The siege of Amida took place between 502 and 503 during the Anastasian War, when the Sasanian Empire captured the city from the Byzantine Empire. The conflict was sparked after the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus refused a loan requested by the Sasanian Shah Kavadh I. Kavadh then sought to raise the money by pillaging the Byzantine frontier towns. Though Amida had no Byzantine military troops, the city resisted a three-month siege before falling to the Sasanians. The sack of the city involved three days of mass killings, and those who survived were subsequently enslaved. The loss of Amida prompted Anastasius to mount a military response, and the war continued until both sides agreed to a truce in 505, after which the city was restored to Byzantine control.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.