Siege of Amida
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Amida took place when the Sassanids under King Shapur II
besieged the Roman
city of Amida
in 359
.
In this battle Ammianus Marcellinus
, a historian of Greek origin from Antioch
, was a Roman army officer; he described the siege in his work (res gestae).
took control of the Sassanid Empire he sought to regain old territories previously lost to the Eastern Roman Empire. After crushing the Arabs in the south, he moved east to deal with nomadic forces, the most prominent being the Xionites
. Following a prolonged struggle from (353-358) the Xionites
were forced to conclude a peace, and their king, Grumbates
, accompanied Shapur II in the war against the Romans.
He started the western campaign in 359. Initially, some of the Roman held cities surrendered to him. However, as his forces approached the city of Amida
, the Romans resolved to stand and give battle. The Sassanids began the attack with siege towers and attempted to take the city hastily, the siege dragged on for weeks with the Sassanids finally capturing the city.
He continues with the account of how he reached the safety of the city heights:
The siege took 73 days. Shapur attempted to capture the city several times but every time it ended with disaster. Many times siege towers were set on fire by the Romans; even the son of King Grumbates was killed in one of the failed attempts. During the siege, plague broke out in Amida but ended after ten days by a light rain, according to Ammianus Marcellinus.
Finally, the city was captured on the night of day 72 when Shapur and Grumbates simultaneously stormed the city with siege towers and flaming arrows. A day before capture of the city, Ammianus Marcellinus escaped to Singara
.
, at the head of a strong army, advanced to Ctesiphon
, but was killed in a battle. His successor Jovian signed a treaty of peace, by which the districts on the Tigris
and Nisibis
(totalling five Roman provinces) were ceded to the Persians, and the Romans promised to interfere no more in Armenia.
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
besieged the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
city of Amida
Amida (Roman city)
Amida was an ancient city located where modern Diyarbakır, Turkey. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus and Procopius consider it a city of Mesopotamia, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major....
in 359
359
Year 359 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Eusebius and Hypatius...
.
In this battle Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
, a historian of Greek origin from Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, was a Roman army officer; he described the siege in his work (res gestae).
Background
When Shapur IIShapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
took control of the Sassanid Empire he sought to regain old territories previously lost to the Eastern Roman Empire. After crushing the Arabs in the south, he moved east to deal with nomadic forces, the most prominent being the Xionites
Xionites
Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, , Hunni Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, (Middle Persian: Xiyon, Avestan: Xiiaona, Sogdian:xwn), Hunni Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, (Middle Persian: Xiyon, Avestan: Xiiaona, Sogdian:xwn), Hunni (Pahlavi:Huna, Yun or Xūn (獯), were a nomadic tribe prominent in...
. Following a prolonged struggle from (353-358) the Xionites
Xionites
Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, , Hunni Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, (Middle Persian: Xiyon, Avestan: Xiiaona, Sogdian:xwn), Hunni Xionites, Chionites, Chionitae, (Middle Persian: Xiyon, Avestan: Xiiaona, Sogdian:xwn), Hunni (Pahlavi:Huna, Yun or Xūn (獯), were a nomadic tribe prominent in...
were forced to conclude a peace, and their king, Grumbates
Grumbates
Grumbates was a king of the Chionitae, an ancient nomadic tribe of Transoxiana.It has been suggested that Grumbates is an Iranian name.-Sources:*...
, accompanied Shapur II in the war against the Romans.
He started the western campaign in 359. Initially, some of the Roman held cities surrendered to him. However, as his forces approached the city of Amida
Amida (Roman city)
Amida was an ancient city located where modern Diyarbakır, Turkey. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus and Procopius consider it a city of Mesopotamia, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major....
, the Romans resolved to stand and give battle. The Sassanids began the attack with siege towers and attempted to take the city hastily, the siege dragged on for weeks with the Sassanids finally capturing the city.
Siege
According to Ammianus Marcellinushttp://www.deremilitari.org/resources/sources/ammianus.htmHe continues with the account of how he reached the safety of the city heights:
The siege took 73 days. Shapur attempted to capture the city several times but every time it ended with disaster. Many times siege towers were set on fire by the Romans; even the son of King Grumbates was killed in one of the failed attempts. During the siege, plague broke out in Amida but ended after ten days by a light rain, according to Ammianus Marcellinus.
Finally, the city was captured on the night of day 72 when Shapur and Grumbates simultaneously stormed the city with siege towers and flaming arrows. A day before capture of the city, Ammianus Marcellinus escaped to Singara
Singara
Singara was a strongly fortified post at the northern extremity of Mesopotamia, which for a while, as appears from many coins still extant, was occupied by the Romans as an advanced colony against the Persians...
.
Outcome
After capturing the city, Shapur II advanced further and took Singara and some other fortresses in the following years. In 363, Emperor JulianJulian the Apostate
Julian "the Apostate" , commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer....
, at the head of a strong army, advanced to Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
, but was killed in a battle. His successor Jovian signed a treaty of peace, by which the districts on the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
and Nisibis
Nisibis
Nusaybin Nisêbîn) is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey, populated mainly by Kurds. Earlier Arameans, Arabs, and Armenians lived in the city. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009.-Ancient Period:...
(totalling five Roman provinces) were ceded to the Persians, and the Romans promised to interfere no more in Armenia.
Sources
- Abd al-Husayn Zarrin’kub, Ruzgaran: tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi, Sukhan, 1999. ISBN 964-6961-11-8