The Battle of Edessa took place between the armies of the Roman Empire under the command of Emperor Valerian and Sassanid forces under King Shapur I in 259.

Prior to the battle, Shapur I had penetrated several times deeply into Roman territory conquering and plundering Antiochia in Syria in 253 or 256. In order to halt these advances and retaliate, Emperor Valerian gathered an army and marched eastward to the Sassanid borders. He succeeded initially and recaptured Syrian provinces. He then marched to Carrhae and Edessa where he met the main Persian army under command of the King Shapur I. After minor skirmishing with the Persian forces, the main battle commenced.

Battle

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Shapur I defeated Emperor Valerian, though not much is known about the battle itself.

A handkerchief proportedly used by Christ, the Mandylion Of Edessa, which miraculously retained his image on it was carried into battle and some claimed that it was responsible for the incredible victory. Vikan, Gary Sacred Image, Sacred PowerAshgate, 1984. p.6

Aftermath

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Some scholars claim Shapur sent Valerian and some of his army to the city of Bishapur, where they lived in relatively good condition. Shapur used the remaining soldiers in engineering and development plans. Band-e Kaisar (Caesar's dam) is one of the remnants of Roman engineering located near the ancient city of Susa.Zarinkoob, Abdolhossein, Ruzgaran: tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi pp. 195.

Other sources say Valerian was captured with most of his army, by treachery, while negotiating a peace (Zosimus). According to Lactantius, Shapur humiliated Valerian, using the former emperor as a human stepping-stool while mounting his horse. Valerian's body was later skinned and stuffed with manure to produce a trophy of Roman submission preserved in a Persian temple.

Notes

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