A new archaeological investigation reinforces the ancient theory that Alexander the Great’s historic battle against the Persians took place in the Biga region of Turkey.
Archaeologists may have found the place where Alexander the Great achieved a crucial victory against the Persian Empire at the Battle of Granicus. The proposed site is about 10 kilometers north of Biga, a city in northwest Turkey where Alexander’s forces defeated Persian troops in 334 BC, marking the beginning of his conquest of Persian territory and the Middle East.
According to Reyhan Körpe, professor of archeology at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, the battle was a monumental moment in history. “The Battle of Granicus was not only one of the most significant turning points in Alexander’s life, which later earned him the epithet ‘the Great,’ but also a pivotal moment in world history,” Körpe told .
The idea of battlefield location is not new. Heinrich Kiepert, a 19th-century archaeologist, suggested the same area, but Körpe’s team has now provided additional evidence to support the hypothesis.
A significant find was the remains of the ancient city of Hermaion, identified as the Alexander’s last camp before the battle. Using geomorphological tests, researchers reconstructed the historic landscape, finding that the path of the Granicus River has changed minimally since the time of Alexander. This allowed the team to eliminate swampy areas that did not match old battlefield descriptions.
A promising site on a hill near the battlefield provided further clues. Farmers discovered graves with weaponspossibly dating from the time of Alexander. In 2024, human remains of an adult male were unearthed near the southern slope of the hill. Although the absence of grave markers suggests they were not part of a formal cemetery, further testing is needed to confirm the individual’s age and cause of death.
Körpe’s team plans carry out geophysical surveys and excavations to uncover more evidence. Their work could potentially confirm the location of one of Alexander the Great’s first and most important victories, offering valuable insights into this historic battle.