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Researchers may have finally identified the site whereAlexander the Greatfought the Battle of the Granicus against thePersian Empire .
The site is about 6 mile ( 10 kilometer ) north of the urban center of Biga in northwest Turkey . In 334 B.C. Alexander ’s forces kill the Persians at the battlefield , which enable them to establish a foothold in Persian district and push deeper into the Middle East .
A colorized engraving of Alexander the Great fighting at the Battle of the Granicus.
" The Battle of Granicus was not only one of the most pregnant turn points in Alexander ’s life , later make him the epithet ' the Great , ' but [ was ] also a polar moment in world story , " team leaderReyhan Körpe , an archaeology professor at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University , told Live Science in an electronic mail .
The discovery is not entirely Modern . Körpe noted that Heinrich Kiepert , an archaeologist who influence in the region in the nineteenth century , had suggested that the same area could be the location of the battlefield . But Körpe ’s squad has now uncovered extra evidence supporting the suggestion .
Notably , the team identified the remains of the ancient metropolis of Hermaion , which ancient record signal was the location of Alexander ’s last camping site before the conflict . The researchers then conducted geomorphological tests to construct what the nearby landscape painting looked like when the battle was crusade . They witness that the route of the Granicus River had changed little since Alexander ’s sentence . They also found that some area were sloppy in Alexander ’s time and therefore do n’t match the verbal description of the battleground , turn on the squad to harness out these emplacement .
(Image credit: Photo courtesy Reyhan Körpe)
Related : What if the Persians had kill Alexander the Great ?
The battlefield as seen from a J. J. Hill used by Grecian mercenaries .
The Granicus battlefield , near where Alexander himself may have been positioned .
(Image credit: Photo courtesy Reyhan Körpe)
Remains from the city of Hermaion , which was the last place Alexander the Great ’s troops encamp at before the battle of Granicus .
Ancient records say that Alexander send Persian Greek mercenaries on a Benny Hill , and the team identified a promising hill site where local Farmer had find graves with weapon that may see to Alexander ’s time . For object lesson , in 2024 , Fannie Merritt Farmer uncovered the clay of human bone during plowing near the southern slope of the hill . The researchers examined the bones and ground that they are from an grownup male .
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(Image credit: Photo courtesy Reyhan Körpe)
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" The want of typical grave mark or artefact indicated these were not part of a formal cemetery , " Körpe allege . However , more trial run need to be done to mold when this individual dates to and how they died .
Live Science contact scholars not involved with the research worker to get their thoughts . Graham Wrightson , a account professor at South Dakota State University , said that the team ’s finds are interesting . " It is exciting that they conceive it has been discover , " Wrightson told Live Science in an email . " We ’ll have to wait more old age now to see what artifacts come out of the annual digs . "
Körpe said that the team plan to conduct geophysical sight and dig to get a better idea of what lie beneath the background .
