Pinarus River

Pinarus River

The Pinarus River is a small mountain spring fed stream famous in antiquity as the site of the First Battle of Issus, near a small coastal village or town which was reported to straddle the stream which by similar sources, was said to run red with blood after Alexander the Great leading his elite Companion cavalry turned the right flank of the Persians, smashed the center and routed the much larger Persian forces personally led by Darius III of Persia, who subsequently fled the field in a panic.

Speculation on the location of the Pinarus has been raging for over 80 years. Older historians believed it to be the Deli Tchai river, but historians N.G.L. Hammond and A.M. Devine have made convincing claims that the Pinarus is actually the Payas river, the latter using eye-witness description of the battle, mainly by the historian of Alexander, Ptolemy, compared with a personal examination of the riverine terrain, which may not have drastically changed since antiquity.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Deli Çay River — The Deli Çay River (English: Crazy River), in southern Anatolia near today s Turkey Syria border, was thought during earlier modern times to be the Pinarus river, where Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in the First Battle of… …   Wikipedia

  • Payas River — The Payas River, in southern Anatolia near today s Turkey mdash;Syria border, is thought during recent modern times to be the famous Pinarus river of antiquity, where Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in the First Battle of Issus …   Wikipedia

  • Lycus (river of Cilicia) — Lycus or Lykos ( el. Λύκος) was an ancient river of Cilicia, mentioned only by Pliny (v. 22), that flowed between the Pyramus and Pinarus.References …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Issus — Infobox Military Conflict caption=Alexander battling Darius at the Battle of Issus conflict=Battle of Issus partof=the Wars of Alexander the Great date=November 5, 333 BC place=Issus, Turkey territory=Alexander controls southern Asia Minor.… …   Wikipedia

  • Issus (town) — Issus is an ancient settlement on the strategic coastal plain straddling the small Pinarus river (a fast melt water stream several meters wide) below the navigationally difficult inland mountains towering above to the east in the Turkish Province …   Wikipedia

  • List of rivers of Turkey — Rivers of Turkey can be divided into several groups depending on where they flow. Contents 1 Flow into the Black Sea …   Wikipedia

  • Chronology of the expedition of Alexander the Great into Asia — Chronological summary of the expedition of Alexander the Great into Asia against the Persian Empire of king Darius III, with indication of the countries/places visited or simply crossed, including the most important battles/sieges and the cities… …   Wikipedia

  • Wars of Alexander the Great — Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. From Alexander Mosaic of Pompeii, Naples, Naples National Archaeol …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander the Great — 356 323 B.C., king of Macedonia 336 323: conqueror of Greek city states and of the Persian empire from Asia Minor and Egypt to India. * * * or Alexander III born 356 BC, Pella, Macedonia died June 13, 323 BC, Babylon King of Macedonia (336–323)… …   Universalium

  • Issus, Battle of — (333 BC) Battle on the Issus plain near the Gulf of Iskenderun (in present day southern Turkey) in which Alexander the Great, on the offensive, defeated Darius III, last king of the Achaemenian dynasty. The Macedonians were said to have lost only …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”