List of conflicts between Romans and Persians
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The following is a list of wars fought between Romans and Iranians.
Roman/Byzantine victory
Parthian/Sasanian victory
Inconclusive
| Date | War | Belligerents | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romans | Iranians | ||||
| 54–50 BCE | First of the Roman–Persian Wars | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Stalemate | Roman invasion of 54 BCE under Crassus culminates in defeat at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE. Subsequent Parthian invasion of 51 BC under Pacorus I is repelled with their defeat in Syria following the Siege of Antioch (51 BC). |
| 40–38 BCE | Pompeian–Parthian invasion | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Roman victory | Status quo ante bellum Beginning of Antony's Atropatene campaign |
| 36–20 BCE | Antony's Atropatene campaign | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Parthian victory | Status quo ante bellum Beginning of Antony's campaign against Armenia |
| 58–63 CE | Roman–Parthian War | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Inconclusive | Treaty of Rhandeia |
| 115–117 CE | Trajan's Parthian campaign | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Inconclusive | Romans annex Mesopotamia for a brief time period and Adiabene, Roman withdrawal after death of Trajan. |
| 161–166 CE | Roman–Parthian War | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Roman victory | Arsacids re–establish themselves on the Armenian throne as Roman clients Ctesiphon and Seleucia sacked Rome has minor acquisitions in Mesopotamia |
| 198 CE | Roman–Parthian War of 194–198 | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Roman victory | Resulted in the sack of Ctesiphon following defeat of Vologases V and annexation of Mesopotamia and Osrhoene to the Empire. |
| 216–217 CE | Parthian war of Caracalla | Roman Empire | Parthian Empire | Parthian victory | Status quo ante bellum Romans are forced to pay tribute |
| 229–233 CE | First Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | Both sides scored victories |
| 237–238 CE | Second Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Sasanian victory | Roman forces defeated |
| 242–244 CE | Sasanian campaign of Gordian III | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Sasanian victory | Philip the Arab pays 500,000 denarii to the Sasanian Empire and cedes Armenia and Mesopotamia Death of Gordian III |
| 252–256 CE | Shapur I's Invasion of Rome's Eastern Provinces | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Sasanian victory | Sasanian invasion resulting in the sack of Antioch and the plunder of numerous Roman territories and capture of slaves. Limited territorial gains. |
| 259–260 CE | Shapur I's second invasion of Rome's Eastern Provinces | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Sasanian victory | Roman Emperor Valerian captured at the Battle of Edessa. |
| 261–266 CE | Odaenathus' Sasanian Campaigns | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Disputed | The importance of this campaign is disputed: while some sources say it was a total defeat for the Persian forces during their withdrawal from Roman territories, others say it was a skirmish or a minor incident turned by Roman historians and their modern successors into repeated routings of Shapur by an ally of Rome. |
| 283 CE | Carus' Sasanian Campaign | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | Withdrawal of the Roman forces |
| 296–298 CE | Galerius' Sasanian Campaigns | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Roman victory | The Sasanians pay up 400,000 denarii to Rome |
| 337–361 CE | Perso-Roman wars of 337–361 | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | The Romans under Constantius II were defeated in several sanguinary encounters, however, Shapur was unable to secure a decisive victory. |
| 363 CE | Julian's Persian expedition | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Sasanian victory | Sasanians annex five regions and fifteen major fortresses from the Roman Empire along with the consequent annexation of Armenia |
| 363–371 CE | Armeno-Sassanid War of 363–371 | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Roman victory | Persians depose Arshak II of Armenia Armenia is put under Roman suzerainty through Pap of Armenia entronization. |
| 421–422 CE | Roman–Sasanian War | Roman Empire | Sasanian Empire | Stalemate | Status quo ante bellum |
| 440 CE | Byzantine–Sasanian War of 440 | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | Status quo ante bellum Both empires agree to battle northern nomads (Scythians) |
| 502–506 CE | Anastasian War | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | Status quo ante bellum Rome made some payments to the Sasanian Empire |
| 526–532 CE | Iberian War | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Inconclusive | Sasanians retained Iberia, Byzantines retained Lazica |
| 541–562 CE | Lazic War | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Disputed | Fifty–Year Peace Treaty No clear winner emerged from the conflict, however, the Sasanian Empire held a slight advantage since Rome was required to pay a set amount to Persia annually. |
| 572–591 CE | Byzantine–Sasanian War of 572–591 | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Byzantine victory | Khosrow II is restored to the Sasanian throne, Byzantine Empire gets most of Persian Armenia and the western half of Iberia |
| 602–628 CE | Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 | Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | Byzantine victory | Status quo ante bellum Political and economic crisis of the Sassanids Beginning of the Arab conquests The Sasanian Empire pays for all the damage |