Siege of Amida

In 359 AD, the Roman fortress of Amida held fast against the might of the Sassanian Persian army, in a gruelling 73-day siege that saw the city’s defenders face desperation, disease… and betrayal. This was a standoff that left the honour of two formidable military opponents hanging in the balance. The question was, who would come out on top? In this first series of History’s Greatest Battles, Emily Briffett heads back to the ancient Roman empire in the company of historian Dr Adrian Goldsworthy – and in this episode, they revisit the brutal siege of Amida. History’s Greatest Battles is produced by HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Listen to our other podcasts History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, History’s Greatest Scandals, History’s Greatest Cities, HistoryExtra Long Reads and the HistoryExtra podcast at historyextra.com/podcast. For more fascinating stories from the past, check out BBC History Magazine or head to HistoryExtra.com. We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d. This episode was hosted by Emily Briffett and produced by Jack Bateman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices