Key Facts
- Year
- 332 BC
- Duration
- 7 months
- Tyrian civilians massacred
- 8,000
- Residents sold into slavery
- 30,000
- Island distance from coast
- 1 km off the Phoenician coast
Strategic Narrative Overview
Conventional assault proved impossible against Tyre's island position and sea-level walls. Alexander responded by blockading the city and constructing a causeway from the mainland to the island. When the causeway could not be extended over a sudden underwater drop, he deployed siege towers equipped with catapults at its end. After seven months of sustained operations combining engineering, artillery, and naval pressure, Macedonian forces breached the fortifications and entered the city.
01 / The Origins
During Alexander the Great's campaign against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Tyre was the most strategically significant coastal city in Phoenicia. Situated on an island approximately one kilometer off the coast of modern Lebanon, it commanded vital sea routes in the eastern Mediterranean. Capturing it was essential for Alexander to deny Persia a powerful naval base that could threaten his lines of communication and supply as he advanced eastward.
03 / The Outcome
Following the city's fall, Alexander, enraged by the fierce resistance and his own losses, ordered severe reprisals. According to Arrian, 8,000 Tyrian civilians were killed. Around 30,000 residents and foreigners, predominantly women and children, were sold into slavery. Those who had sought sanctuary in the temple, including King Azemilcus and nobles, received pardon. The city's capture gave Alexander full control of the Phoenician coast and eliminated the Persian naval threat.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Alexander the Great.
Side B
1 belligerent
Azemilcus.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.