How did Alexander conquer the largest Empire in the Ancient World - Part 2

Welcome Readers !

I am Sheerapthi Ramiya, 2nd Year MBA from Amrita School of Business, coming back with this week's read ! Hope my readers are doing well and I hope you enjoy :)

This blog is the continuation of how did Alexander conquer the largest Empire in the Ancient World. If you haven't checked out Part 1 of this magnificent tale, I request you to do so by clicking on the link: https://logisticsmatters.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-did-alexander-great-conquer-largest.html

We continue at the point where Alexander could not maintain this highly mobile baggage train during entirety of his camping during his march to Asia. At times, we hear of carts temporarily being reintroduced into Alexander's army, most in Iran. Nonetheless, just like the Xenophon way, he soon had to burn most of them to avoid them being difficult for his army in to travel across the harsh terrain. Only a few carts remained and were tasked with transporting essential items that are heavy, most importantly weapons, machinery and the injured. Alexander kept making critical changes to the Macedonian baggage train to suit the situation and his mission. It became clear to Alexander's soldiers that it would be many years before they could see their family again in Macedonia as he and his army marched further and further away from the Mediterranean. Alexander consequently allowed women to travel with the baggage train again. Alexander even allowed his soldiers to marry captive women. Children soon followed, and the baggage train expanded in size. 

Alexander's Empire and Route Taken through his Conquest

It is a total change from his father's logistics system and one that undoubtedly slowed down

Alexander's army but it was necessary. Philip's ban actually worked only because his men had been able to return home after each campaigning season to see their loved ones. Alexander's men could not as they kept progressing eastwards. Nevertheless, even with this change Alexander always prioritized having his army as light as possible throughout his campaigns. For him, speed and mobility were key. 

Another equally important task of the skoidos was distributing rations to the troops, most importantly food and water. Grain products were the top staples of a Macedonian soldier's diet. Wheat, barley and millet were available throughout Asia and India. Not only were they easily portable, but once these products were dried, they could be stored for a long period of time. It is also possible the Macedonians consumed grains in the form of biscuits, porridge and also made bread using flour. Yet the Macedonian soldiery did not live only depending on grain products. Whenever possible, they would also eat dried meat, salted fish and shellfish to feed their diet. However, meat was rare and soldiers relied on different  kinds of dried fruit such as figs and dates which readily available throughout much of Asia. Each Macedonian soldier would carry his food rations. While he was on campaign, these rations would usually be sufficient for ten days. If  Alexander wanted his troops to conduct a swift march, then the food each soldier would take with him usually precooked food items like biscuits, fruits and possibly salted meat. This helped lighten the soldier's pack as cooking utensils were not required in the journey.

Items in a Macedonian Soldier's Backpack 

The journey through Asia was without doubt hard work for a Macedonian soldier. Its hot climate, endless deserts and broad barren lands would have been extremely physically and mentally demanding for any Macedonian, burdened with the weight of carrying arms, armor and a heavy pack. Armor was sometimes even discarded during these marches. Consequently, the requirement for sufficient amount of calories and water was critical for the soldiers and participants for the campaign. Scholars assumed that a minimum of 1.4kg of grain products as well as half gallon of water would be needed to supply the troops in these conditions daily (about 3,600 calories). Meanwhile, horses and mules needed 30 Liters of water and 4.5kg of both grain and straw a day if they were to be kept in acceptable condition. As for a camel, although the animal could survive multiple days with barely any water, the animal was most efficient if given it 37 Liters of water a day. It would also require 4.5kg of grain and 11kg of straw. Yet procuring supplies would prove demonstrate anything besides being simple.

For a large portion of his life towards conquest, Alexander and his army crossed various terrains of inland Asia - lands on many occasions a threat to him and far away from seas and rivers. This forced Alexander to procure supplies via land. Transporting supplies overland was not easy. There were only few carts and pack animals available in many of these regions and there was also the constant dangers of bandits in the region. Furthermore, most agricultural societies in the East did not have surplus of food from which they could help supply Alexander's passing army. But Alexander obviously found a solution. 

