Battle of Edessa
Part of the Roman-Persian Wars
A rock relief at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian
Date: 259 Location: Edessa, Mesopotamia (modern Turkey) Result: Decisive Sassanid victory
Combatants
Sassanid Empire	Roman Empire
Commanders
Shapur I	Valerian
Strength
40,000	70,000 including Praetorian Guard
Casualties
Minimal	Heavy

The Battle of Edessa took place between the armies of the Roman Empire under the command of Emperor Valerian and Sassanid forces under King Shapur I in 259. The Roman-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Roman world and the Persian Empire that started during the late Roman Republic in 92 BC and was carried over to the Eastern Roman Empire lasting until 627. ... Image File history File links Schapur_I.jpg Summary (c) http://www. ... Naqshe Rostam, near Shiraz Tomb of Naksh-i Rustam (also Naqsh-i Rustam or Nakshi Rustam) is an archaeological site in Iran. ... Shapur I, son of Ardashir I, was king of Persia from 241 to 272. ... Valerian on a coin celebrating goddess Fortuna, associated with health and wealth. ... Events Postumus revolts against Gallienus, in Gaul. ... Edessa is the historical name of a town in northern Mesopotamia. ... Mesopotamia (Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan between rivers; Aramaic name being Beth Nahrain house of rivers) is a region of Southwest Asia. ... The Sassanid Empire in the time of Shapur I; the conquest of Cappadocia was temporary Official language Pahlavi (Middle Persian) Dominant Religion Zoroastrianism Capital Ctesiphon Sovereigns Shahanshah of the Iran (Eranshahr) First Ruler Ardashir I Last Ruler Yazdegerd III Establishment 224 AD Dissolution 651 AD Part of the History of... The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Empire (Persian: Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia (Iran) during the era of the third Persian Empire from 226 until 651. ... For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Shapur I, son of Ardashir I, was king of Persia from 241 to 272. ... Valerian on a coin celebrating goddess Fortuna, associated with health and wealth. ... The Praetorian Guard of Caesar Augustus - 1st century. ... For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Valerian on a coin celebrating goddess Fortuna, associated with health and wealth. ... The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Empire (Persian: Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia (Iran) during the era of the third Persian Empire from 226 until 651. ... Shapur I, son of Ardashir I, was king of Persia from 241 to 272. ... Events Postumus revolts against Gallienus, in Gaul. ...

Prior to the battle, Shapur I had penetrated several times deeply into Roman territory conquering and plundering Antiochia in Syria in 253 or 256. In order to halt these advances and retaliate, Emperor Valerian gathered an army and marched eastward to the Sassanid borders. He succeeded initially and recaptured Syrian provinces. He then marched to Carrhae and Edessa where he met the main Persian army under command of the King Shapur I. After minor skirmishing with the Persian forces, the main battle commenced. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Harran, also known as Carrhae, is an archeological site in present day southeastern Turkey, 24 miles (39 kilometers) southeast of Sanli Urfa. ... Edessa is the historical name of a town in northern Mesopotamia. ...

Battle

Shapur I defeated Emperor Valerian, though not much is known about the battle itself.

Aftermath

Shapur sent Valerian and some of his army to the city of Bishapur where they lived in relatively good condition. Shapur used the remaining soldiers in engineering and development plans. Band-e Kaisar (Caesar's dam) is one of the remnants of Roman engineering located near the ancient city of Susa.^[1] City of Bishapur Another view of Bishapur Bishapur (or Bishâpûr) is an ancient city situated south of modern Faliyan, Iran on the ancient road between Persis and Elam. ... For other uses of the name Susa please see this page. ...

Other sources say Valerian was captured with most of his army, by treachery, while negotiating a peace (Zosimus). According to Lactantius, Shapur humiliated Valerian, using the former emperor as a human stepping-stool while mounting his horse. Valerian's body was later skinned and stuffed with manure to produce a trophy of Roman submission preserved in a Persian temple.

Notes

1. ↑ Abdolhossein Zarinkoob "Ruzgaran : tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi" pp. 195

References

• Lactantius, De Mortibus Persecutorum, v.
• Zosimus, New History, i.
• Abdolhossein Zarinkoob, Ruzgaran: tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi, Sukhan, 1999. ISBN 964-6961-11-8

Lucius Caelius (or Caecilius?) Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who wrote in Latin (around A.D. 240 - around 320). ... For the pope of this name see Pope Zosimus Zosimus, Greek historical writer, nourished at Constantinople during the second half of the 5th century A.D. According to Photius, he was a count, and held the office of advocate of the imperial treasury. ... Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, prominent historian of Persian literature. ...

External links

• "Valerian" on De Imperatoribus Romanis.