Battle of Pelusium
| date | May 525 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | on the Sinai (31 ° 00'N - 32 ° 32'E) |
| output | Victory of the Persians |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Persia |
Egypt |
| Commander | |
|
Cambyses II |
Psammetich III. |
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | about 30,000 men |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
In the Battle of Pelusium in May 525 BC he was defeated. The Persian king Cambyses II on the Sinai the ancient Egyptian (Saïtischen) pharaoh Psammetich III. and conquered Egypt. Only Memphis was able to offer resistance for some time.
According to Herodotus III, 10 the Egyptian Pharaoh camped at the Pelusian branch of the Nile (near Tanis) to await Cambyses II. Pelusium was a strategically important frontier town that controlled trade between Egypt and Asia. Around 4,000–5,000 soldiers were stationed at this border fortification. The Egyptian army is estimated at around 30,000 men, the Persian army should not have been smaller. The betrayal of the Egyptian troop leader Phanes from Halicarnassus (III, 4) - the main force of Psammetich III. consisted of Greek mercenaries - who recommended an alliance between the Persians and the Arabs and betrayed the defenses of the Egyptians, played an important role in the outcome of the battle. Nothing is known about the losses suffered by the parties in this battle.
literature
- Reinhold Bichler : Herodotus world. The structure of history based on the image of foreign countries and peoples, their civilization and their history. 2nd edition, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-05-003429-7 , pp. 210-212.