Battle of the Granicus River
Alexander fought his first battle in Asia at the Granicus in May 334 BC and nearly died in it. He had crossed the Hellespont with some 40,000 men and no money, and had thrown a spear into the shore on landing to claim Asia as won by the gods. The Persian satraps of Anatolia met him at a river with steep muddy banks — a good defensive position and a bad one for their strength, since their advantage was in cavalry and they placed it on the bank rather than holding it back. Memnon of Rhodes, the ablest commander present, argued for scorched earth and refusing battle, and was overruled by satraps who would not burn their own provinces. Alexander attacked in the afternoon at an angle, drawing the Persian horse to one flank and then leading the Companion cavalry across in a wedge at the weakened point. The fighting round him was hand to hand and personal: Persian nobles targeting him specifically, his helmet split by an axe, and his life saved by Cleitus the Black cutting off the arm that was about to strike. The Greek mercenaries in Persian service were left standing after the cavalry broke, asked for terms, and were refused and cut down, with about 2,000 sent to labour in Macedonia as traitors to Greece. He sent 300 suits of Persian armour to Athens with a dedication naming everyone except the Spartans. Western Anatolia opened. The treatment of the Greek mercenaries is the detail that shows what the expedition actually was. Alexander was campaigning as leader of a Greek league against Persia and had to be seen to punish Greeks who fought for the enemy, and there were more Greeks in Persian service than in his own army.
- Year: 334 BCE
- Category: Military
