ORDER OF BATTLE // June 1, 0530
Battle of Dara
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 75,000 estimated
Byzantine Empire
25,000
Medium-confidence figure
Sasanian Empire
50,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Dara, fought in 530 AD, was one of the engagements of the Iberian War between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire. Byzantine forces under Belisarius, Hermogenes, and supporting commanders numbering around 25,000 faced a Sasanian army approximately twice that size under Perozes, Pityaxes, and Baresmanas. Byzantine casualties stood at around 5,000 against Sasanian losses of approximately 8,000, figures that indicate a hard-fought engagement in which the smaller Byzantine force inflicted proportionally heavier losses on the Sasanian side.
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