The Eastern Frointer of Byzantine Empire In The First Years of Emperor Justinian I. (527-532)
İMPARATOR I. JUSTINIAN’IN İLK YILLARINDA BİZANS İMPARATORLUĞU’NUN MEZOPOTAMYA SINIRI (527-532)

Author : Ahmet KÜTÜK
Number of pages : 141-164.

Abstract

The VI. century has a special importance for the Byzantine Empire, which for centuries fought against the Sassanians for the domination of the frontier region of Mesopotamia. At the beginning of this century, after losing the strong fortress of Amid (Diyarbakır) in 504, the Byzantine Empire made significant changes in its policy concerning the Eastern border. In the period of Anastasius (491-518) the fortified city of Dara was built in the short span of three years despite the fact that this action was contrary to existing agreements between the two powers. The efforts of Anastasius to strengthen the Mesopotamian border were continued in the period of Justinian (527-565) who ruled in the second quarter of the sixth century. The problem of this article is to identify border policy of Mesopotamia of Justinian I. In this context, it’ll be try to determine the principles of Mesopotamia border policy which Justinian followed in his first years on the occasion the events such as the activities on the Eastern border after Belisarius had been given command east border, the Battle of Dara (530), which resulted in the first Byzantine victory over the Sassanians in a long time; the fight that in the sources goes under the name of War of Callinicum (Rakka) (531); and the Eternal Peace that was signed immediately afterwards by the two powers (532).

Keywords

Dara, Nisibis, Byzantine Empire, Sassanids, Justinian I, Belisarius.

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