What happened at Hatra? The problem of the Severan siege operations
By Duncan Campbell
The Defence of the Roman and Byzantine East, edited by P. Freeman and D. Kennedy (Oxford, 1986)
Abstract: The Severan sieges of Hatra as described by Cassius Dio and Herodian raise a number of points of interest in the field of Roman military studies. Above all, the apparent failure of the Severan siege operations re- quires explanation. Of crucial importance to this is the problem of the distribution of booty in the Roman imperial army: the emperor’s reluctance to share the spoils of conquest with his troops has been seen as the underlying reason for his withdrawal from Hatra. In the following paper, an attempt will be made to discuss this and other related topics. One of these, the composition of the besieging force, has recently been touched upon in print. However, the wider repercussions of Speidel’s thesis have not so far been appreciated; in particular, the likelihood of Severus’ army having corrprised only Syrian troops. In exploring these topics, it is hoped that a greater insight into the Severan siege-operations may be achieved.
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