The Peace of Nisibis (299 CE) ended the Roman–Sasanian War of 296–299 CE after Galerius, Caesar under the Roman emperor Diocletian (reign 284–305 CE), defeated the Sasanian shah Narseh (reign 293–302 CE) in Armenia in 298 CE. The settlement shifted the regional balance of power decisively toward Rome. Five eastern frontier districts: Ingilene, Sophene, Arzanene, Corduene, and Zabdicene were ceded to Roman control, while the Arsacid monarchy in Armenia was restored under Roman suzerainty and Caucasian Iberia (Kartli) became a Roman protectorate. Nisibis became the regulated center of commercial and diplomatic exchange between the two empires, while Caucasian Albania remained within the Sasanian Empire. The treaty therefore created a frontier defined not simply by imperial borders but by kingdoms and territories positioned between Roman and Sasanian power.
The settlement brought several decades of relative stability and marked a high point of Roman influence in the Caucasus, but it did not end the region's role as a contested frontier. Armenia, Iberia, Lazica, and Albania retained distinct political identities while navigating the competing influence of Rome and Sasanian Persia, and trade, diplomacy, and religious change continued across their borders. Renewed Roman–Sasanian warfare under Shapur II eventually overturned much of the settlement: the peace of 363 reversed major Roman gains, and the later 4th century saw Armenia divided between Roman and Sasanian spheres.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, September 06). Map of the Caucasus after the Peace of Nisibis 299 CE: Roman and Sasanian Power on the Caucasian Frontier. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18289/map-of-the-caucasus-after-the-peace-of-nisibis-299/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Caucasus after the Peace of Nisibis 299 CE: Roman and Sasanian Power on the Caucasian Frontier." World History Encyclopedia, September 06, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18289/map-of-the-caucasus-after-the-peace-of-nisibis-299/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Caucasus after the Peace of Nisibis 299 CE: Roman and Sasanian Power on the Caucasian Frontier." World History Encyclopedia, 06 Sep 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18289/map-of-the-caucasus-after-the-peace-of-nisibis-299/.
