Siege of Tyre ( 332 BC ) The Siege of Tyre was orchestrated by Alexander the Great in 332 BC 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 fortification s . It is said that Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians ' defense 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 the king and his family , whilst the 30 , 000 residents and foreigners taken were sold into slavery . 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 harbors on the landward side . The Island lay about half a mile from the coast in Alexander ’ s day , its high walls reaching above the sea on the east , 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 were evacuated to Carthage , an ancient Phoenician colony . The Carthaginians also promised to send a fleet to their mother city ’ s aid . As Alexander did not have much of a navy , he resolved to take the city and thus deny the Persians their last harbor in the region . After months of trying to capture Tyre the Persian fleet surrendered about 332 BC . This enabled Alexander to attack from all sides . Alexander knew of a temple to Melkart , 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 sacrifice in the temple ( the old port had been abandoned and the Tyrians were now living on an offshore island half a mile from the mainland ) . The defenders refused to allow this and suggested he use the temple in the mainland , saying that they would not let Persians or Macedonians within their new city . A second attempt at negotiation resulted in his representatives being killed and then thrown from the walls into the sea , and Alexander became enraged at the defiance and ordered the siege to commence . The siege . As Alexander could not attack the city from the sea , he built a kilometer - 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 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 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 counterattack . They used an old horse transport ship , filling it with dried branches , pitch , sulfur , 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 lit it 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 that were trying to put out the fires . Alexander was convinced that he would not be able to take Tyre without a navy . However , the Persian navy returned to find their home cities under Alexander ’ s control . The Persians ' allegiance to their cities allowed Alexander to command 80 ships . This coincided with the arrival of another 120 from Cyprus , which had heard of his victories and wished to join him . With the arrival of another 23 ships , Alexander had 223 galleys under his command . Alexander then sailed on Tyre and quickly blockaded both ports with his superior numbers . He had several of the slower galleys , and a few barges , refit 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 then anchored near the walls , but the Tyrians sent out ships and divers to cut the anchor cables . Alexander responded by replacing them with chains . The Tyrians launched another counterattack , yet were not so fortunate this time . They noticed that Alexander returned to the mainland at the same time every afternoon for lunch , at the same time much of his navy did . They therefore attacked at this time , but found Alexander had skipped his afternoon nap , and was able to quickly counter the sortie . Conclusion of the siege . Alexander started testing the wall at various points with his rams , until he 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 that took shelter in the temple of Melkart 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 was both because of the length of the siege , and because the Tyrians had executed some captured soldiers on the walls , in sight of the attackers . Alternative conclusion . Polyaenus the Macedonian , in one of the two stratagems he gives about Alexander ' s siege of Tyre , proposes another account as to how Alexander conquered 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 battle . Alexander was informed and hurried back , reaching the city exactly when the Tyrians were fighting against a retreating Parmenion . Instead of attacking the Phoenicians , he chose to march directly to the city , which he immediately took by force surprising its remaining garrison .