An extensive study by Donald Engels concluded how Alexander achieved this. Upon his appearance in Mesopotamia (refer map above) after victory at Gaugamela, Alexander's power and military status in the east become extraordinary and soon many of the remaining Persian officials showed the white flag. Alexander realized he could use this to solve his supply problem. He sent messengers ahead of his army to meet the officials and secured arrangements for the army's supply through their region - sometimes taking hostages to guarantee that officials kept their word. Thus, Alexander secured his supply lines far ahead of time. Alexander took a different approach when official did not surrender to him. He would acquire intelligence about the region - information such as its topography, routes, climate and resources. He would then either launch a lightning campaign against the region with a small elite force, keeping the main army back or split his forces into smaller units so that they would gain supplies by either looting settlements or searching for food resources. 

Alexander regularly took the hard way of destruction in the Persian heartlands. During the winter season, Alexander ensured his forces remained in a heavily settled, fertile area - usually near to navigable rivers or ports from where supplies could be more easily obtained. It was because of his forward planning and charisma that Alexander was able to find solutions to his supply problems throughout his journey. He had a plan for every scenario. There was however, one occasion when this forward planning of provisions failed the Macedonian King. 

The journey that lost Alexander his army

In 325 BC, Alexander marched his army across the Gedrosian desert (refer map above). It proved to be the greatest logistical error of his life, costing thousands of lives. Alexander had expected his army to be supplied by the navy, commanded by Nearchus, as it advanced along the coast. However monsoon winds postponed the fleet from leaving the harbor in India for a long period of time. The outcome demonstrated devastation for Alexander's men. Alexander and his army slowly reduced in number as they crossed the dessert. By the end, 75% of his force, mostly those in the baggage train, had died. This was the one exception in a campaign summarized by many episodes of logistical brilliance. Alexander's campaign in both Asia and India required precise and advanced logistical planning unlike anything else seen back in the ancient times. Its success was crucial to the survival of his campaign - a factor that is so often overlooked. 

Alexander's Statue in Athens, Greece 

This brings an end to the story of Alexander, the man who set march to conquer the largest empire in world, but failed his mission due to one logistical error - FORECAST. Please keep in mind that failure of Alexanders conquest mentioned in this blog is with respect to the logistics carried out. Of course there are other factors that contributed to his failure which is mentioned in John D.Grainger' book "Alexander the Great Failure". We can also notice a lot of logistics and supply chain concepts that Alexander used for his Conquest back in his day - information gathering, logistics planning, establishing supply chain, demand, constraints, procurement, transportation, speed, mobility, and many more. 

This is probably the most interesting stories I have ever come across and interesting how logistics is not something new and is relevant back in ancient times as well. The same is evident in the Kurukshetra war. The link is given below if you want to know more about the Logistics in Kurukshetra War: https://logisticsmatters.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-kurukshetra-war.html

Uncovering the history of logistics does bring about how we these concepts were brought into light and makes me want to explore more. I hope this also brought some thought on logistics and supply chain. For my next read, I will be focusing on the First Globalization in the world ! Do you know what it is ? Stay tuned to find out ;)

What are your thoughts about this ? Give your comments below :)

-Sheerapthi Ramiya

ASB Coimbatore

How did Alexander conquer the largest Empire in the Ancient World - Part 1

Welcome Readers !

I am Sheerapthi Ramiya, 2nd Year MBA from Amrita School of Business, coming back with this week's read ! Hope my readers are doing well and I hope you enjoy :)

An army's logistics system has always been crucial to its success and Alexander's conquest to conquer the largest empire in ancient world  was no different. His great conquests would have never have been possible without the skillful organization of his forces throughout his campaigns. In this week's blog we shall cover the the logistics behind Alexander's Conquest.

Map during Alexander's Period

Our story starts with the logistics of the Greek armies of the Ancient World. When fighting fellow city-states, the armies usually followed certain policies. They would leave their home city and travel to an agreed battleground suitable for phalanx warfare. They would then engage warefare with their enemy , before returning home. The armies were not expected to stay out in the battlegrounds for long durations. Thousands of non-warriors, attendants, women and slaves travelled with them which wer more than the number of soldiers. That dramatically reduced the speed and mobility, and every follower meant an extra mouth to feed. Furthermore, the Greek armies used oxcarts and wagons and this inevitably obstruct the army's speed and mobility further. The throat and girth harnesses severely injured the animals and rough terrain easily constrain the carts.

