602 – 628 AD
The final, apocalyptic round of a 700-year struggle between Rome and Persia. The Sasanian king Khosrow II overran the Roman East — taking Antioch, Jerusalem, and Egypt and seizing the True Cross — and twice reached the walls of Constantinople. Then the emperor Heraclius struck deep into Persia in one of history's great comebacks, shattering the Sasanians at Nineveh. Both empires were left so exhausted that, within a decade, the armies of Islam swept them away.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
The final, apocalyptic round of a 700-year struggle between Rome and Persia. The Sasanian king Khosrow II overran the Roman East — taking Antioch, Jerusalem, and Egypt and seizing the True Cross — and twice reached the walls of Constantinople. Then the emperor Heraclius struck deep into Persia in one of history's great comebacks, shattering the Sasanians at Nineveh. Both empires were left so exhausted that, within a decade, the armies of Islam swept them away.
The Last Byzantine–Sasanian War was fought from 602 to 628 AD.
The Last Byzantine–Sasanian War was fought between Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and Sasanian Persian Empire.
An estimated 500,000 people died in The Last Byzantine–Sasanian War, including roughly 200,000 military and 300,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included The Fall of Jerusalem, The Siege of Constantinople, The Persian Conquest of Egypt, and The Fall of Antioch.