The Nisibis War 337–363: The Defence of the Roman East, AD 337–363

243 Pages·2016·13.913 MB·English

by  John S. Harrel

To the men and women of the California Army National Guard and the 40th
Infantry Division, who, in the twenty-first century, have marched, fought,
and died in the footsteps of the legions II Parthia, Joviani, and Herculiani.

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © John S. Harrel 2016
ISBN: 978 1 47384 830 6
PDF ISBN: 978 1 47384 833 7
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 47384 831 3
PRC ISBN: 978 1 47384 832 0
The right of John S. Harrel to be identified as the Author of this Work
has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
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Contents
List of Maps
List of Diagrams and Illustrations
List of Photographs
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Nisibis War (337–363): Thesis, Sources, and Methodology
Chapter 2 Background of the Nisibis War
Chapter 3 The Military Aspects of the Geography
The Mid-Fourth Century Roman Army and the Strategic Defence of the
Chapter 4
East
Chapter 5 The Persian Army and the Strategic Offence
Chapter 6 Roman Active Defence, 337–350
Chapter 7 Stalemate in Persia 350–358
From the Hopeless Depths of Misery to the Height of Power: The Failure
Chapter 8
of Caesar Gallus
Chapter 9 Usurpation and Crisis: Campaign in the West 350–355
Caesar Julian: ‘An Emperor in Strategy, a Commander in Tactics, a Hero
Chapter 10
in Combat’
Chapter 11 Roman Passive Defence 358–361
Chapter 12 Roman Strategic Offence, 362–363
Chapter 13 The March Down River
Chapter 14 The March Up Country
Chapter 15 Conclusion
Appendix I: Glossary
Appendix II: Eastern Armies of the Notitia Dignitatum
Bibliography
Notes
List of Maps
Map Key
1. King Shapur’s Saracen Wars 324–335
2. Nisibis War Theatre of Operations 337–363
3. Threats to Persia 298–363.
4. Roman Limitanei Deployment c. 395
5. Roman Limitanei Deployment c. 337
6. Persian Invasion Routes 337–361
7. Singara Limes c. 343/344
8. The Battle of Singara, Summer 344
9. Civil War Theatre of Operations 350–355
10. Mursa Campaign, 351
11. The Battle of Mursa, 28 September 351
12. Julian’s Gallic Campaign, 356
13. Julian’s Gallic Campaign 357
14. The Battle of Strasbourg (Argentoratum) 357
15. Shapur’s 359 Campaign
16. Shapur’s 360 Campaign
17. Julian’s 363 Campaign Plan
18. The Battle of Ctesiphon, Late May-Early June 363
19. Julian’s Death, The Battle of Samara, 26 June 363
20. The Battle of the Elephants, 29 June 363
List of Diagrams and Illustrations
1. The House of Constantine
2. The Imperial Court and Bureaucracy
3. Constantius’ Military Command Structure 337–351
4. Roman March Tables
5. Speculative Legion Deployment 337–363
6. Roman Civil Administration 337–351
7. Julian’s Praesental Army, Late March 363
8. Julian March Formation Spring 363
Illustration
1. Roman Siege Equipment
List of Photographs
1. Gold Coins of Constantius II and Shapur II
2. Arch of Constantine, Siege of Verona
3. Soldiers from the Arch of Constantine
4. Recreation of the arms and equipment of a fourth century Roman officer
5. Recreation of an unarmoured Roman officer from the fourth century
6. An unarmoured soldier armed with archballista or manuballista
7. Arch of Galerius
8. Horse armour uncovered during the excavations at Dura-Euopus
9. Reconstructed Cataphractus Draconarius, arms and equipment
10. Battle of Ebenezer scenes 1 and 2
11. Roman general purpose or medium cavalry
12. The combined arms formation described by Vegetius
13. Sassanian King Ardachir Babakan’s rock relief
14. Centre figures from the Sassanian battle-scene at Firuzabad, Iran
15. Persian Tactics
16. A medium Persian Savaran cavalryman.
17. Demonstrating the ‘Parthian shot’ used by the Persian Savaran cavalry
18. The view looking south from the Roman fortress city of Marida
19. Dismounted Elite Savaran archer
20. Ruins of the covered water tunnels of the Roman city of Cepha
21. Recreation of a light ballista
22. War Elephants
23. The Triple Walls of Constantinople
Acknowledgements
P
ublishing a book is not a one-person endeavour; it takes a small army to finish such a
project. The godfather of this project is Dr Frank L. Vatai, a professor at California State
University, Northridge. Dr Vatai reawakened my interest in late antiquity and guided my
journey through the world of Ammianus Marcellinus from Master’s thesis to published book.
Compiling the plates and illustrations truly took an army. I would like to thank historian and
actor Ardeshir Radpour and his photographer, Holly Martin, for her excellent photos of a
Persian knight. The living history historians and re-enactors from the Britannia and Comitatus
Societies provided photos of the arms and equipment of Late Roman soldiers to illustrate key
points in the book. Thanks to graphic artist Ashley Harrel for designing the rough cover
initially submitted to Pen & Sword. I would like to thank Lisa and Bill Storage for permission
to use their photos of the Arch of Constantine; Dr J.C.N. Coulston, from the University of St
Andrews, Scotland, for permission to use his photo of the Arch of Galerius; and Yale
University, Connecticut, for permission to use photos from their Dura-Euopos Collection.
Many thanks to LMarie Photo (aka Lisa Marie Harrel) and Cyrus Raymond Harrel for
arranging the dioramas and photographing part of my miniature collection to illustrate military
formations described in the book.
Once a manuscript is written, editing makes it come alive. I would like to thank William
Creitz for editing the proceeding thesis and draft manuscript.
I owe a particular thanks to Philip Sidnell for accepting a project from a new unknown
author; Dominic Allen, who did the final jacket design; Mat Blurton and his assistant, Katie
Noble, who designed the book and plate section; and Matthew Jones, production manager and
‘ramrod’ for Pen & Sword who kept the project on track. I owe you all a ‘pint.’
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Linda, who hiked the mountains of Anatolia with me
with her camera and who was the first and last editor of this book.