Amida (Roman city)
Encyclopedia
Amida was an ancient city located where modern Diyarbakır
, Turkey
. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus
and Procopius
consider it a city of Mesopotamia
, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major.
Located on the right bank of the Tigris
. The walls are lofty and substantial, and constructed of the ruins of ancient edifices (see Spolia
). As the place is well adapted for a commercial city, it is probable that Amida was a town of considerable antiquity.
(from 66 BC).
It was enlarged and strengthened by Constantius II
, in whose reign it was besieged and taken
after seventy-three days by the Sassanid king Shapur II
(359). The Roman soldiers and a large part of the population of the town were massacred by the Persians. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus
, who took part in the defence of the town, has given a minute account of the siege. In 363 Amida was re-taken by Roman Emperor Julian.
Amida was besieged by the Sassanid king Kavadh I
during the Anastasian War
through the autumn and winter (502-503). The siege of the city proved to be a far more difficult enterprise than Kavadh expected; the defenders, although unsupported by troops, repelled the Sassanid assaults for three months before they were finally beaten. During that same war, the Romans attempted an ultimately unsuccessful siege of the Persian-held Amida, led by generals Patricius
and Hypatius. In 504, however, the Romans reconquered the city, and Justinian I
repaired its walls and fortifications.
The Sassanids captured the city for a third time in 602 and held it for more than twenty years. In 628 the Roman emperor Heraclius
recovered Amida.
Finally, in 639
the city was captured by the Arab
armies of Islam
and it remained in Arab hands until the Kurdish dynasty of Marwanid
ruled the area during the 10th and 11th centuries.
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
and Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
consider it a city of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia (Roman province)
Mesopotamia was the name of two distinct Roman provinces, the one a short-lived creation of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 116–117 and the other established by Emperor Septimius Severus in ca. 198, which lasted until the Muslim conquests of the 7th century....
, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major.
Located on the right bank of the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
. The walls are lofty and substantial, and constructed of the ruins of ancient edifices (see Spolia
Spolia
Spolia is a modern art-historical term used to describe the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments...
). As the place is well adapted for a commercial city, it is probable that Amida was a town of considerable antiquity.
History
Amid(a) was the capital of the Aramean kingdom Bet-Zamani from the 13th century BC onwards. The city was called Amida when the region was under the rule of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
(from 66 BC).
It was enlarged and strengthened by Constantius II
Constantius II
Constantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
, in whose reign it was besieged and taken
Siege of Amida
The Siege of Amida took place when the Sassanids under King Shapur II besieged the Roman city of Amida in 359.In this battle Ammianus Marcellinus, a historian of Greek origin from Antioch, was a Roman army officer; he described the siege in his work .- Background :When Shapur II took control of the...
after seventy-three days by the Sassanid king Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
(359). The Roman soldiers and a large part of the population of the town were massacred by the Persians. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
, who took part in the defence of the town, has given a minute account of the siege. In 363 Amida was re-taken by Roman Emperor Julian.
Amida was besieged by the Sassanid king Kavadh I
Kavadh I
Kavad or Kavadh I was the son of Peroz I and the nineteenth Sassanid king of Persia, reigning from 488 to 531...
during the Anastasian War
Anastasian War
The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the two empires over the next century.-Prelude:Several...
through the autumn and winter (502-503). The siege of the city proved to be a far more difficult enterprise than Kavadh expected; the defenders, although unsupported by troops, repelled the Sassanid assaults for three months before they were finally beaten. During that same war, the Romans attempted an ultimately unsuccessful siege of the Persian-held Amida, led by generals Patricius
Patricius (consul 500)
Flavius Patricius was a prominent East Roman general and statesman during the reign of Byzantine emperor Anastasius I .- Origins and early career :...
and Hypatius. In 504, however, the Romans reconquered the city, and Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
repaired its walls and fortifications.
The Sassanids captured the city for a third time in 602 and held it for more than twenty years. In 628 the Roman emperor Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
recovered Amida.
Finally, in 639
639
Year 639 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 639 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Clovis II succeeds Dagobert I as king of the...
the city was captured by the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
armies of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and it remained in Arab hands until the Kurdish dynasty of Marwanid
Marwanid
Marwanid, , was a Kurdish dynasty in Northern Mesopotamia and Armenia, centered around the city of Amed . Other cities under rule were Arzan, Mayyāfāriqīn , Hisn Kayfa , Khilāṭ, Manzikart, Arjish. The founder of the dynasty was a Kurdish shepherd, Abu Shujā Bādh bin Dustak...
ruled the area during the 10th and 11th centuries.
See also
- DiyarbakırDiyarbakırDiyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
- Siege of AmidaSiege of AmidaThe Siege of Amida took place when the Sassanids under King Shapur II besieged the Roman city of Amida in 359.In this battle Ammianus Marcellinus, a historian of Greek origin from Antioch, was a Roman army officer; he described the siege in his work .- Background :When Shapur II took control of the...
- Ephraim of AntiochEphraim of AntiochEphraim of Antioch or of Amida |Amida]] in Mesopotamia; d. in 545) was Patriarch of Antioch and a Church Father. He was one of the defenders of the Faith of the Council of Chalcedon against the Monophysites. He is an Orthodox saint.-Life:...
, Church Father born in Amida