Back حصار غزة (332 ق.م) Arabic غزه موحاصیرهسی AZB Setge de Gaza Catalan Belagerung von Gaza German Πολιορκία της Γάζας Greek Sitio de Gaza (332 a. C.) Spanish محاصره غزه Persian Gazan piiritys Finnish המצור על עזה (332 לפנה"ס) HE Pengepungan Gaza ID
| Siege of Gaza | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Wars of Alexander the Great | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 MacedonHellenic League |
 Achaemenid EmpireArab mercenaries[1] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alexander the Great (WIA) Hephaestion |
Batis  | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 45,000 | 15,000[2] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown, but fewer | 11,000[2] | ||||||||
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:West_Asia_non_political_with_water_system.jpg)  Gaza City Location of the siege in Western Asia | |||||||||
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The siege of Gaza, as part of the Wars of Alexander the Great, took place in October of 332 BCE. Resulting in a victory for Macedon, it ended the 31st Dynasty of Egypt, which functioned as a satrapy under the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
Alexander succeeded in reaching the walls of Gaza by utilizing the engines that he had employed earlier that year, during the siege of Tyre.[3] Following three unsuccessful assaults, the Macedonian army was able to storm and take the Gazan stronghold.[4]
Batis, the military commander of Gaza's fortress,[5] expected to hold the city as well as the rest of Egypt in complete subjection until the raising of another army by Persian king Darius III; confronting Alexander at Gaza was crucial to denying the Macedonians a route into the Egyptian mainland.[6] The fortress was located on an eminence, on the edge of a desert from which the surrounding area could be easily controlled, including the main road from Assyria to Egypt. The city, over 18 metres (60 ft) high, was traditionally employed to control the surrounding area, which, even then, was a hotbed of dissent.[6] Batis was aware that Alexander was leading his army southward after successfully conquering Tyre, and therefore provisioned Gaza for a long siege by the Macedonian army.[6] It is also likely that he was aware of Alexander's intention to secure absolute control over the Mediterranean coast before mounting an invasion of the Persian mainland.
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- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Franckwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Engels, Donald W. (1980) [1978]. "3. Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and Iraq". Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army (2nd ed.). Berkeley, California, United States: University of California Press. pp. 54–70. ISBN 9780520042728. LCCN 76-52025 – via Google Books.
- ^ Arrian of Nicomedia 1884, pp. 136, XXVI. Siege of Gaza.
- ^ "Leaders and Battles: Gaza, Siege of". Leaders and Battles Database. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
- ^ Aharoni, Yonahan (2006) [2003]. "1. Ancient Times (E. The Hellenistic Period)". In Ahituv, Shmuel; Ball, Barbara Laurel (eds.). The Jewish People: An Illustrated History. New York City, United States: Continuum. p. 57. ISBN 9780826418869 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Dodge 1996, pp. 343–352, XXV. Gaza and Egypt. September, B.C. 332, to Spring B.C. 331.