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The Battle of the Granicus was a major battle of Alexander the Great's campaigns of conquest against the Achaemenid Empire of Persia which was fought in Anatolia in 334 BC. Granicus was Alexander's first major victory over the Persians during his invasion of the Persian Empire, clearing the way for him to conquer the Ionian coastal cities.

History[]

Succeeded his murdered father in 336 BC, Alexander first consolidated his hold on Greece, brutally suppressing a rebellion by Thebes. By 334 BC, he felt secure enough to embark on the campaign against Persia that his father had planned. Alexander's army sailed across the Hellespont into Anatolia, in itself a complex operation involving hundred thousands of troops as well as siege equipment. It then marched east into Persian-ruled territory, Alexander intending to follow the coastline since his army would depend on resupply by sea. Mounted scouts rode in front of the main body, and it was they who reported the presence of Persian forces drawn up on the far bank of the Granicus River. The army assembled by local Persian commanders included a large number of Greek mercenaries. It was outnumbered by Alexander's forces but had taken up a strong defensive position. The river ran fast and its banks were steep: an opposed crossing would be a risky venture. Reaching the river in the late afternoon, Alexander led across a cavalry attack. Battle was joined on the far bank as the Persian cavalry attempted to push the Macedonians back into the river, horse pressing against horse. IN the thick of the fighting, Alexander lost his spear and almost his life. But the Persian horsemen son broke before the ferocious Macedonian onslaught and Alexander's infantry were able to wade across to join in. They quickly surrounded the Persian forces, massacring more than 15,000 of them. Those whom the Macedonians took prisoner they sent to work as slaves.

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