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Shapur I Captures Emperor Valerian
In 260 CE, the Sasanian king Shapur I defeated the eastern expeditionary army led by the Roman emperor Valerian near Edessa in Mesopotamia.…
Timeline
- 260Edessa · MesopotamiaEmperor Valerian personally led the Roman legions east against the Sasanians and encountered Shapur I's army near Edessa. The Roman army was surrounded, cut off from supplies, and ultimately forced to surrender; strategic initiative on the eastern front fell into Persian hands.
- 260Mesopotamia · MesopotamiaValerian became the first Roman emperor captured by Persia, and his capture was depicted in Shapur's reliefs at Naqsh-e Rustam. Persian forces subsequently captured Antioch and other cities, and the Roman eastern provinces remained in turmoil for a long period.
Sources
- The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (AD 226-363) — Michael H. Dodgeon and Samuel N. C. Lieu (1991)
- Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire — Touraj Daryaee (2009)