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The Siege of Tyre was orchestrated by
Alexander the Great in 332 during his campaigns against the Persians. The
Macedonian army was unable to capture the city, which was a strategic coastal
base on the Mediterranean Sea, through conventional means because it was on an
island and had walls right up to the sea. Alexander responded to this problem
by first blockading and besieging Tyre for seven months, and then by building a
causeway that allowed him to breach the fortifications. It is said that
Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians' defence of their city and the loss of
his men that he destroyed half the city. According to Arrian, 8,000 Tyrian
civilians were massacred after the city fell. Alexander granted pardon to all
who had sought sanctuary in the temple, including Azemilcus and his family, as
well as many nobles. 30,000 residents and foreigners, mainly women and
children, were sold into slavery.
Opponents:
Macedonia League of Corinth
Tyrians Achaemenid Empire
Commanders and leaders:
Alexander the Great Hephaestion
Azemilcus
Casualties and losses:
Macedonians -400 killed
Tyre -6,000–7,000 killed in action 2,000 executed 13,000–30,000
civilians enslaved
Location:
Tyre, the largest and most important city-state of Phoenicia, was located both
on the Mediterranean coast as well as a nearby island with two natural harbours
on the landward side. The island lay about a kilometre from the coast in
Alexander’s days, its high walls reaching 45.8 m (150 ft) above the sea on
the eastern, landward facing, side of the island.
Background:
At the time of the siege, the city held approximately 40,000 people, though the
women and children had been evacuated to Carthage, the former Phoenician colony
and then Mediterranean power. The Carthaginians also promised to send a fleet
to their mother city’s aid. As Alexander did not have access to his own
navy, he resolved to take the city and thus deny the Persians their last
harbour in the region. Alexander knew of a temple to Melqart, whom he
identified with Heracles, within the new city walls and informed the
inhabitants that they would be spared if he were allowed to make a sacrifice in
the temple (the old port had been abandoned and the Tyrians were now living on
an offshore island a kilometre from the mainland). The defenders refused to
allow this and suggested he use the temple on the mainland, saying that they
would not let Persians or Macedonians within their new city.
A second attempt at negotiation resulted in Alexander's representatives being
killed and then thrown from the walls into the sea. Alexander was enraged at
the Tyrian defiance and ordered the siege to commence.
The siege:
As Alexander could not attack the city from the sea, he built a kilometre-long
causeway stretching out to the island on a natural land bridge no more than two
meters deep. This causeway allowed his artillery to get in range of the walls,
and is still there to this day, as it was made of stone. As the work came near
the city walls, however, the water became much deeper, and the combined attacks
from the walls and Tyrian navy made construction nearly impossible. Therefore,
Alexander constructed two towers 50 m (160 ft) high and moved them to the end
of the causeway. Like most of Alexander’s siege towers, these were moving
artillery platforms, with catapults on the top to clear defenders off the
walls, and ballista below to hurl rocks at the wall and attacking ships. The
towers were made of wood, but were covered in rawhide to protect them from fire
arrows. Although these towers were possibly the largest of their kind ever
made, the Tyrians quickly devised a counter-attack. They used an old horse
transport ship, filling it with dried branches, pitch, sulphur, and various
other combustibles. They then hung cauldrons of oil from the masts, so that
they would fall onto the deck once the masts burned through. They also weighed
down the back of the ship so that the front rose above the water. They then set
the ship on fire and ran it up onto the causeway. The fire spread quickly,
engulfing both towers and other siege equipment that had been brought up. The
Tyrian ships swarmed the pier, destroying any siege equipment that hadn’t
caught fire, and driving off Macedonian crews who were trying to put out the
fires.
After this set back, Alexander was convinced that he would not be able to take
Tyre without a navy. However, his previous victory at Issus and subsequent
conquests of the Phoenician city states of Byblos, Arwad and Sidon had meant
that the fleets of these cities, which had composed most of the Persian navy,
came under his banner. This immediately gave him command of a fleet of 80
ships. This development coincided also with the arrival of 120 war galleys sent
by the king of Cyprus, who had heard of his victories and wished to join him.
With the arrival of another 23 ships from the Greek city states of Ionia,
Alexander had 223 galleys under his command, giving him command of the sea.
With his new fleet, Alexander's forces sailed on Tyre and quickly blockaded
both ports with its superior numbers. Alexander had several of the slower
galleys and a few barges refitted with battering rams. Finding that large
underwater blocks of stone kept the rams from reaching the walls, Alexander had
them removed by crane ships. The rams were then anchored near the walls, but
the Tyrians sent out ships and divers to cut the anchor cables. Alexander
responded by replacing the cables with chains. The Tyrians launched another
counter-attack, but according to Arrian, were not so fortunate this time. They
noticed that Alexander returned to the mainland at the same time every
afternoon for a meal and a rest along with much of his navy. They therefore
attacked at this time, but found Alexander had skipped his afternoon nap, and
was able to quickly counter the sortie.
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Conclusion of the siege:
Alexander started testing the wall at various points with his rams, until the
rams made a small breach in the south end of the island. He then coordinated an
attack across the breach with a bombardment from all sides by his navy.
Alexander is said to have personally taken part in the attack on the city,
fighting from the top of a siege tower. Once his troops forced their way into
the city, they easily overtook the garrison, and quickly captured the city.
Those citizens who took shelter in the temple of Melqart were pardoned by
Alexander, including the king of Tyre.
According to Quintus Curtius Rufus 6,000 fighting men were killed within the
city and 2,000 Tyrians were crucified on the beach. The others, some 30,000
people, were sold into slavery. The severity of reprisals reflected the length
of the siege and Alexander's response to the Tyrians having executed some of
his soldiers on the walls, in sight of the attackers. Following the capture of
Tyre, Alexander moved south to attack Gaza.
Alternative conclusion:
Polyaenus the Macedonian, in one of the two stratagems he gives about
Alexander's siege of Tyre, provides a different account of Alexander’s
conquest of the city. According to him, Alexander had marched into Arabia
having left Parmenion in charge of the besieging force. The Tyrians found the
courage to exit their walls and engage the Greeks, often beating them in
various skirmishes. Alexander was informed and hurried back, reaching the city
exactly when the Tyrians were fighting against a retreating Parmenion. Instead
of attacking the Tyrians, he chose to march directly to the city, which he
immediately took by force surprising its remaining garrison. Another view is
that Alexander was so incensed at having to build a bridge to take the city of
Tyre that he decided to kill or enslave most of Tyre's population.
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