Battle of Thymbra

Battle of Thymbra
Part of the Campaigns of Cyrus the Great

Defeat of Croesus at the Battle of Thymbra, 546 BC
DateDecember, 547 BC
Location
Thymbra, Lydia
(modern-day Manisa, Turkey)
38°40′00″N 27°50′00″E / 38.66667°N 27.83333°E / 38.66667; 27.83333
Result Achaemenid victory
Territorial
changes
Anatolia annexed by Persia
Belligerents

Lydian Kingdom

Achaemenid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Strength
420,000 total (Xenophon)

Modern Estimates:
Over 100,000[1]
196,000 total (Xenophon)

Modern Estimates:
20,000–50,000[2]
Casualties and losses
Heavy Light
Battle of Thymbra is located in The Aegean Sea area
Battle of Thymbra
Approximate location of the Battle of Thymbra

The Battle of Thymbra was the decisive battle in the war between Croesus of the Lydian Kingdom and Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus, after he had pursued Croesus into Lydia after the drawn Battle of Pteria, met the remains of Croesus' partially-disbanded army in battle on the plain north of Sardis in December 547 BC. Croesus' army was about twice as large and had been reinforced with many new men, but Cyrus still utterly defeated it. That proved to be decisive, and after the 14-day Siege of Sardis, the city and possibly its king fell, and Lydia was conquered by the Persians.


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  1. ^ Mark, Joshua J. "Battle of Thymbra". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  2. ^ Davis, Paul K. (2001). 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780195143669.