Siege of Hatra (197–198)

Siege of Hatra (197–198)
	Part of Roman–Parthian War of 194–198
	; The ruins of Hatra
Date	c. 197 or 197–198
Location	Hatra, northern Mesopotamia35°35′17″N 42°43′6″E / 35.58806°N 42.71833°E
Result	Parthian victory
Belligerents
Parthian Empire; Kingdom of Hatra	Roman Empire

The siege of Hatra in 197–198 was the second siege of Hatra by Septimius Severus during the Roman–Parthian War of 194–198. He wanted to conquer Hatra because there was a temple there that had great wealth.^[3] However, this was without success, as many of his machines had been destroyed and many of his men were wounded. He abandoned the siege and withdrew his forces to Syria^[4]

References

^ "HATRA". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2025-04-26. when the Hatrene king Barsēmías (thus Herodian, History 3.1.3, etc.; probably he is none other than the king ʿbdsmyʾ ʿAbdsēmyā of the inscriptions; see Drijvers, 1977, pp. 823 f.) supported Septimius's rival Pescennius Niger, and when Septimius laid siege to Hatra twice (in 193 and 197) without achieving anything. His siege engines were burned, and many of his soldiers fell or were wounded by Hatrene archers; the position of the city, its strong walls, and the strength of its warriors eventually forced the emperor to withdraw (Dio Cassius, 76.9.5-10.1, 11.1.-12.5; Herodian, History 3.1.2-3, 5.1, 9.1-9).
^ Advisory Body Evaluation on Hatra. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). 1985. pages 1–2.
^ ^a ^b Pirnia, Ashtiani & Babaei 2012, p. 170.
^ Chaumont & Schippmann 1988, pp. 574–580.

Sources

Pirnia, Hasan; Ashtiani, Abbas Iqbal; Babaei, Parviz (2012). History of Persia (in Persian). Negah Publications. ISBN 978-9643513320.
Chaumont, M. L.; Schippmann, K. (1988). "Balāš". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. III/6: Baḵtīārī tribe II–Banān. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 574–580. ISBN 978-0-71009-118-5.
Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica. "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica". iranicaonline.org.

[1] "HATRA". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2025-04-26. when the Hatrene king Barsēmías (thus Herodian, History 3.1.3, etc.; probably he is none other than the king ʿbdsmyʾ ʿAbdsēmyā of the inscriptions; see Drijvers, 1977, pp. 823 f.) supported Septimius's rival Pescennius Niger, and when Septimius laid siege to Hatra twice (in 193 and 197) without achieving anything. His siege engines were burned, and many of his soldiers fell or were wounded by Hatrene archers; the position of the city, its strong walls, and the strength of its warriors eventually forced the emperor to withdraw (Dio Cassius, 76.9.5-10.1, 11.1.-12.5; Herodian, History 3.1.2-3, 5.1, 9.1-9).

[AdvBodyEval-2] Advisory Body Evaluation on Hatra. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). 1985. pages 1–2.

[FOOTNOTEPirniaAshtianiBabaei2012170-3] Pirnia, Ashtiani & Babaei 2012, p. 170.

[FOOTNOTEChaumontSchippmann1988574–580-4] Chaumont & Schippmann 1988, pp. 574–580.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Parthian Empire
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