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Abstract

The article highlights some problematic aspects in the chronology and sequence of events in the AD 330–350s connected with Roman-Persian wars and east policy of Constantius II. East policy and the conduct of military campaigns against Persia largely went to the Constantius II from his father, the Emperor Constantine I, who was preparing before his death a large military invasion of the territory of Persia. The Roman-Persian wars of the fi rst half of the 4th century AD developed as a series of ongoing border incidents. The Emperor Constantius, unlike his future successor Julian, never attempt a large-scale invasion of Persian territory. The confl icts between Rome and Persia primarily broke out because of the control over strategically important cities and fortresses in Upper Mesopotamia, fi rst of all Nisibis, Amida and Singara. Military campaigns led Constantius against Persians, chronologically divided into two periods – the fi rst of which covers the events of AD 337–350, the second – AD 358–360. The starting point here is the dating of events related to the battles and the capture of the fortress of the Singara and the three sieges of the strategically important city of Upper Mesopotamia Nisibis, to which the Roman and later Byzantine historiography gave special relevance. The reconstruction of the events of that time, which took place on the Eastern borders of the Roman Empire is of great historical importance, as all historians and chroniclers dealing with these issues and describing the external policy of Constantius II as unsuccessful do not always give a chronological picture of the epoch.

Keywords

Roman Empire, Persia, Constantius II, Shapur II, Iulianus, Singara, Ammianus Marcellinus, Rufius Festus

Dmitriy V. Kareev. Ivanovo State University, Ivanovo, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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