CTESIPHON - Attila Total War

Ctesiphon in 575 AD with 500,000 citizens. Surely, Ctesiphon was last great city in Mesopotamia of the ancient world. Was the capital city of the Parthian and Sasanian Empires and its most conspicuous structure remaining today is the great archway of Ctesiphon. It was situated on the eastern bank of the Tigris across from where the Greek city of Seleucia stood and northeast of ancient Babylon. Because of its importance, Ctesiphon was a major military objective for the leaders of the Roman Empire in their eastern wars. The city was captured by Rome five times in its history; The emperor Trajan captured Ctesiphon in 116. The Roman general Avidius Cassius captured Ctesiphon in 164 during another Parthian war and In 197, the emperor Septimius Severus sacked Ctesiphon again. By 226, Ctesiphon was in the hands of the Sasanian Empire, who also made it their capital and had laid an end to the Parthian dynasty of Iran. Ctesiphon was greatly enlarged and flourished during their rule, thus turning into a metropolis.