters of the total portrait surface are recognizable by their Central Asian plate armor which seems to cover their entire body. The Central Asian plate armor the Persians are wearing is understood to be made of bronze or iron squares rods with cords connecting them to the top, bottom and sides. In the central front of the portrait, a Persian soldier standing in front of Darius seems to subdue a dying horse probably belonging to his compatriot who has just been pierced by Alexander and fallen to the ground. Reflected on Darius shiny shield is the face of the dying man on the ground who has just been run over by fleeing Darius chariot.
The composition line of the three Persians sloping to the right from invasion on the left, the dying man who has just been pierced by Alexander and the man subduing the horse all follow the external and internal movement of the portrait 3 . The same composition line is also observable to the right of the chariot, over the wheels of the chariot to the horse legs, the man subduing the horse, King Darius and the charioteer all which depicts the decisive turning point of the battle of Issus. At this turning point, the artist shows Persian soldiers holding their spears diagonally left which still reflect the line of attack for the Persians. The Persians line of attack seems to be weak on the extreme left of the portrait from where Alexander is staging his attack from where he has just pierced a man next to King Darius. The left arm angle of the falling Persian soldier together with his legs illustrates the movement of the battle in the opposite direction from where the man meets with Alexanders spear directly at the center of the portrait and extending towards the chariot which seems to have triggered the flight by other Persians 4 . The escape is signaled by the three spears appearing at the right edge of the picture despite other spears appearing directed towards invading Alexander.
Clear scrutiny of the portrait provides the question of the unexpected defeat of Persians by Alexander. The steady and determined bravery of Alexander which is reflected on his widened eye and the ruthlessness of his sharp spear is horrifying and has devastating effects on the Persians as depicted by Darius gesture and other soldiers fighting in front of him 5 . Historians have it that Alexander decision to engage Persians using an unusual tactical maneuver and using surprise attacks made him caught Darius completely unprepared causing Darius to flee in panic. Therefore, the Alexander Mosaic is a reconstruction of Alexander significant history rather than his decisive battle with Persians.
Bibliography
Garstad, Benjamin. "Alexander’s Return to Greece in the Alexander Romance." Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 56, no. 4 (2016): 679-695.
Herrmann, Ariel. "ART IN THE AGE OF ALEXANDER." Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World (2016): 9.
Kleiner, Diana EE. Roman Architecture: A Visual Guide . Yale University Press, 2014.
Law, Madison. "The Many Faces of Alexander the Great: Ruthlessness and Benevolence in the Asiatic Campaigns of 331-326 BCE." Wittenberg History Journal 43 (2014): 5.
Palagia, Olga. "Alexander’s battles against Persians in the art of the Successors." Ancient Historiography on War and Empire (2016): 177.
