Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Muye

Battle of Muye was a battle fought in 1046 BC in what is now People's Republic of China. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at its recorded location. The recorded result: Zhou victory; Collapse of the Shang dynasty; Rise of the Zhou dynasty; Death of Di Xin; Burning of the Deer Terrace Pavilion. Recorded strength: 170,000 troops; Historically, the Shang Dynasty is recorded as deploying 700,000 troops (disputed). against 45,000 footmen.

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Fought1046 BC
WherePeople's Republic of China35.316N, 113.896E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeZhou victory; Collapse of the Shang dynasty; Rise of the Zhou dynasty; Death of Di Xin; Burning of the Deer Terrace Pavilion
BelligerentsShangagainstZhou; Yong (庸); Shu (蜀); Qiang (羌); Mao (髳); Wei (微); Lu (盧); Peng (彭); Pu (濮)

Record

Date1046 BC (year precision)
PlacePeople's Republic of China
35.316N, 113.896E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength170,000 troops; Historically, the Shang Dynasty is recorded as deploying 700,000 troops (disputed).45,000 footmen
Casualties and lossesHeavy
Commanders
  • Di Xin
  • Elai Ge
  • Changbi Jue'er
  • King Wu of Zhou
  • Jiang Ziya
  • San Yisheng
  • Hong Yao (Western Zhou)
  • Nangong Kuo (Western Zhou)
  • Tai Dian
Battle of MuyeBattle of MuyeSiege of Kaifeng (1232)Battle of BiBattle of XingyangBattle of GuanduBattle of HulaoSiege of Kaifeng (1232)Battle of BiBattle of GuanduBattle of HulaoShangqiuLuoyangHezeAnyangJiaozuoJinchengChangzhiPuyang100 km35.316N, 113.896E
Placed at its recorded location; the exact site is not recorded. 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 Battle of Muye
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Muye today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-10-03. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 75 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 55 to 96 m, 42 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 79% built-up, 12% tree cover, 3% cropland.

built-up: 79%tree cover: 12%cropland: 3%grassland: 3%built-up 79%tree cover 12%cropland 3%grassland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km68 to 84 mnorth to south, 10.0 km68 to 84 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

Battle of Muye is one of 4 engagements of the 11th century BC in the atlas and one of 339 in present-day People's Republic of China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1273506, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Muye, revision 1384852960, 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.