Siege of Caesarea Cappadocia (260) explained

Conflict:Siege of Caesarea (260)
Partof:the Roman-Persian wars
Date:260
Place:Caesarea, Cappadocia
(modern-day Kayseri, Turkey)
Territory:Sasanians capture Caesarea
Result:Sasanian victory[1]
Combatant1:Sassanid Empire
Combatant2:Roman Empire
Commander1:Shapur I
Hormizd I
Strength1:Unknown
Strength2:Unknown
Casualties1:Unknown, probably minimal
Casualties2:Unknown number of soldiers killed
Deportation of 400,000 people

The siege of Caesarea by the Sasanians 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 Sasanian invasion of the Roman east. Caesarea during that time had a large population (about 400,000 inhabitants).

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]

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=wueqXymJQnEC&q=Siege+of+Caesarea+Cappadocia+%28260%29%2F&pg=PA47 History of the Jews in Babylonia
  2. Percy Sykes, A History of Persia, Vol. I, (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1969), 402.