Siege of Tyre (332 BC) 332 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 332 BC | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Lebanon | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Wars of Alexander the Great | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Achaemenid Empire, Ancient Carthage, Kingdom of Tyre, League of Corinth, Macedonian Empire | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 33.2708, 35.1961 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Tyre was carried out by Alexander the Great in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Persians. At first, the Macedonian army was unable to capture the city of Tyre, which was a strategic coastal base on the Mediterranean Sea, through conventional means because it was on an island that was 1 kilometer off the coast of modern-day Lebanon (at the time Phoenicia) and had walls right up to the sea. Alexander responded by first blockading and besieging Tyre for seven months and building a causeway. When his soldiers discovered that they could not extend it any further due to a steep drop under the surface of the water, he ordered siege towers with catapults at the top to be moved to the end. This allowed him to breach the fortifications.
It is said that Alexander was so enraged by the Tyrians' fierce defence of the city and the loss of his men that he destroyed half the city. According to Arrian, 8,000 Tyrian civilians were massacred after the city fell. Alexander granted pardon to all who had sought sanctuary in the temple, including Azemilcus and his family, as well as many nobles. 30,000 residents and foreigners, mainly women and children, were sold into slavery.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Tyre (332 BC) (revision 1370746137), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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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
- Battle of Issus 333 BC
- Siege of Gaza (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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