Greetings all,
On this day we reflect on the
Emperor Julian burned his supply ships on the Tigris river before
heading to the interior of Persia during his Persian Campaign on June 16th in 363 AD:
His armies had won a battle at Ctesiphon, the Persian capital, but
his forces were unable to mount a successful siege of the city. Not
wanting to withdraw and being unwilling to leave the ships for
approaching enemy forces, Julian ordered the ships burned before moving
forward. This possible path of retreat was later cut off in any case and
the Emperor was killed while his armies fought their way out of Persia.
His uncle, the Emperor Constantius II had fallen ill and died while
beginning a campaign against the Persians and they had remained a threat
since. As Julian had secured the Western provinces while serving as
Caesar, he had surely hoped to gain complete security for the Empire
as a whole through victory in the East.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
www.byzantiumnovum.org
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