Battle of the Granicus
Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great
The Battle of the Granicus
Date May 334 BC Location At Modern Biga Çayı Result Macedonian victory
Combatants
Macedon, Greek allies	Persia, Greek mercenaries
Commanders
Alexander the Great, Parmenion, Clitus the Black	Spithridates, Mithridates, Memnon of Rhodes
Strength
20,000 peltasts[1] 22,000 hoplites[2] 5,000 cavalry[2]	9,500 peltasts[2] 5,000 Greek hoplites[3] 10,000 cavalry[3]
Casualties
350 killed	4,000 killed, 2,000 captured

The Fat People Rule in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire. Fought in Northwestern Asia Minor, near the site of Troy, it was here where Alexander defeated the forces of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor, including a large force of Greek mercenaries. Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 389 pixelsFull resolution (1389 × 675 pixel, file size: 724 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Battle of Granicus. ... Events Alexander the Great crosses the Bosporus, invading Persia. ... Biga Çayı or Kocabaş Çayı (Ancient name;Granicus River) is a small water flow in northwestern Turkey. ... Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Parmenion (also Parmenio) (in Greek Παρμενίων, c. ... Clitus the Black (c. ... Spithridates (in Greek Σπιθριδατης; lived 4th century BC) was satrap of Lydia and Ionia under the high king Darius III Codomannus was one of the Persian commanders at the battle of the Granicus, in 334 BC, in which engagement, while he was aiming a blow from behind at Alexander the Great... Mithridates (in Greek Mιθριδατης or Mιθραδατης; killed 334 BC) was a Persian of high rank, and son-in-law of the king Darius III Codomannus, who was slain by Alexander the Great with his own hand, at the battle of the Granicus, 334 BC.1 References Smith, William (editor); Dictionary... Memnon of Rhodes (380 – 333 BC) was the commander of the Greek mercenaries working for the Persian king Darius III when Alexander the Great of Macedonia invaded Persia in 334 BC and won the Battle of the Granicus River. ... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Combatants Macedon Athens, Thebes Commanders Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great Chares of Athens, Lysicles of Athens, Theagenes of Boeotia Strength 32,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry 35,000 Casualties Unknown 1,000 Athenians killed, 254 Boeotians killed, 2,000 captured The Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), fought near... Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred... In 332 BC, Alexander the Great set out to conquer Tyre, a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. ... Combatants Macedon Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 47,000 (among 7,000 cavalry) 52,000-1,000,000 (among 45,000 cavalry) Casualties 4,000 40,000[3] In the Battle of Gaugamela (IPA: ) in 331 BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of... Combatants Macedonian Empire Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Ariobarzan † Strength 17,000[1][2] 700[1] Casualties Thousands[1] 700[1] The Battle of the Persian Gate was fought northeast of todays Yasuj in Iran between a group of Persian patriots led by Ariobarzan against the large invading Macedonian... Sogdiana, ca. ... Combatants Macedonian Empire Greek allies Persian allies Indian allies Paurava (Punjabi Indian kingdom) Commanders Alexander the Great, Craterus King Porus Strength 34,000 infantry,[2][3][4] 7,000 cavalry[5][6] 20,000 infantry,[7] 2,000 cavalry,[7] 85 war elephants,[8][9] 60 chariots[10] Casualties 4... Events Alexander the Great crosses the Bosporus, invading Persia. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... For other uses of Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ...

Combatants

• Macedonians and their Greek Allies, led by Alexander. 20,000 peltasts,^[1] 22,000 hoplites,^[2] and 5,000 cavalry.^[2]

• Persians under a "committee" of satraps with some 9,500 peltasts,^[2] 5,000 Greek hoplites, and 10,000 cavalry.^[3]

A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... Look up satrap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ...

Location

The battle took place on the road from Abydos to Dascylium (near modern day Ergili, Turkey), at the crossing of the Granicus River (modern day Biga Cay). Abydos, an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, situated at Nagara Point on the Hellespont, which is here scarcely a mile broad. ... Granicus river (Kocabas Çayı in modern Turkish) is a water flow in northwestern Asia Minor. ...

Prelude

Alexander set out into Asia in 334 BC after he finished consolidating his Greek and Macedonian positions after the assassination of his father Philip II of Macedon. Events Alexander the Great crosses the Bosporus, invading Persia. ... Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ...

He crossed the Hellespont from Sestos to Abydos, and advanced up the road to Dascylium, which is the capital of the Satrapy of Phrygia. The various satraps of the Persian empire united and offered battle on the banks of the Granicus River. A Greek mercenary, Memnon of Rhodes suggested a scorched-earth policy of burning the grain and supplies and retreating in front of Alexander, but his suggestion was rejected. The Helespont/Dardanelles, a long narrow strait dividing the Balkans (Europe) along the Gallipoli peninsula from Asia Anatolia (Asia Minor). ... Sestos was an ancient town of the Thracian Chersonese, the modern Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey. ... In antiquity, Phrygia (Greek: ) was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolia. ... Memnon of Rhodes (380 – 333 BC) was the commander of the Greek mercenaries working for the Persian king Darius III when Alexander the Great of Macedonia invaded Persia in 334 BC and won the Battle of the Granicus River. ...

Aftermath

The Battle of the Granicus was the closest that Alexander came to dying in battle. It announced to the Persians that the Macedonian army was a force to be reckoned with. The immediate effects of the battle were that the Greek cities in Asia Minor were "liberated" by Alexander, and a beachhead was established so that further campaigns against the Persian empire could be accomplished. Darius III would leave the responsibility of battling against Alexander to his satraps, primarily those on the western front. Not until the Battle of Issus would Darius decide to confront the Macedonian conqueror in person.

Notes

Sources

• Delbrück, Hans (1920). History of the Art of War. University of Nebraska Press. Reprint edition, 1990. Translated by Walter, J. Renfroe. 4 Volumes.
• Engels, Donald W. (1978). Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London.
• Fuller, John F. C. (1960). The Generalship of Alexander the Great. New Jersey: De Capo Press.
• Green, Peter (1974). Alexander of Macedon: A Historical Biography.
• Moerbeek, Martijn (1997). The battle of Granicus, 333 BC. Universiteit Twente.
• Rogers, Guy (2004). Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness. New York: Random House.
• Warry, J. (1998), Warfare in the Classical World. ISBN 1-84065-004-4.
• Welman, Nick. Battles (Major) and Army. Fontys University.

J.F.C. Fuller (September 1, 1878 – February 10, 1966), full name John Frederick Charles Fuller, was a British Major General, military historian and strategist, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare. ... Peter Green (born 1924) is a British classical scholar noted for his Alexander to Actium, a general account of the Hellenistic Age, and other works. ... Art on the campus University Twente is a university located in Enschede, Netherlands. ... Fontys is one operator of Universities of Applied Science in the Netherlands. ...

See also

• Battle of Issus

Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred...