Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Edessa

Battle of Edessa was a battle fought in AD 260 at Edessa, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Roman–Sasanian wars, which ran from AD 224 to AD 363. The recorded result: Sasanian victory. Recorded strength: Unknown against 70,000.

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A bas relief sculpture at Naqsh-e Rostam, Iran, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian.
A bas relief sculpture at Naqsh-e Rostam, Iran, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian.. User:Fabienkhan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 260
WhereEdessa, Turkey37.150N, 38.800E
OutcomeSasanian victory
BelligerentsSasanian EmpireagainstRoman Empire; Germanic and Goth allies
Casualties and lossesMinimalandEntire force; or more than 60,000; 10,000 killed in the first battle
Part ofRoman–Sasanian warsShapur I's Syrio-Mesopotamian campaign

Where it sits in the Roman–Sasanian wars

First Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I, AD 229Ardashir I's Siege of Hatra, AD 229Sassanid campaign of Severus Alexander, AD 230Siege of Nisibis, AD 235Second Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I, AD 237Siege of Dura-Europos, AD 239Fall of Hatra, AD 240Sasanian campaign of Gordian III, AD 242Battle of Resaena, AD 243Battle of Misiche, AD 244Siege of Dura-Europos, AD 250Battle of Barbalissos, AD 252Siege of Nisibis, AD 252Siege of Antioch, AD 253Siege of Emesa, AD 253Battle of Edessa, AD 260Siege of Antioch, AD 260Siege of Caesarea, AD 260Odaenathus' Sasanian campaigns, AD 261Carus and Numerian's Sasanian campaign, AD 283Sasanian campaigns of Galerius, AD 296Julian's Persian expedition, AD 363AD 229AD 363Battle of Edessa, AD 260
22 placed engagements of the Roman–Sasanian wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 260 (year precision)
PlaceEdessa, Turkey
37.150N, 38.800E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthUnknown70,000
Casualties and lossesMinimalEntire force; or more than 60,000; 10,000 killed in the first battle
Commanders
  • Emperor Valerian
Battle of EdessaBattle of EdessaSiege of EdessaBattle of UrfaSiege of EdessaSiege of EdessaSiege of EdessaSiege of EdessaAleppoGaziantepDiyarbakırAdıyamanKilisMardinKahramanmaraşAl Hasakah100 km37.150N, 38.800E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Edessa
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Edessa today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 496 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 445 to 801 m, 356 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 59% built-up, 18% cropland, 12% grassland.

built-up: 59%cropland: 18%grassland: 12%tree cover: 8%built-up 59%cropland 18%grassland 12%tree cover 8%
west to east, 10.0 km459 to 705 mnorth to south, 10.0 km490 to 603 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between AD 163 and 1920.

In the same war

Battle of Edessa is one of 97 engagements of the 3rd century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1165502, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Edessa, revision 1383960798, 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.