Aretes () or Aretas () was a
Macedon
Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...
ian general. At the
Battle of Gaugamela
The Battle of Gaugamela ( ; ), also called the Battle of Arbela (), took place in 331 BC between the forces of the Ancient Macedonian army, Army of Macedon under Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Army, Persian Army under Darius III, ...
, he commanded the
sarissophoroi (also known as ''
prodromoi''), a unit of versatile cavalry, adept at scouting, but with an ability for close-combat in battle. He replaced
Protomachus as the commander of this unit. At Gaugamela, the ''sarissophoroi'' were responsible for finally routing the Persian left wing cavalry, winning the battle in this sector. In their final charge, the ''sarissophoroi'' broke the
Massagetae heavy cavalry, Aretes personally killing their leader.
[Sidnell, p. 113]
References
Bibliography
*Ashley, J.R. (2004) ''The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander the Great, 359-323 B.C.'' McFarland.
*
*''Who's who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander's empire'',
Generals of Alexander the Great
4th-century BC Macedonians
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