Battle of Thymbra

Q: How did Cyrus defeat Croesus at the Battle of Thymbra?

Cyrus defeated Croesus through the tactic of the inverted crescent which allowed the Persians to envelop the Lydians on three sides and through the use of camel cavalry which neutralized the Lydian cavalry whose horses were afraid of camels.

Q: What are the ancient sources on the Battle of Thymbra?

The Battle of Thymbra is given in Herodotus Histories I.79-81 and I.84 and in Xenophon's Cyropaedia 2.1.6 - where he gives the numbers of troops involved - and in 7.1.23-28 where he relates the battle. The battle is also mentioned by the writer Ctesias.

Q: Why is the Battle of Thymbra important?

The Battle of Thymbra is important because it ended the powerful Kingdom of Lydia, which was allied with Babylon, allowing Cyrus the Great to take Babylon, subdue Mesopotamia, and establish the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Joshua J. Mark

Battle of Thymbra

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Definition

The Battle of Thymbra (547 BCE) was the decisive engagement between Cyrus II (the Great, r. c. 550-530 BCE) of Persia and Croesus (r. 560-546 BCE), King of Lydia. The Persian victory ended the Kingdom of Lydia, which was then absorbed into the Persian empire, and enabled Cyrus to expand his territories and fully establish the Achaemenid Empire.

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547 BCE
The Battle of Thymbra between Cyrus II of Persia and Croesus, King of Lydia.

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