Battle of Issus

The Battle of Issus (Issos) was a fierce military engagement between Alexander the Great’s Army and the Persian forces, under Darius III. It took place in 333 AD, during the Macedonian military campaign to conquer the Persian Empire. Alexander’s father, Philips of Macedon, had already conquered Greece about 30 years before. Macedonians also spoke Greek as they belonged to the same ethnic group of Hellenic tribes (Greeks).

Alexander the Great advanced towards Issus, a city located in the Gulf of Iskenderum, in Southeast Asia Minor, where the Persian Army was camping. He commanded a mixed army composed of Macedonian and Greek soldiers, who numbered approximately 45,000 men, infantry and cavalry included. Meanwhile, Darius III’s forces totaled 180,000 soldiers.

Alexander deployed his infantry at the center and the cavalry on the flanks, with himself commanding the right wing cavalry. As the opposing infantries got engaged in vicious fighting, the young and brave Macedonian General conducted a quick charge into the mounted forces under Darius III, who was then surrounded by the Persian nobility and body guards. However, when Alexander realized that his infantry was not able to advance, he abandoned the charge and decided to reinforce the center.

Having routed and decimated the Persian infantry in the middle of the battlefield, Alexander launched a relentless attack on Darius III’s cavalry. After two hours of ferocious fighting, the Persian King fled the battlefield as his army got defeated. Thus, the Macedonian and Greek hoplites had wiped out about 70% of the Persian Army.

Below, an ancient painting depicting the Battle of Issus of 333 BC. Alexander the Great is on the left.

Below, map of Asia Minor and the Middle East. The location of the Issus battlefield is marked with a red dot