Modern Estimates
| Units | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Peltasts | 10,000 | 30,000 |
| Cavalry | 12,000 | 40,000 |
| Persian Immortals | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Bactrian Cavalry | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Archers | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Scythed chariots | 200 | 200 |
| War elephants | 15 | 15 |
| Total | 52,930 | 87,000 |
Some ancient Greek historians suggest that the main Persian army numbered between 200 and 300 thousand during the battle; however, some modern scholarssuggest that Darius III's army was no larger than 50,000 because of the logistical difficulty of fielding more than 50,000 soldiers in battle at the time. However, it is possible that the Persian army could have numbered over 100,000 men. One estimate is that there were 25,000 peltasts, 10,000 Immortals, 2,000 Greek hoplites, 1,000 Bactrians, and 40,000 cavalry, 200 scythed chariots, and 15 war elephants. Hans Delbrück however estimates the number of Persian cavalry at 12,000 because of management issues and Persian infantry (peltast) less than that of the Macedonian heavy infantry and the Greek mercenaries at 8,000.
Warry estimates a total size of 91,000. Welman estimates a total size of 90,000. Delbrück (1978) estimates a total size of 52,000. Engels (1920) and Green (1990) also estimate the total size of Darius' army to be no larger than 100,000 at Gaugamela.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Gaugamela, Size of Persian Army
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