Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Ipsus

Battle of Ipsus was a battle fought in 301 BC at Ipsos, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Fourth War of the Diadochi, which ran from 308 BC to 301 BC. The recorded result: Anti-Antigonid coalition victory.

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Bust of Lysimachus
Bust of Lysimachus. José Luiz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought301 BC
WhereIpsos, Turkey38.950N, 30.990E
OutcomeAnti-Antigonid coalition victory
BelligerentsAntigonid dynastyagainstAnti-Antigonid coalition: Seleucid Empire; Lysimachid Thrace; Antipatrid Macedon
Casualties and lossesAll but 5,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry (Plutarch)andUnknown
Part ofFourth War of the Diadochi308 BC to 301 BC

Where it sits in the Fourth War of the Diadochi

Battle of Salamis, 306 BCSiege of Salamis, 306 BCSiege of Rhodes, 305 BCBattle of Ipsus, 301 BC306 BC301 BCBattle of Ipsus, 301 BC
4 placed engagements of the Fourth War of the Diadochi in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date301 BC (year precision)
PlaceIpsos, Turkey
38.950N, 30.990E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength70,000 infantry; 10,000 cavalry; 75 elephants; (Plutarch)64,000 infantry; 15,000 cavalry; 500 Indian elephants; 120 scythed chariots; (Plutarch)
Casualties and lossesAll but 5,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry (Plutarch)Unknown
Commanders
Battle of IpsusBattle of IpsusSack of AmoriumBattle of AkroinonBattle of the Zompe BridgeBattle of PhilomelionBattle of PhilomelionSack of AmoriumBattle of AkroinonBattle of the Zompe BridgeBattle of PhilomelionBattle of PhilomelionAnkaraKonyaEskişehirUşakKütahyaIspartaPolatlıBilecik100 km38.950N, 30.990E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Ipsus
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Ipsus today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-23. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 1,211 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 1,467 m, 1,467 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 71% grassland, 12% bare ground, 12% cropland.

grassland: 71%bare ground: 12%cropland: 12%tree cover: 5%grassland 71%bare ground 12%cropland 12%tree cover 5%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 1,358 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,160 to 1,346 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 301 BC

Battle of Ipsus is one of 143 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q319124, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ipsus, revision 1376988647, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.