Siege of Nisibis (237)

Siege of Nisibis
Part of the Second Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I
Date 237 [1] [2] Location Nisibis (modern-day Nusaybin, Mardin, Turkey) Result Sasanian victory [3] [4] Territorial changes Sasanians capture Nisibis.
Belligerents
Roman Empire	Sasanian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Ardashir I Shapur I

In 224 AD, Ardashir defeated the Parthian Empire and replaced it with the Sasanian Empire. He began to raid Roman territory almost immediately after he had taken power at Ctesiphon. When Severus Alexander launched a massive invasion of the Persian Empire in the early 230s, the Persian forces drove it back inflicting heavy casualties on the Roman army. ^[5] The Sasanians then besieged the Roman city of Nisibis in 235 or 237 and eventually conquered it.

References

1. "ARDAŠĪR I i. History". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2025-04-08. The most important were a raid on Dura in April 239 (Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum [ = SEG], VII, 743 b), a thrust into Upper Mesopotamia about 237-238 when Carrhae and Nisibis were captured
2. The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 12, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337 "the Romans were on the defensive and Ardashir again invaded Roman territory capturing Nisibis and Carrhae (or Harran) in 237 and 238."
3. A Companion to the Roman Empire "When Alexander launched a massive invasion of his territory in the early 230s, Ardashir drove it back, inflicting heavy casualties. In 235 he captured the cities of Nisibis and Carrhae"
4. The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 12, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337 "the Romans were on the defensive and Ardashir again invaded Roman territory capturing Nisibis and Carrhae (or Harran) in 237 and 238."
5. A Companion to the Roman Empire "Ardashir began to raid the Roman territory almost immediately after he had taken power at Ctesiphon, making Roman armies look plodding and inept. When Alexander launched a massive invasion of his territory in the early 230s, Ardashir drove it back, inflicting heavy casualties.