Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Issus

Battle of Issus was a battle fought on 5 November 333 BC at Issus, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Wars of Alexander the Great, which ran from 336 BC to 323 BC. The recorded result: Macedonian victory.

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de. Albrecht Altdorfer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought5 November 333 BC
WhereIssus, Turkey36.838N, 36.211E
OutcomeMacedonian victory
BelligerentsMacedon; Hellenic LeagueagainstAchaemenid Empire
Casualties and losses150 killed; 4,500 wounded; 302 missingand~20,000–40,000 casualties
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 BCBattle of Issus, 333 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

Date5 November 333 BC
PlaceIssus, Turkey
36.838N, 36.211E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changeAlexander captures southern Asia Minor
StrengthTotal: about 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 Greek Thessalian cavalry; 600 other Greek cavalry; 900 light cavalry (Thracians and Paeonians)Modern estimate: 108,000–158,000; Ancient sources: 250,000–600,000; 30,000–80,000 light infantry; 11,000 cavalry; 10,000 Persian Immortals; 40,000 infantry Armenians and 7,000 Armenian cavalry; 10,000 Greek mercenaries
Casualties and losses150 killed; 4,500 wounded; 302 missing~20,000–40,000 casualties
Commanders
  • Darius III
  • Sabaces
  • Arsames (satrap of Cilicia)
  • Rheomithres
  • Atizyes
  • Oxyathres of Persia
Battle of IssusBattle of IssusBattle of IssusBattle of AlexandrettaBattle of MariBattle of Amanus PassBattle of Mount GindarusBattle of IssusBattle of AlexandrettaBattle of MariBattle of Mount GindarusAdanaGaziantepTarsusSamandagiKahramanmaraşIdlibManbijNiğde100 km36.838N, 36.211E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Issus is one of 137 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q201526, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Issus, revision 1385025359, 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.