Battle of Barbalissos

For 1,000 years, the Roman Empire was a major power in Europe. Roman emperors controlled most of Southern Europe, North Africa, and some parts of Asia giving them the numbers to encounter any intruding forces. There would be celebrations in honor of military victories to remind people of the power of the Roman army. The republic of Ancient Rome changed into a complete monarchy in 27 BCE with Augustus as the first emperor until the Battle of Barbalissos during the monarchy of Valerian the Elder (253-260 CE).[10] During the life of the Roman Empire, many great architectural and historical entertainment places such as the coliseum were made for people and nobles of Rome. The people financially were separated into three branches of poor, medium, and noble. Most people were fed enough to avoid starvation and would join the army to generate a good income for their family. Even with police presence, the slums, where the poor lived, were a common place for criminal activities and many would avoid such places if possible. The Roman army was the main pride and happiness for any person who was born a Roman. The weapons of choice for the Roman soldiers were pilum, gladius, and pugio. The pilum was similar to a javelin used to throw at the enemy but not for hand-to-hand combat. The gladius was the razor sharp blade used for frontier battles. The pugio was a small dagger which was used as the last resort if all other equipment was gone. The Roman legionaries were said to be very disciplined, armored, and ready for any incoming surprises. Captured enemy soldiers from numerous battles automatically became slaves to their noble masters and it was impossible to receive their freedom.[11]

The Sassanian Empire had the vast majority of Asia which expanded to Europe and Africa during the monarchy of the kings for 410 years of its stand. The Sassanian were feared by many from their massive conquests and advances. Their great libraries and architectures were a way for them to show the history of the empire. Sassanian empire was the only empire of Persia which gave massive amounts of territory and power to its people throughout history. On the level of power, society was divided into priests, warriors, secretaries, and commoners. Petty rulers, royal family, priests, and great landlords had the highest level of power in society and therefore had more available options towards their way of choosing their lifestyle. The monarchy of Sassanids began from Ardashir I (224-244 CE) until the second king of kings Shapur I who fought the battle of Barbalissos and became known as "the Great". There were many historians and artists during the Sassanian empire who made books and drawings of king's achievements and conquest. They were known mostly for the fascinating art and the strength of their military. The military of Sassanian empire was nobles and medium class people who would undergo "hard service" which taught them of different military tactics, maneuvers, and strategy. They would come out as professional soldiers with full body armor taking part as an archer, infantry, or heavy cavalry. The commanders wrote manuals on art of archery which proved the skill of the Persian archers. The Sassanian heavy cavalry were full of body armor to the point that "they could only see through the small holes in their helmets..".[12] Although they were slow, they were proved to be a big advantage on legionaries of Roman army. The infantry was not as powerful as the cavalry of Sassanid Persians since they were equipped with much less armor and weapons compared to a cavalry unit. Slavery was not used as much in Sassanid empire since the Persian culture did not believe in such beliefs. The Persian army would take captured soldiers as "prisoners of war" rather than slaves and exchange them for money.[13]

The coin from the time of emperor Valerian.

Valerian after his capture, used as a step for Shapur I to mount his horse

A coin of king of kings Shapur I.

The story of Valerian being used as a mounting block by Shapur, though oft-repeated, is almost certainly apocryphal. As the Bishapur and Naqs-i-Rustam monuments show clearly, Valerian was not humiliated after his capture. During Valerian's rule, the Roman empire suffered repeated, heavy attacks on its territory. In the West, the Empire proved vulnerable to raids by Franks and others.

In the East, Sassanian Persians were a major threat. Valerian let his son Gallienus (253-268 CE) look after the West, while focusing his own efforts in the East. Valerian was not successful since he was defeated and captured near Edessa (260 CE) by Shapur I and eventually died among other prisoners.[14]

Shapur I had been given the title of "the Great" since he conquered and maintained multiple Roman territories during his time of power. However, his shining moment began with the battle of barbalissos. It was his second battle with the Romans and since he learned a lot from his father, Ardashir I (224-242 CE), about tactics, strategic traps, and troop formations he took over Syria by "destroying the entirety of 60,000 legionaries" along with many more in the cities after the battle of Barbalissos. He was born and taught to be a leader by his father which later helped on the expansion of Sassanian empire and its power to be grown vastly.[15]