Persians defeat Byzantines near Antioch
Labels: Sasanian Empire, AntiochA major Sasanian victory outside Antioch helps secure Persian control in Syria and supports continued advances through the Levant during the war’s “Persian dominance” phase.
Byzantine–Sasanian War (602–628)
Damascus falls to Sasanian forces
Labels: Sasanian Empire, DamascusSasanian armies capture Damascus, deepening Persian control over Roman Syria and opening the way to further gains in Palestine, including Jerusalem soon after.
Sasanians capture Jerusalem and seize True Cross
Labels: Jerusalem, True CrossAfter a siege in spring 614, Jerusalem falls to Sasanian forces (with local allies noted in several sources). The relic known as the True Cross is taken to Persia, becoming a major symbolic and diplomatic stake in the war.
Sasanian conquest of Egypt begins
Labels: Shahrbaraz, EgyptSasanian forces under Shahrbaraz invade Byzantine Egypt; the campaign culminates in the occupation of the province over the next few years, removing a vital grain and revenue base from Byzantine control.
Alexandria captured during Egypt campaign
Labels: Alexandria, Sasanian EmpireAlexandria falls to Sasanian forces, marking a decisive step in the conquest of Egypt and consolidating Persian reach into the Eastern Mediterranean world.
Heraclius launches major counteroffensive in Anatolia
Labels: Heraclius, AnatoliaHeraclius departs Constantinople after Easter 622 to begin sustained campaigning against Sasanian forces, shifting the strategic initiative gradually back toward Byzantium.
Avar–Persian siege of Constantinople fails
Labels: Constantinople, AvarsA coordinated assault on Constantinople by the Avars from the European side and Persian forces positioned across the Bosporus collapses, largely because Persian troops cannot effectively cross and the city’s defenses hold. The failure is a turning point that protects the Byzantine capital during Heraclius’s campaigns.
Heraclius wins Battle of Nineveh
Labels: Heraclius, Battle ofHeraclius defeats a Sasanian field army near Nineveh in a climactic battle, enabling the Byzantines to raid deep into Persian territory and accelerating political crisis around Khosrow II.
Khosrow II deposed and executed
Labels: Khosrow II, Kavadh IIAfter military reverses and internal revolt, Khosrow II is overthrown and executed. His successor (Kavadh II) quickly seeks peace with Byzantium, bringing the long war toward its end.
Phocas seizes power; Maurice executed
Labels: Phocas, MauriceArmy mutiny elevates Phocas to the throne; Emperor Maurice and his family are killed soon after. Khosrow II of the Sasanian Empire uses Maurice’s overthrow and death as a casus belli for renewed war against Byzantium.
Sasanian invasion expands in Byzantine East
Labels: Sasanian Empire, Byzantine EastSasanian forces push into Byzantine territories in the eastern provinces during Phocas’s reign, setting the stage for rapid Persian gains across Anatolia and the Levant over the next decade.
Heraclius overthrows Phocas and becomes emperor
Labels: Heraclius, ConstantinopleHeraclius captures Constantinople and Phocas is executed, initiating a new regime that will eventually reorganize resistance and launch major counter-campaigns against the Sasanians.
Timeline
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Byzantine–Sasanian War (602–628)
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