The site of one of the most decisive battles in history, the Battle of Granicus, where Alexander the Great first defeated the Persians in his pursuit of all of Asia Minor, has finally been located in northwestern Turkey.
In May 334 BC, Alexander the Great achieved his first victory against the Persian Achaemenid Empire in his campaign to conquer Asia Minor. The Battle of Granicus was the first of three major battles between the two armies that allowed Alexander the Great to advance into India, Professor Reyhan Korpe, the project’s scientific adviser, told Turkey Today.
The exact location of one of the most legendary battlefields in human history has remained a mystery for over a century. However, twenty years ago Professor Korpe began his quest to find the epic piece of land, on which approximately 90,000 people have fought to the death. The area will soon become a tourist attraction, as part of the Alexander the Great Cultural Route project.
In a campaign that forever marked the course of history, Alexander put down rebellions in the Balkans and Greece before entering his first formal battle against Persia (under Darius) in the spring of 334 BC. The advisors warned Darius to carry out an alternative strategy instead of facing Alexander’s stronger infantry. Unfortunately for them, they did not listen, he writes InterestingEngineering.
One of the most important moments in world history
They waited for Alexander’s army on the Granicus River to meet their end, especially the Greek mercenaries hired to fight for Persia, as they were considered traitors. Alexander showed them no mercy. However, in a twist of events, Alexander almost lost his life.
Scholars knew that the battle took place along the Granicus River, but historians have long tried to determine its coordinates because no one knew where it took place.
Finally, Prof. Korpe, launched an investigation about 20 years ago that ended the long-running mystery. As he explained to Turkey Today, their methodology includes consulting ancient sources.
The battlefields will soon become a tourist attraction
First, they identified the route that Alexander and his army took, which allowed them to focus their research “We mapped the exact route taken by Alexander, starting from the village of Ozbek, passing through Umurbey, Lapseki and in the later, going down to the Biga plain,” said Professor Korpe.
They not only found the site of the unforgettable battle, but also detected the villages that were involved. As Professor Korpe rightly stated for Turkey Today, “this battle is considered one of the most important moments in world history” because it weakened the Persian stronghold and allowed Alexander to advance. Eventually, the Persian Empire would fall under Alexander.
The ongoing project in Turkey, led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and local municipalities, plans to turn the battlefield into a cultural point of interest for tourists. As the country expands its tourism sector, this important cultural and historical site is sure to appeal to history buffs.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
