The Battle of the Granicus River 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 that Alexander defeated the forces of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor, including a large force of Greek mercenaries led by Memnon of Rhodes. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 15 Jan 2021. Parmenion with the Thessalians encircled to the left of the Greeks while Alexander and his Companions positioned themselves to the right. This army included a large force of Greek mercenaries led by Memnon of Rhodes. License. The first victorious engagement of Alexander the Great ’s invasion of the Persian Empire established the Macedonians on enemy soil. After the death of his father Phillip II of Macedon (r. 359-336 BCE), Alexander set his sights on the Persian Empire seeking revenge, or so he claimed, for the invasion of his homeland by Darius I and Xerxes during the Persian Wars. Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. He saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel six years later. The Granicus has long been identified with the river now known as the Kocabaş Cay, and on this point, there is now general agreement.222 (When I wrote my original thesis, the prevailing view amongst scholars on this subject was that the Granicus River had not changed its course since the time of this battle. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Battle_of_the_Granicus/. Amid the sound of trumpets, Alexander and his men plunged into the water and up the opposing bank diagonally. Plutarch spoke of this encounter saying: The mercenary Greeks, who, making a stand upon a rising ground, desired quarter, which Alexander, guided rather by passion than judgment refused to grant, and charging them himself first, had his horse (not Bucephalus) killed under him. The result of the Granicus battle must have reaffirmed the faith placed by the Persian king, Darius III, in Memnon. It allowed Alexander to replenish his empty supply stores and encouraged some key Greek states to rebel against the Persians. Alexander's victory at Granicus shattered the myth of Persian invincibility and launched the persona of Alexander as one of history's great commanders. Alexander had crossed the Hellespont with his combined Macedonian and Greek forces and stepped upon the shores of Anatolia. Alexander quickly ran him through. The council decided to put the arriving Macedonians on the defensive by gathering their combined forces and wait for Alexander at the River Granicus. In the center of the traditional phalanx were the Thessalian cavalry and additional light troops. https://www.ancient.eu/Battle_of_the_Granicus/. The Battle of the Granicus was the first major engagement between Alexander III the Great commanding his army of Macedonians, Greeks, and Thracians facing off with the vast armies of the Achaemenid Empire under the high command of Darius III.During this engagement the Persian forces would be lead by general Memnon would be defeated by the combined assault of Alexander. Alexander defeated the forces of the Persian satraps of Asia Minor. Omissions? His companions rescued him, and the rest of the Macedonian forces succeeded in joining the fight. Cite This Work Written by Donald L. Wasson, published on 20 December 2011 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. THE BATTLE OF THE GRANICUS RIVER 75 dawn battle sub luce was padded out with details from Arrian's (or his source's) account; but at least the Itinerarium did not transfer those details to a different battle-scene. 60 - 90 feet wide. Some historians believe this idea cost the Persians the battle. 300 suits of Persian armor were sent home to Athens to remind the Greeks that Granicus was only one step in the war of revenge against the Persians. The Persian cavalry could neither move forward because of the river banks nor pull back because of the location of the infantry. 2 reasons. Start studying The Battle of Granicus. Alexander’s forces numbered 13,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. The Battle of the Granicus River. This conspicuousness did not escape the Persians whose major objective became to kill Alexander. Although causing considerable damage to the attacking center, the Persian weaponry did not match well against the Macedonians – light javelins versus 15-foot lances. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Battle of Granicus, (May 334 bce). The Persian army consisted predominantly of cavalry but it also had a substantial number of Greek mercenary infantry. In total it numbered nearly 40,000 men according to the Greek historian Arrian, slightly larger than Alexander’s 37,000-strong force. The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BCE was Alexander the Great's (356-323 BCE) first major victory against the forces of the Achaemenid Empire. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. They, of course, considered Persian warfare superior to the tactics of invading Greeks. His army consisted chiefly of Macedonians, but with some allied Greeks. Spithridates, another Persian commander, raised his own weapon to attack Alexander, but Cleitus the Black attacked him first, severing Spithridates’s arm, saving Alexander’s life. The battle on the Granicus [16.1] In the meantime, Darius' captains, having collected large forces, were encamped on the further bank of the river Granicus, and it was necessary to fight, as it were, in the gate of Asia for an entrance into it. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 20 Dec 2011. The Greeks lost around 300 to 400 men and the Persians up to 4,000, mostly as they retreated from the battle. The statues were eventually set up in Dium, a city in Macedon at the foot of Mount Ol… Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. As Alexander rose from the waters of the Granicus, he noticed Mithridates, Darius’s son-in-law, riding with a squadron of cavalry - detached from the main Persian forces. Of the 5,000 Greek mercenaries only 2,000 survived, and they were sent to Macedon to work the mines; the rest were slaughtered. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Battle Granicus-en.svg; Autor: Battle Granicus-en.svg: Andrei Nacu, from the English Wiki; derivative work: Gizmo II ¿Eu? 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