Atlas of Battles

siege, major, ancient

Siege of Gaza

Siege of Gaza was a siege conducted in October 332 BC at Gaza City, in what is now Palestine. It was part of the Wars of Alexander the Great, which ran from 336 BC to 323 BC. The recorded result: Macedonian victory. Recorded strength: 45,000 against 15,000.

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Painting of en:Gaza, en:Palestine.
Painting of en:Gaza, en:Palestine.. David Roberts, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtOctober 332 BC
WhereGaza City, Palestine31.517N, 34.450E
OutcomeMacedonian victory
BelligerentsMacedon; Hellenic LeagueagainstAchaemenid Empire; Arab mercenaries
Casualties and losses10,000and11,000
Part ofWars of Alexander the Great336 BC to 323 BC

Where it sits in the Wars of Alexander the Great

Battle of Thessaly, 336 BCSiege of Halicarnassus, 334 BCSiege of Miletus, 334 BCSiege of Termessos, 334 BCBattle of the Granicus, 334 BCBattle of Issus, 333 BCSiege of Tyre, 332 BCSiege of Gaza, 332 BCBattle of Gaugamela, 331 BCBattle of the Uxian Defile, 331 BCBattle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain, 330 BCSiege of Cyropolis, 329 BCBattle of Polytimetus, 329 BCBattle of Jaxartes, 329 BCBattle of Gabai, 328 BCSiege of the Sogdian Rock, 327 BC336 BC327 BCSiege of Gaza, 332 BC
16 placed engagements of the Wars of Alexander the Great in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateOctober 332 BC (month precision)
PlaceGaza City, Palestine
31.517N, 34.450E
KindSiege, ancient
Territorial changeMacedonian army captures Gaza, securing access to the Egyptian mainland
Strength45,00015,000
Casualties and losses10,00011,000
Commanders
  • Batis (commander)
Siege of GazaSiege of GazaBattle of GazaSiege of GazaSiege of GazaBattle of GazaFirst Battle of GazaBattle of GazaTel AvivAmmanJerusalemNablusEl ArishNazarethAl KarakAz Zarqa100 km31.517N, 34.450E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Gaza
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Gaza today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-14. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 48 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 88 m, 88 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 76% built-up, 14% water, 7% tree cover.

built-up: 76%water: 14%tree cover: 7%built-up 76%water 14%tree cover 7%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 72 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 55 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between 720 BC and 1948.

In the same war

Siege of Gaza is one of 137 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 43 in present-day Palestine.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815143, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Gaza (332 BC), revision 1370741433, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.