Oxcart and Wagons

This system was therefore designed only for the short distances and slow movement. Philip II of Macedon (King of Macedon, Father of Alexander) understood that things needed to changed and hence developed a Macedonian logistics system. He aimed to create a system that prioritized his army's sustainability, mobility and speed. Luckily for him, Philip had a suitable example in the Greek commander Xenophon who decided to burn his wagons to reduce the load of his army during the march. This greatly improved the speed and mobility of his force and was critical factor to the success of his march. Using Xenophon's success as an example, Philip also forbade the use of ox-carts and wagons in his army. Instead he used horses as the main pack animal - the first time a western commander had done this. It soon provided profits as it gave his army more mobility. Philip also increased the amount of supplies carried by his men on the campaign. This included arms and armor - possibly even the sarissa, which could be detached into two pieces to ease its portability. Each Soldier would also have to carry rations, utensils, blankets, road-building tools, medical supplies, a thirty-day supply of flour and any personal possessions in a pack. All together this would have weighed around 36 Kgs !

A Sarissa - Long Greek Spear

To further reduce his baggage train, the Macedonian king drastically reduced the number of non- warriors accompanying the army. Woman were forbidden while the number of servants was also drastically reduced. Each cavalrymen would have one servant, while the infantry had one servant. These participants would carry hand mills that were used for grinding grains, guy ropes for both bridge building and rock climbing, bedding and rations. Not only was Philip's army now able to move quicker and inflict 'lightning strikes' on enemies, but he could also sustain his army in the field noticably longer than his mainland Greek counterparts. And so just as with his infantry, cavalry and siege craft, Alexander was inherited and made use of a logistics system that had been  transformed into the most efficient of its time. In 335 BC for instance, to crush a Theban revolt, his army marched form Lake Lynchnitis to Boetia, 804 km away, in 13 days catching the Thebans rebels completely off guard. 

With this newly improved and efficient logistics system supporting and supplying his army, Alexander set forth for Asia in 334 BC. Yet fighting in Asia was a different scenario from fighting in Europe. Alexander therefore soon adapted the logistics system into his new battlefields. One such area that gradually experienced improvement and change was the baggage train. Crossing the Persian Empire meant that Alexander needed to guarentee his baggage train was well organized and efficient. Therefore, a transport officer, a skoidos, was placed in overall charge of the baggage train. The skoidos would look after the baggage train's defenses, marching order, the welfare of the pack animals and distributing supplies. 

A Baggage Train

The most important factor for a successful baggage train was the welfare of the animals. Although infantry or servants carried many items in Alexander's army, they could not carry equipment such as tents, firewood, loot, and perhaps each man's sarissa when they did not expect to be fighting. This made pack animals essential. Horses and mules remained the main pack animals in Alexander's army. He also incorporated other animals to carry supplies depending upon the region eg. In Syria or Egypt, the camel played a critical role in Alexander's conquests. While the horse or a mule carried 90kg of supplies over a long distance, camels were able to carry 136kg of supplies. Camels are well-suited for crossing arid terrain, having barely any constraints on what they could eat and drink if necessary. Camels became the ideal baggage animals for Alexander's march into the Persian heartlands and also beyond lands where the need for speed across harsh deserts was important. Through his campaigns, horses, mules and camels remained the vehicle of choice for Alexander's baggage train. Their speed and tolerance were much greater then oxen and this suited his desire for light, fast marches across difficult regions. He would recruit these animals throughout his campaign. They were then spread throughout his army to supply the men with animals being attached to every dekas units. 

Data of Unit, Troop Total and Commander Name

This was not for long as Alexander could not maintain this highly mobile baggage train during the whole campaign. Want to know why ? Stay tuned to the second part of the story which is due next week!

What do you think led to the downfall of Alexander's campaign ? Give your guesses below :)

If you want to know more about the logistics of the Kurukshetra War, click the link below !

https://logisticsmatters.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-kurukshetra-war.html

- Sheerapthi Ramiya

ASB Coimbatore