The Biga River is a small river or large creek in Çanakkale Province

Çanakkale Province

Çanakkale Province is a province of Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country. It takes its name from the town of Çanakkale.Like Istanbul, Çanakkale province has a European and an Asian part. The European part is formed by the Gallipoli peninsula, while the Asian part is largely...

 in northwestern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. The river begins at the base of Mount Ida and trends generally northeasterly to the Sea of Marmara

Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...

. It is located approximately 50 km to the east of the Dardanelles

Dardanelles

The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...

. It flows past the towns of Çan

Çan

Çan is a town and district of Çanakkale Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. According to the 2010 census, population of the district is 50,669 of which 28,808 live in the town of Çan. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of .-External links:* * *...

 and Biga and enters the Sea of Marmara at Karabiga

Karabiga

Karabiga is a town in Biga District, Çanakkale Province, in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is located at the mouth of the Biga River, on a small east-facing bay. Its ancient name was Priapus....

. It is also known as the Can (Çan Çayı) and the Kocabas (Kocabaş Çayı)

The Biga was the classical Granicus .

The banks near the modern-day town of Biga were the site of the Battle of the Granicus

Battle of the Granicus

The Battle of the Granicus River in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire...

, fought in 334 BC

334 BC

Year 334 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caudinus and Calvinus...

 between the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great and the forces of the Persian Empire under Darius III

Darius III of Persia

Darius III , also known by his given name of Codomannus, was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC....

. This was Alexander's first victory over the Persians. In antiquity, the river was described as having strong, turbulent current, with steep banks and varying depth.

There is also a valley named in its honor on Mars

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

. The Granicus Valles is located at 29.72° N, 131.0° E and runs for 750 km.

External links

• Livius.org: Granicus - pictures of the stream
• A map showing the River Biga