Page 108 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

108 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

debate about the transition from tension weapons to torsion weapons, which is outside
the scope of this paper. It is clear, however, that by Alexander’s time, torsion artillery was
already in use. I’ll come back to this point later.
Phillip effectively became the ruler of Greece following his decisive victory in the bat-
tle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. Following Phillip’s assassination in 336 BCE, Alexander
succeeded to the throne, and in a swift and brutal campaign, consolidated his position.
Alexander recognized the prowess of the fine military machine which was in his disposal
and wasted no time in bringing it to an impressive effect.
In 334, having reinforced the Macedonian army with contingents from all over the
Greek and Balkan regions, Alexander invaded the huge Persian Empire. The decisive vic-
tories of Granicus River and Issus (plus a few sieges) secured Asia Minor, and the route to
the heart of the Persian Empire seemed open. But Alexander was much more than a mere
tactician. A march into the Persian heartland would leave his rear open to assault from the
forces still present in the Western Provinces of the huge and heterogeneous Persian Em-
pire. The naval force of Persia and her allies was a particular threat. Ignoring this threat
could be disastrous. Alexander’s naval inexperience, plus the huge cost of building and
maintaining a large fleet, led to the easiest solution – a march south, designed to capture
all the land bases, thus neutralizing the naval threat from land. As Alexander advanced, he
sent envoys ahead of the army to all the walled cities, which were offered two choices – to
open their gates or to face the consequences. The rolling juggernaut made important cit-
ies like Aradus, Byblos and Sidon see reason, and welcome the advancing Macedonians.
The city of Tyre was, literally, in a different position altogether. A natural fortress, an
island some 700-800 meters offshore, fortified all round by walls as thick as 6 meters
and as high as 50 meters at some points, with foundations deep in the sea and dozens of
towers. The inner city was also surrounded by a wall, but the most potent instrument of
defence was the highly professional Tyrian Navy, consisting of around 80 ships, manned
by seasoned veterans, trained to the highest standards of the sea-faring traditions of the
Phoenicians. The thriving and immensely rich city, of around 40000 people, had huge
stores and a fresh water source inside the walls. The city seemed impregnable.
Alexander’s advances met with complete failure, and after further attempts resulted
in his envoys killed and thrown into the sea from the walls in front of his entire army, he
became enraged and ordered a siege. A daunting task indeed. How does one lay siege to
an island without a navy? It seemed an unattainable challenge. Alexander’s sheer determi-
nation, his unbridled confidence in himself and in his army led him to an unprecedented
effort: connecting the island to the mainland.
January 332 BCE. Alexander harnessed his army and every hand he could find to a
mammoth project – the construction of a 60 meter wide mole, or a land causeway, project-
ing in a straight angle from the mainland. Alexander’s engineers, under the master of the
age in this field, the veteran Diades of Pella, dismantled the mainland suburb of Tyre, cut
down thousands of trees, and commenced in their mission. Upon completion, the mole
would enable the Macedonians to assault the island fortress without a fleet.
Gradually, their efforts paid off. As the weeks went by, the thousands of soldiers car-
ried rocks and pieces of wood into the shallow sea, laying them under the guidance of