Ktesifon ( Greek Κτησιφῶν (Ktēsiphōn), pehl. Tyspwn , Persian تیسفون (Tisfun), Arabic. قطيسفون (Qaṭaysfūn), Armenian Տիզբոն (Tizbon [1] ) - one of the largest cities of late antiquity , approximately 32 km from modern Baghdad downstream of the Tigris and occupied an area of 30 km². In the II-VII centuries. Ctesiphon served as the capital of the Parthian kingdom , and then - the kingdom of the Sassanids .
| Ancient city | |
| Ktesifon | |
|---|---|
| pehl. Tyspwn sire. ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ , Greek Κτησιφῶν , arab. قطيسفون , arm. Տիզբոն | |
 The ruins of the White Palace in Ktesifon with the famous Arch of Khosrov, 1864. | |
| Based | 120s BC |
| Other names | Madain , Mahose |
| Ruined | VIII century AD |
| The name of the settlement | Qasr Bint Al Qadi |
| Composition of the population | Persians , Assyrians , Greeks , Arabs |
| Modern location |  Iraq |
Ctesiphon was the main city of the capital city of the Sassanids, which also included the cities of Aspanbar, Vekh-Antiok-e Khosrov, Vekh-Ardashir and Valashabad . [2]
Content
Description
The city of Upi , located at the beginning of the "royal channel" between the Tigris and the Euphrates , in the XIV century BC. e. was the capital of one of the provinces of the Babylonian kingdom . From here Nebuchadnezzar began the construction of a wall designed to isolate his possessions from the Medes. In ancient Greek texts, the name of the city was referred to as the List (Ὦπις). In 539 BC e. in the battle of the Opis, the Persian king Cyrus crushed the New Babylonian state of Nabonidus . During the reign of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian troops stationed there were in revolt. After the collapse of the power of Alexander, one of his generals, Seleucus Nikator , founded in 305 BC. e. on the opposite bank of the Tigris the ancient Macedonian city of Seleucia ; together they are often called by the common name Seleucia-Ctesiphon .
Parthia
In 144 BC e. Mithridates I of Parthia captured Mesopotamia and transferred the capital of Parthia to Ecbatany . The inventory has become the winter residence of Arshakids . At the beginning of the II century, the Descript was renamed Ctesiphon. He became the small (regional) capital and one of the most important cities of Parthia , which made him the target of Roman attacks . In 116, Trajan took it , but already in 117 Adrian was forced to return the city of Parthia. In 164, the commander Avidiy Kassiy again captured the city, but left it under the terms of a peace treaty. Finally, in 197, Septimius Severus ravaged Ctesiphon and sold at least 100,000 of its inhabitants into slavery. In the III century, Ctesiphon became the main center of the Syro-Persian church .
Sassanids
In the year 295, already under the Sassanids, the Roman emperor Galerius was defeated in the area of Ctesiphon, but the very next year he returned with a new army, took the city and in 298 exchanged it for Armenia. In 363, the emperor Julian was killed near the walls of Ctesiphon. In 627, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius besieged the city and retreated only after the signing by the Persians of the world on its terms.
At the end of the VI and beginning of the VII centuries, Ctesiphon challenged the right of Constantinople and Chang'an to be considered the largest city in the world . In [637, he was captured by the Arabs. Although the population was practically not affected by the conquest, the importance of the city quickly waned, especially after the founding of Baghdad in the VIII century.
Recent History
On the ruins of Ctesiphon in November 1915 there was a battle between the Turkish and British armies. The British, moving towards Baghdad, were defeated, were thrown back more than 60 km back, after which they were surrounded and surrendered.
See also
- Taki Kisra
- Mile Ardashir
- Wallashabad
Notes
- ↑ The Armenian History Attributed to Sebeos / Translation and notes by RW Thomson, historical commentary by James Howard-Johnson, with assistance from Tim Greenwood. - Liverpool University Press, 1999 .-- P. 18.
- ↑ MADĀʾEN - Encyclopaedia Iranica .