Circesium ( syc, ܩܪܩܣܝܢ ', grc, Κιρκήσιον), known in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
as al-Qarqisiya, was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
fortress city near the junction of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
and
Khabur rivers, located at the empire's eastern frontier with the
Sasanian Empire. It was later conquered by the Muslim Arabs in the 7th century and was often a point of contention between various Muslim states due to its strategic location between Syria and Iraq. The modern town of
al-Busayra corresponds with the site of Circesium.
Etymology and location
The name Circesium or ''castrum Circense'' is of Graeco-Roman origin and translates as "the castle with the
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
".
[Streck 1978, p. 654.] ''Qerqusion'' (also spelled ''Qarqūsyōn'') and ''al-Qarqīsiyā'' (also spelled Qarqīsīā'') are the
Syriac and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
versions of the Latin name, respectively.
The
Parthian transliteration, attested in
Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, is ''Krksyʾ''. The etymology of the name was known to the medieval Muslim geographer,
Hamza al-Isfahani
Hamza ibn al-Hasan bnal-Mu'addib al-Isfahani ( ar, حمزه الاصفهانی; – after 961), commonly known as Hamza al-Isfahani (or Hamza Isfahani; ) was a Persian philologist and historian, who wrote in Arabic during the Buyid era. A Persia ...
, who wrote ''al-Qarqīsiyā'' stemmed from ''qirqīs'', the Arabicized form of "circus".
The ancient site was situated at the eastern bank of the
Euphrates River, adjacent to the confluence of the
Khabur River.
History
Antiquity
A
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
military station likely existed in this location as early as 256 AD as the place is listed in King
Shapur I's (240–270)
inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, among towns taken from the Romans in 256 during the
second Roman campaign. Later, having reverted to Roman hands, Emperor
Diocletian (284–286) further enforced Circesium into a strongly fortified outpost on the far eastern frontier of the empire, in order to improve the defensive capabilities against the
Sasanians.
Circesium was ceded to the Sasanids by Emperor
Jovian (363–364) in a treaty signed in 363.
In early 363, during
his ill-fated Sasanian campaign, Emperor
Julian (361–363) moved through Circesium and crossed the
Khabur River by using a
pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses floats or shallow- draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maximum load that they can carry ...
. According to contemporary sources, the
cenotaph of Emperor
Gordian III (who had been killed during
his own Sasanian campaign of 244), was still visible at Zaitha (which was located nearby Circesium) when Julian and his army moved through the area.
It was again restored to the Romans and according to the ''
Notitia Dignitatum'', Circesium was the headquarter of Legio IV Parthica until the 5th century. The fortress of Circenium was restored and extended by Emperor
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...
(527–565) during his efforts "to reorganize the system of border protection at the beginning of his reign".
Joseph Wiesehöfer / ''
Encyclopædia Iranica
''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times.
Scope
The ''Encyc ...
'' notes that this might have been one of the reasons why Sasanian King
Khosrow I (531–579), during his offensive in 540, decided to invade the Roman Empire further to the north, "along the western bank of the Euphrates". Circesium, due to these reorganization efforts by Justinian I, eventually became the garrison site of a ''
dux''.
In 573, during Khosrow I's offensive during the
Byzantine–Sasanian War of 572–591, the Sasanian King ordered General
Adarmahan Adarmahān (in Greek sources given as , Adaarmanes; fl. late 6th century) was a Persian general active in the western frontier of the Sassanid Empire against the East Roman (Byzantine) forces, during the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 572–591.
Bio ...
to cross the Euphrates near Circesium in order to attack the eastern Byzantine provinces from there. In 580, Circesium was turned into the garrison base for Emperor
Maurice's
offensive during the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 572–591. During the flight of
Khosrow II (590–628) in 590, the latter was briefly sheltered by the Byzantine garrison commander of Circesium, Probus, before moving to
Hierapolis.
