Battle of Issus

1 9.1

A battle in 333 BC where Alexander defeated the Persian king Darius III

noun
/ˈbætəl əv ˈɪsəs/

: Batalla de Issos

Is it the Battle of Issus (on the Turkish coast) in 333 B.C., where Alexander began his unrelenting press to the east and where he captured all of Darius's family except the king himself?

Examples

In 333 BC, Alexander the Great won a decisive victory over Darius III at the Battle of Issus.
Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Army commanded by Darius III at the battle of Issus in 333 BC.

Blog text (19)
The Battle of Issus marked a significant turning point in Alexander's campaign against the Persians.
Historians often discuss the strategies employed by both sides during the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.

Synonyms

Issus

vsBattle of Issus

1 9.9

A famous battle in 333 BC where Alexander the Great defeated Darius III

uses the full descriptive phrase naming the same 333 BC battle

Surface Forms

Battle of Issus singular

Battles of Issus plural

Morphology

battle + of + Issus

The phrase is compositionally built from 'battle' (a large armed fight) + 'of' + the place name 'Issus', so a learner who knows the constituents can readily infer it denotes the battle that took place at Issus. Although the precise historical details (date, participants) are not recoverable from the words alone, the core referential meaning is directly derivable and follows common cross-linguistic naming patterns for battles.

Etymology

The Battle of Issus is named after the town of Issus, where in 333 BC Alexander the Great met Darius III and beat the Persian army on a narrow plain by the sea. The image of a smaller force breaking a larger one in a tight space makes the name easy to remember as the place of Alexander's big 'victory'.