Battle of the Granicus

Overview

The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydus to Dascylium, at the crossing of the Granicus in the Troad region, which is now called the Biga River in Turkey. In the battle Alexander defeated the field army of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor, which defended the river crossing. After this battle, the Persians were forced onto the defensive in the cities that remained under their control in the region.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of the Granicus, fought in May 334 BC, was the first of three major engagements between Alexander the Great's Macedonian forces and the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Fought at the crossing of the Granicus river — now the Biga River in Turkey — along the road from Abydus to Dascylium in the Troad region, it pitted Alexander's army of some 18,100 against the field army of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor. The Achaemenid forces suffered between 5,000 and 6,000 casualties. The immediate consequence was the destruction of the satrapal field army defending Asia Minor, which removed Persian capacity for coordinated open resistance in the region and forced the remaining Persian-held cities onto the defensive. As the opening engagement of Alexander's campaign against the Achaemenid Empire, the Granicus established Macedonian battlefield superiority in Asia Minor and opened the interior of the peninsula to further advance.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (28)