Turpin's Gold

In October 331 BC the Persian King Darius III and his army, which was some forty thousand men stronger than the advancing army of Alexander, was forced into battle. The advancing army moved towards Darius’s force at a forty five degree angle driving a human wedge through it and splitting it in two. Alexander King of Macedonia led the advance sitting high on his black horse and as the attack reached the weakened Persian centre, Darius’s royal guard and the Greek mercenaries were killed. This left the left flank of Darius’s army, led by Bessus, cut off and fearing he would be attacked by the wedge he pulled back his forces, which soon fell into disorder, broke and ran. Alexander received a wound to his thigh and was unable to catch the Persian king, who in his rush to escape had to leave behind his golden chariot and bow. When Alexander returned to the battle field having given chase and lost sight of the Persian king, he inspected his troops before getting his wounds treated.

Following the battle the Persian city of Babylon surrendered and Alexander named himself Alexander King of Kings. He rested in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, where he ordered that none of the homes of the city’s inhabitants where to be entered. The citizens of Babylon where well advanced in Medicine, Chemistry, Alchemy, Botany, Zoology and Mathematics. Their writings where in cuneiform symbols and were written on wet clay tablets which were subsequently baked in the sun until hard.  Alexander had been taught by Aristotle as a child and understood these writings which he found of great interest.  He ordered that certain tablets be translated into Greek and written on scrolls. Most of these scrolls were then sent back to Macedonia, but one he had sent to his old teacher Aristotle.