Battle of Issus

Battle of Issus
Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great
Alexander battling Darius at the Battle of Issus (Naples National Archaeological Museum)
Date 5 November 333 BC Location Issus, Anatolia, Achaemenid Empire (modern-day Kinet Höyük, Yeşilköy, Dörtyol, Hatay, Turkey) 36°45′09″N 36°11′32″E / 36.7525°N 36.1923°E / 36.7525; 36.1923 Result Macedonian victory Territorial changes Alexander captures southern Asia Minor
Belligerents
Macedon League of Corinth	Achaemenid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Alexander the Great Parmenion Craterus Hephaestion Ptolemy Pantordanus Sitalces II Menes Balacrus	Darius III Arsames † Rheomithres † Atizyes † Bubaces † Sabaces †
Strength
Total: c. 37,000 24,000 heavy infantry 9,000 phalangites 3,000 hypaspists 7,000 allied hoplites 5,000 mercenary hoplites 8,000 light infantry 7,000 Thracians and Illyrians 1,000 Agrianians and archers 5,100 heavy cavalry 1,800 Macedonian cavalry 1,800 Thessalian cavalry 600 other Greek cavalry 900 light cavalry Thracians and Paeonians	Total: 50,000–60,000[1] (modern estimates) Total: 250,000–600,000 (ancient sources) 30,000–80,000 light infantry[a][2] 11,000 cavalry[3] 10,000 Persian Immortals 10,000 Greek mercenaries[4]
Casualties and losses
4,952 casualties[5][6] 150 killed 4,500 wounded 302 missing	~20,000-40,000 casualties[6]
Issus class=notpageimage| Location of the Battle of Issus Show map of West and Central Asia Issus Issus (Turkey) Show map of Turkey

Alexander the Great

1200km
820miles

Babylon

15

Malavas

14

Hydaspes

13

Cophen

12

Cyropolis

11

Persian Gate

10

Uxians

9

Gaugamela

8

Alexandria

7

Gaza

6

Tyre

5

Issus

4

Miletus

3

Granicus

2

Pella

1

  

  current 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 Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of Asia, and the first encounter between Darius III and Alexander the Great. The battle resulted in the Macedonian troops defeating the Persian forces.

After the Hellenic League soundly defeated the Persian satraps of Asia Minor (led by 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 town of Issus.

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