Battle of the Granicus

Battle of the Granicus
Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great
The Battle of the Granicus (1665) by Charles Le Brun depicts Alexander the Great at the center of the cavalry battle.
Date May 334 BC Location At the Granicus in the Troad region (modern-day Biga River, Balıkesir, Turkey) 40°19′00″N 27°16′52″E / 40.3167082°N 27.2811127°E / 40.3167082; 27.2811127 Result Macedonian victory Territorial changes Alexander the Great attains half of Asia Minor
Belligerents
Macedonian Empire Hellenic League	Achaemenid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Alexander the Great Parmenion Philotas Amyntas (son of Arrhabaeus) Socrates Nicanor Perdiccas Coenus Craterus Amyntas (son of Andromenes) Philip (son of Amyntas) Meleager Agathon Philip (son of Menelaus) Calas	Arsites Memnon of Rhodes Arsames Spithridates † Rheomithres Niphates † Petenes † Mithrobuzanes † Arbupales † Mithridates † Pharnaces † Omares †
Strength
18,100 total 4,200 heavy cavalry 1,800 Companion cavalry 1,800 Thessalian cavalry 600 Greek allied cavalry 900 light cavalry prodromoi Paeonians Thracians 12,000 heavy infantry 9,000 Foot Companions 3,000 hypaspists 1,000 light infantry archers Agrianians	14,000–40,000 total 10,000–20,000 cavalry 4,000–20,000 infantry 4,000–5,000 Greek mercenaries 0–16,000 other infantry
Casualties and losses
115 total 85 cavalry killed 30 infantry killed	5,000–6,000 total 1,000 cavalry killed 2,000–3,000 Greek mercenaries killed 2,000 Greek mercenaries taken prisoner
class=notpageimage| Location within West and Central Asia Show map of West and Central Asia Battle of the Granicus (Turkey) Show map of Turkey

Alexander the Great

1200km
820miles

Babylon

15

Malavas

14

Hydaspes

13

Cophen

12

Cyropolis

11

Persian Gate

10

Uxians

9

Gaugamela

8

Alexandria

7

Gaza

6

Tyre

5

Issus

4

Miletus

3

Granicus

2

Pella

1

  

  current battle

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 on the defensive in the cities that remained under their control in the region.