Battle of the Granicus | |||||||||
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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. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Macedonian Empire Hellenic League | Achaemenid Empire | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
18,100 total 4,200 heavy cavalry
900 light cavalry 12,000 heavy infantry
1,000 light infantry |
14,000–40,000 total 10,000–20,000 cavalry
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
115 total
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5,000–6,000 total
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Location within West and Central Asia |
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.