| Siege of Thessalonica (254) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Roman-Germanic wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Roman Empire | Goths | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Garrison Militia | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Siege of Thessalonica in 254[1][2] was the successful defense of the city of Thessalonica by local Roman militia during an invasion of the Balkans by the Goths.[3]
Background
In 254 the Goths invaded and plundered Thrace and Macedonia.[1][4][5] In 1979, Herwig Wolfram regarded 254 as the date, while Mallan and Davenport in 2015 suggested 262.[6][1] Goltz and Hartmann estimated 254 as the date.[2] David Potter in 2016 rejected Mallan and Davenport's estimate and dated it to either 253 or 259.[4]
Siege
The Goths attempted to storm Thessalonica in close order formations and assault columns.[5] The Thessalonicans rallied to defend the city walls and defeated the attacks.[5]
Aftermath
The Goths abandoned the siege and moved on to invade Greece south of Thermopylae, seeking to loot the gold and silver wealth of Greek temples.[5] The siege was recorded by the contemporary historian Dexippus.[7] A fragment of his work, discovered in Vienna in 2010, specifies the involvement of the citizens in the defense.[7]
Citations
- ^ a b c Wolfram 1990, p. 48.
- ^ a b Goltz&Hartmann 2008, pp. 233-234.
- ^ Mallan&Davenport 2015, p. 221.
- ^ a b Potter 2016, p. 253.
- ^ a b c d Mallan&Davenport 2015, p. 206.
- ^ Mallan&Davenport 2015, p. 215.
- ^ a b Mallan&Davenport 2015, p. 207.
Bibliography
- Goltz, Andreas; Hartmann, Udo (2008). "Valerian und Gallienus". In Johne, Klaus-Peter (ed.). Die Zeit der Soldatenkaiser. Krise und Transformation des Römischen Reiches im 3. Jahrhundert n. Chr. (235-284) (in German). Berlin: Akademie Verlag. ISBN 978-3-05-004529-0.
- Mallan, Christopher; Davenport, Caillan (November 2015). "Dexippus and the Gothic Invasions: Interpreting the New Vienna Fragment". Journal of Roman Studies. 105: 203-226. doi:10.1017/s0075435815000970.
- Potter, David (2016). "War as Theater, from Tacitus to Dexippus". In Riess, Werner; Fagan, Garrett G. (eds.). The Topography of Violence in the Greco-Roman World. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472119820.
- Wolfram, Herwig (1990) [1979]. Geschichte der Goten. Entwurf einer historischen Ethnographie [History of the Goths]. Translated by Dunlap, Thomas J. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520069831.
Further reading
- Martin, Gunther; Grusková, Jana (2014) "'Dexippus Vindobonensis' (?) Ein neues Handschriftenfragment zum sog. Herulereinfall der Jahre 267/268" (in German)
- "The Vienna Dexippus (?) (second revised version)", uploaded by Jones, Christopher
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