Siege of Caesarea Cappadocia (260)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siege of Caesarea (260)
Part of the Roman-Persian wars
Date260
Location
Caesarea, Cappadocia (present day Turkey)
Result Sassanid victory[1]
Territorial
changes
Sassanids capture Caesarea
Belligerents
Sassanid Empire Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Shapur I
Hormizd I
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown, probably minimal Unknown number of soldiers killed
Deportation of 400,000 people

The siege of Caesarea by the Sassanids under Shapur I took place following their siege of the Roman city of Antioch in 260 which followed their major victory over the Romans in the Battle of Edessa.

Background[]

The siege took place during a Sassanid invasion of the Roman east. Caesarea during that time had a large population (about 400,000 inhabitants).

The siege[]

The Sassanids were unable to take the city, and took a Roman as captive and tortured him until he revealed another route they could use. The Sassanids then raided Caesarea during the night, killing every Roman soldier.

Aftermath[]

According to Percy Sykes, "He [Shapur] captured Caesarea Mazaca, the greatest city in Cappadocia; but probably from the lack of a standing army, again made no attempt to organize and administer, or even to retain, his conquests. He merely killed and ravaged with barbarous severity".[2]

References[]

  1. ^ History of the Jews in Babylonia "At that point, and then alone, Shapur made a violent attack upon Syria and Asia Minor, devastated Antiochia, ravaged Cilicia and Cappadocia, took Tarsus, and, after a protracted siege, Caesarea."
  2. ^ Percy Sykes, A History of Persia, Vol. I, (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1969), 402.


Retrieved from ""