Battles & Wars › Greece, Rome & Han › Conquests of Alexander the Great
Battle of the Granicus
May 334 BC· Battle· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Alexander's first victory over Persia, at a river crossing in northwest Anatolia in May 334 BC.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Soon after crossing into Asia, Alexander met an army raised by the local Persian governors, called satraps, with Greek mercenaries, lined up behind the Granicus River. Alexander led his cavalry across into the Persian horsemen and was nearly killed in close fighting, saved by his officer Cleitus the Black. The Persian cavalry broke. The Greek mercenaries were surrounded and mostly killed; about 2,000 survivors were sent to Macedon as forced laborers.
Why it matters
It opened western Anatolia, whose Greek cities soon surrendered, and showed Alexander's style: personal, risky cavalry attacks at the decisive point.
How we know
Arrian, Plutarch and Diodorus, all writing centuries later. The river is today's Biga Çayı in Turkey, though its course has shifted.
Still debated
Diodorus says Alexander crossed unopposed at dawn the next day, unlike Arrian's head-on assault; the size of both armies is also uncertain.
Connections (2)
▸Battle of the Granicus was the first big victory of the Conquests of Alexander the GreatWell documented
The connection
The Granicus was the first clash after Alexander crossed into Asia. Victory showed that the Persian governors could not stop him locally, so Darius III himself had to raise a royal army. Sardis surrendered, and the Greek cities of western Anatolia came over.
When and how
The Biga Çayı river, northwest Turkey, May 334 BC, against an army of satraps and Greek mercenaries.
How we know
Arrian, Plutarch and Diodorus agree on the victory and its results, though they differ on the battle's details.
Debates and open questions
Some historians think the real Persian mistake was fighting at the river at all, instead of retreating and burning the land as their Greek commander Memnon advised.
▸Battle of the Granicus opened Asia Minor to Alexander before the Battle of IssusWell documented
The connection
After the Granicus, Alexander spent about a year and a half taking the coastal cities of Anatolia to cut the Persian fleet off from its bases. That brought him to the Cilician coast, where Darius III and the royal army came up behind him and forced the battle at Issus.
When and how
Western and southern Anatolia, 334–333 BC; Issus, near today's İskenderun in southern Turkey, November 333 BC.
How we know
Arrian's step-by-step narrative of the campaign, including the sieges of Miletus and Halicarnassus, links the two battles.
Debates and open questions
Whether beating the Persian navy from land was a deliberate grand strategy or a practical necessity is still debated.