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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]