January–July 332 BC · Phoenicia (modern Lebanon) Theater
January–July 332 BC
Tyre was an island city half a mile offshore, protected by walls 150 feet high, a powerful fleet, and generations of fortification. When Alexander demanded entry, the Tyrians refused. Alexander responded by building a causeway from the mainland — a mole of rubble and timber gradually pushed toward the island over seven months. The Tyrians fought back with fireships, artillery, and raids. When the mole finally reached the walls, Alexander launched a simultaneous amphibious assault using captured Phoenician and Cypriot fleets. The walls were breached after seven months. Some 8,000 Tyrians were killed in the final assault; 30,000 were sold into slavery. The 2,000 men of fighting age who survived were crucified along the beach.
Commanders