Battle of Issus 333 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 333 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Turkey | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Wars of Alexander the Great | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 36.8379, 36.2111 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Issus (also Issos) occurred in southern Anatolia, on 5 November 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid (or Persian) Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second major battle in Alexander's invasion of the Persian empire, and the first encounter between Darius III and Alexander the Great. The battle resulted in the Macedonian troops defeating the Persian forces. Darius was forced to flee, leaving behind his family and treasury which were captured by Alexander.
After the Hellenic League soundly defeated the Persian satraps of Asia Minor, who were led by the Greek mercenary Memnon of Rhodes at the Battle of the Granicus, Darius took personal command of his army. He gathered reinforcements and proceeded to lead his men in a surprise march behind the Hellenic advance, in order to cut off their line of supply. Alexander was forced to countermarch, and the stage was set for the battle near the mouth of the Pinarus River and the city of Issus.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Issus (revision 1377961624), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Issus (194) 194 · 4 km
- Battle of Alexandretta 971 · 29 km
- Battle of Mari 1266 · 37 km
- Battle of Amanus Pass 39 BC · 40 km
- Battle of Mount Gindarus 38 BC · 65 km
- Battle of the Iron Bridge 637 · 67 km
Other battles of the Wars of Alexander the Great
- Battle of the Granicus 334 BC
- Siege of Halicarnassus 334 BC
- Siege of Miletus 334 BC
- Siege of Gaza (332 BC) 332 BC
- Siege of Tyre (332 BC) 332 BC
- Battle of Gaugamela 331 BC
- Battle of the Uxian Defile 331 BC
- Battle of the Persian Gate 330 BC
- Battle of Jaxartes 329 BC
- Siege of Cyropolis 329 BC
All 12 battles of the Wars of Alexander the Great →
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