Alexander, on the face of it, had as good as lost the battle: hemmed in on all sides, he could do nothing but fight a desperate last-ditch action. He was saved, finally, by his reserve battalion of veterans, men who had campaigned with Philip [Alexander’s father] but were now exempt from combat duty. Roused by the chaotic struggle they had been forced to witness, they decided to show these unlicked youngsters how a battle should really be fought. Shields locked, spear-line bristling, they now moved into the fray, a solid, unbreakable line.
The psychological effect on Ephialtes and his men was considerable. Just as they thought victory within their grasp, they found themselves faced with the prospect of fighting a second action. They wavered; the Macedonians pressed home their advantage; and by a great stroke of luck Ephialtes himself was killed.
In a matter of minutes the whole Persian assault-group crumbled, and began a stampede back to the city.
Source:
Green, Peter. “The Road to Issus.” Alexander of Macedon: 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Univ. of California Press, 2005. 198. Print.
Further Reading:
Alexander III of Macedon / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Alexander the Great)
Φίλιππος Β΄ ὁ Μακεδών (Philip II of Macedon)
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