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siege, notable, ancient

Siege of Amida

Siege of Amida was a siege conducted in AD 359 at Amida, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Perso-Roman wars of 337–361, which ran from AD 337 to AD 361. The recorded result: Sasanian victory. Recorded strength: 100,000 against 20,000–120,000; *est. 5,300 soldiers.

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Taq-e Bostan: high-relief of Shapur II and Shapur III
Taq-e Bostan: high-relief of Shapur II and Shapur III. Philippe Chavin, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 359
WhereAmida, Turkey37.917N, 40.217E
OutcomeSasanian victory
BelligerentsSasanian Empire and alliesagainstRoman Empire
Casualties and losses30,000 deadandMost defenders, some citizens, some refugees from countryside
Part ofPerso-Roman wars of 337–361AD 337 to AD 361

Where it sits in the Perso-Roman wars of 337–361

Siege of Nisibis, AD 350Shapur II's invasion of Armenia, AD 350Siege of Amida, AD 359Constantius II's Siege of Bezabde, AD 360AD 350AD 360Siege of Amida, AD 359
4 placed engagements of the Perso-Roman wars of 337–361 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 359 (year precision)
PlaceAmida, Turkey
37.917N, 40.217E
KindSiege, ancient
Territorial changeSasanian forces capture Amida
Strength100,00020,000–120,000; *est. 5,300 soldiers
Casualties and losses30,000 deadMost defenders, some citizens, some refugees from countryside
Commanders
  • Shapur II
  • Peroz (Kidarite)
  • Tamshapur
  • Grumbates
  • Urnayr
  • Aelianus (comes)
  • Ursicinus (magister equitum)
Siege of AmidaSiege of AmidaSiege of AmidaSiege of AmidaSiege of MartyropolisBattle of TigranocertaBattle of MartyropolisSiege of AmidaSiege of MartyropolisŞanlıurfaMalatyaAdıyamanMuşMardinElâzığNusaybinTatvan100 km37.917N, 40.217E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between AD 336 and AD 502.

In the same war

Siege of Amida is one of 70 engagements of the 4th century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815110, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Amida (359), revision 1370738797, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.