The Siege of Tyre (332 B.C.)

 The Siege of Tyre (332 B.C.)

Tyre was a wealthy, powerful city built on a small island. The siege lasted from January to August 332 B.C.—over half of one of Alexander's ten allotted years for Asian conquest. The island city is 2,500 feet from shore. Without ships, Alexander began building a mole (dam) across the channel. The story goes that he himself carried and threw in the first basketful of earth.

**The Fire-Ship Attack: ** The Tyrians destroyed weeks of work with a monster fire-ship, a horse transport filled with dry twigs, pitch, and caldrons of oil. Driven before the west wind, it ran up onto the mole, emptying molten pitch upon the towers. "In an hour, the whole work of weeks and months was undone."

**The Fleet Arrives: ** Spring brought fortune. Phoenician ships deserted the Persian fleet. Best of all, 120 ships from Cyprus arrived. Alexander suddenly possessed a superb fleet of 200-250 ships. Now he could outmatch Tyre at sea.

**The Only Sea-Fight: ** One noonday, while Alexander had retired to his tent and sailors went ashore, thirteen Tyrian ships slipped out. They sank several Cyprian ships before alarm spread. But Alexander—contrary to his wont—had returned to the ships. He pushed out, sailing around the city to cut off retreat. Within an hour, in full view of both armies, he caught the Tyrians at the harbour mouth, capturing ships outright. "It was Alexander's only sea-fight. He made land on his conquest of the sea."

**The Final Assault: ** A breach was opened in the southern wall. Alexander led the attack himself. Admetus was first to reach the wall,” transfixed with a spear, the first to die." Step by step, the besiegers won their way. The Tyrians rallied for their last stand before the shrine of Agenor, where the battle "resolved itself into massacre." About 8,000 Tyrians were slain; the Macedonians lost about 400.

**The Calendar Story: ** Plutarch tells that Aristander the soothsayer predicted the city would be taken "within this month"—on the last day of the month, to much merriment. Alexander, "always anxious to maintain the credit of predictions," ordered the calendar set back one day, attacked, and took the city that day.

**Aftermath: ** Some 30,000 were sold into slavery. Those who took refuge in the temple of Hercules were freed. When Darius sent a second embassy offering all territory west of the Euphrates, 10,000 talents, and his daughter in marriage, Parmenion said: "If I were Alexander, I should accept." Alexander replied: "So should I, if I were Parmenion; but as I am Alexander, my answer is what it is."

**Gaza: ** Advancing into Palestine, only Gaza resisted. Alexander was severely wounded by an arrow through shield and cuirass. After two months, the city fell. An entire year since Issus had been spent in Phoenicia and Palestine, but the task of isolating Persia from the Mediterranean was nearing completion.