610–641 CEReputable sourceWell documented
Heraclius and the Last Great War of Antiquity
On the timeline · around 610–641 CE ·
What happened
Heraclius seized the throne in 610 to find the empire on the brink of collapse, its eastern provinces overrun by the Sasanian Persians, who had even carried off the True Cross from Jerusalem. Against the odds he reorganized the state and, in a daring counteroffensive, crushed Persia at the Battle of Nineveh in 627. He recovered the lost provinces and the True Cross — but the two exhausted empires were left defenceless.
Why it matters
Heraclius's victory ended the centuries-long Roman–Persian rivalry, the 'last great war of antiquity.' But it was a hollow triumph: within a decade the new armies of Islam would sweep away Persia entirely and tear the same provinces from Byzantium.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Heraclius · Reputable source