Medieval era
During the
Muslim conquests, Circesium was captured from the Byzantines without resistance by a Muslim army commanded by
Habib ibn Maslama al-Fihri, himself dispatched by the Muslim governor of
Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia),
Iyad ibn Ghanm.
Though many Muslim sources state this occurred in 637, it more likely occurred in 640.
According to Joseph Wiesehöfer / ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', in all likelihood, Circesium was recaptured shortly after by the Byzantines. However, in 690-691, during the reign of Caliph
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (685–705), Circesium became a definitive part of the
Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
. The city afterward became the capital of the Khabur district of the Jazira province.
During the
Second Muslim Civil War, Circesium became the headquarters of the
Qaysi tribal leader
Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi who recognized the caliphate of
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr in rebellion against the Umayyads.
[Streck 1978, p. 655.] Abd al-Malik was forced to contend with Zufar before he could embark on his conquest of Iraq from the Zubayrids. To that end, he besieged Circesium around 690 and after several months, Zufar ultimately surrendered and defected to the Umayyads.
In the late 9th century, the autonomous governor of Egypt,
Ahmad ibn Tulun
Ahmad ibn Tulun ( ar, أحمد بن طولون, translit=Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn; c. 20 September 835 – 10 May 884) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria between 868 and 905. Originally a Turkic slave-soldier, in 868 I ...
, extended his domains as far as Circesium, but the
Abbasids under
al-Muwaffaq recaptured it in 881.
The city, alongside nearby
al-Rahba, played an important role in the struggles involving the
Hamdanids who ruled the Jazira autonomously during the 10th century.
According to
Istakhri and
Ibn Hawqal, ''al-Qarqīsiyā''/''al-Qarqīsīā'' (Circesium) was a flourishing city as late as the 10th century. In 1265, the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
sultan
Baybars
Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...
captured Circesium from the
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
s, massacring its Mongol and Georgian garrison.
[Amitai-Preiss 1995, p. 115.] However, the fortified city was back in Mongol hands by 1281.
Due to its strategic location, Muslim geographers throughout the Islamic era mentioned Circesium but gave no detailed account of the city in their descriptions of the region.
This may indicate that Circesium did not become a large town under the various Muslim dynasties that ruled it.
Modern era
The site of Circesium is today occupied by the town of
al-Busayra.
Writing in the early 20th century, historian M. Streck wrote that al-Busayra was a village of thirty to forty clay houses adjacent to a large site of ruins.
Bishopric
The
bishopric of Circesium was a
suffragan of
Edessa, the capital of the
Roman province
The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
of
Osrhoene.
A
Nestorian writer says that a Bishop Jonas of this see was one of the participants at the
First Council of Nicaea (325) who had suffered mutilation during the preceding persecution. However, his name does not appear in the authentic list. Abrahamius, took part in the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, B ...
in 451 and was a signatory of the joint letter that the bishops of the province of Osrhoene sent to
Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as ...
Leo I the Thracian
Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" ( la, Thrax; grc-gre, ο Θραξ),; grc-gre, Μακέλλης), referencing the murder of Aspar and his son. was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia ...
in 458 regarding the murder of Patriarch
Proterius of Alexandria. Nonnus was a supporter of
Severus of Antioch and was expelled by Emperor
Justin I
Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...
in 518. He also acted as a representative of the Monophysites at a conference held in Constantinople in 532. Davithas (David) was a member of
the council called by
Patriarch Menas of Constantinople in 536, and Thomas was at the
Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and re ...
in 553.
Michael the Syrian lists fourteen
Jacobite bishops of the see, apart from Nonnus, the last being of the 11th century.
No longer a residential bishopric, Circesium is today listed by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
as a
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
.
[''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 870]
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Further reading
*{{ODLA, last=Hamarneh, first=Basema, title=Circesium, url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-1074?rskey=ihNJft&result=11
External Links
Photos of al-Qarqisiyaat the
American Center of Research
Osroene
Roman towns and cities in Syria
Catholic titular sees in Asia
Former populated places in Syria
Populated places on the Euphrates River
Roman–Persian Wars