Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Ctesiphon

Battle of Ctesiphon was a battle fought on 29 May AD 363 at Ctesiphon, in what is now Iraq. It was part of the Julian's Persian expedition. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: 60,000 – 83,000 men against Presumably larger than Roman force.

See it on the globe Read the article

Julian II near Ctesifon (363); from IX century manuscript with orations of Gregory of Nazianzus, Bibliothèque national de France, Grec 510
Julian II near Ctesifon (363); from IX century manuscript with orations of Gregory of Nazianzus, Bibliothèque national de France, Grec 510. http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=Mandragore&O=07917844&E=1&I=112437&M=imageseule, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought29 May AD 363
WhereCtesiphon, Iraq33.100N, 44.583E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman Empire; Arsacid ArmeniaagainstSasanian Empire
Casualties and losses70and2,500
Part ofJulian's Persian expeditionAD 363

Where it sits in the Julian's Persian expedition

Siege of Maiozamalcha, AD 363Siege of Pirisabora, AD 363Battle of Ctesiphon, AD 363Battle of Samarra, AD 363Battle of Maranga, AD 363AD 363AD 363Battle of Ctesiphon, AD 363
5 placed engagements of the Julian's Persian expedition in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date29 May AD 363
PlaceCtesiphon, Iraq
33.100N, 44.583E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength60,000 – 83,000 menPresumably larger than Roman force
Casualties and losses702,500
Commanders
  • Merena
  • Surena (4th century)
  • Pigranes
Battle of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonSiege of CtesiphonSiege of MaiozamalchaSiege of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonSiege of CtesiphonBaghdadNajafAl HillahKarbalaAl KutBaqubahAl FallujahIlam100 km33.100N, 44.583E
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 6 times between AD 165 and 1915.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 363

Battle of Ctesiphon is one of 70 engagements of the 4th century in the atlas and one of 206 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q767124, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ctesiphon (363), revision 1370437916, 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.