The Battle of Bam occurred in 552 BC, during the Persian Revolt, when a Median army failed to capture the town of Bam from its smaller Achaemenid Persian garrison. The battle resulted in the destruction of Kambujiya's army, and enabled the Persian general Harpagus to pursue the conquest of the rest of Persia's Median-held interior.
Background[]
In the early months of 552 BC, Achaemenid ruler Cyrus the Great's general Harpagus pushed into the interior of Persia, aiming to establish a land bridge between the Persian heartland at Pasargadae and the Achaemenid-held satrapy of Bactria in present-day Afghanistan. His army drove into the desert interior of Persia and captured several major and minor towns, before marching a great distance to the east to aid in the conquest of the last pockets of Median resistance in the east. Meanwhile, King Astyages of Media had sent his general Kambujiya from Ecbatana to reinforce the under-defended eastern regions at the start of the revolt in 553 BC, and Kambujiya chose to turn south and recapture the towns taken by Harpagus. Harpagus turned his army around at Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) and led his Persians on a forced march back towards the town of Bam, which Kambujiya decided to attack. Kambujiya's 1,160-strong army included Assyrian heavy cavalry and Persian horsemen, Urartuanian axemen, and Median spearmen, while the garrison, commanded by the Achaemenid officer Aram, consisted of levy spearmen, archers, and javelinmen.
Battle[]
Aram decided to cluster his garrison in the town center, blocking off the entrances to two streets with walls of spearmen, who provided cover for his missile troops. Rather than attempt to outflank the Persians, Kambujiya ordered frontal assaults on the Persian spearmen, resulting in the annihilation of his cavalry with missiles. His infantry fared no better at first, with his attacks on the front entrance to the town faltering; this enabled the Persian spearmen at the main entrance to pursue his fleeing soldiers. However, at the same time, his Urartuanian axemen and spearmen broke through Aram's unit of spearmen at the side entrance, forcing the Persian archers to engage in hit-and-run tactics as the other group of Persian spearmen returned. The Medians were again overwhelmed by missile fire, and they were soon pursued and speared to death by the levy spearmen. The Persiasn gave chase, taking 158 Medians prisoner before executing them. When Harpagus' army located the survivors, he defeated their contingent as well and put his prisoners to the sword, annihilating Kambujiya's army.
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