fell back but still managed to stay in formation while retiring over the open plain. This discouraged Ptolemy and Seleucus from pursuing the enemy. The Ptolemaic phalanx began to push back the Antigonid phalanx, and the Antigonid Phalangites threw down their arms and retreated in chaos. Ptolemy and Seleucus had won a hard-fought victory. Aftermath Demetrius lost 8,500 men (500 were killed in battle, a further 8,000 taken prisoner), including generals such as Andronicus of Olynthus, and all his elephants. He retreated to Tripolis in Phoenicia, and started to rebuild his army. He also sent a report to his father, who had just finished his campaign in Caria, urging him to send help. Meanwhile, Seleucus had convinced Ptolemy to release him from service and give him an army to try and take back his old province of Babylonia which was now without a governor (Peithon had died in the battle). Ptolemy agreed, and sent off Seleucus with a small force of around 1,000 troops. Battle order and deployment at Gaza Antigonid: left wing: 2,900 cavalry, 1,500 light infantry and 30 war elephants under Demetrius command center: 11,000 infantry phalanx and 13 elephants right wing: 1,500 cavalry Ptolemaic: left wing: 3,000 cavalry, under Ptolemy and Seleucus center: 18,000 phalanx right wing: 1,000 cavalry Popular culture Alfred Duggan's novel on the life of Demetrius, Elephants and Castles, covers the battle. The third novel in Christian Cameron's Tyrant series, Funeral Games features the Battle of Gaza. References External links Lecture Notes for Week Fourteen Gaza, battle of Gaza (312 BC) Gaza Antigonus I Monophthalmus 4th century BC in the Ptolemaic Kingdom