The colossal and well-preserved relief of Edessa Battle carved at Naqsh-e Rostam in 260 AD tells history. It shows the decisive victory of Sassanid King Shapur I over Rome, which for the first time in history, a Roman Emperor, Valerian, knelt and taken captive for the rest of his life. [800×533]

In his sixties, Valerian marched eastward to the Iranian borders. Valerian’s army comprised men from almost every part of the Roman Empire, including Senators, as well as Germanic allies. The two armies met between Carrhae and Edessa and the Romans were thoroughly defeated, with Valerian being captured alongside his Senators and remnant of his forces. The Roman army was defeated and besieged by the Sasanian forces. Valerian subsequently tried to negotiate, but he was captured; his army surrendered after that. The prisoners included many other high-ranking officials, including a praetorian prefect, possibly Successianus.

The Romans suffered over 10,000 casualties in battle, and Valerian was captured. The rest of the Roman army retreated to Edessa, but were forced to surrender to save their lives. Upon his death, Valerian’s body was allegedly skinned and stuffed with, depending on the account, manure or straw, to produce a trophy of Roman submission preserved in a Sasanian temple. The catastrophic defeat of the Romans during this battle caused chaos and instability throughout the Roman Empire.