Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Naissus

Battle of Naissus was a battle fought in September AD 268 at Niš, in what is now Serbia. It was part of Crisis of the Third Century, which ran from AD 235 to AD 284. The recorded result: Decisive Roman victory. Recorded strength: Unknown against Unknown.

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A map of the Gothic-Erulian invasion of the Balkans in 267-269 AD (emperors: Gallienus, Claudius Gothicus). This map follows the 2-invasions theory
A map of the Gothic-Erulian invasion of the Balkans in 267-269 AD (emperors: Gallienus, Claudius Gothicus). This map follows the 2-invasions theory. Dipa1965, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtSeptember AD 268
WhereNiš, Serbia43.300N, 21.900E
OutcomeDecisive Roman victory
BelligerentsRoman EmpireagainstGoths
Casualties and lossesUnknownandHeavy
Part ofCrisis of the Third CenturyAD 235 to AD 284

Where it sits in Crisis of the Third Century

Battle at the Harzhorn, AD 235Siege of Aquileia, AD 238Battle of Serdica, AD 261Battle of Lake Benacus, AD 268Siege of Mediolanum, AD 268Battle of Naissus, AD 268Siege of Augustodunum Haeduorum, AD 269Battle of Fano, AD 271Battle of Pavia, AD 271Battle of Placentia, AD 271Battle of Châlons, AD 274AD 235AD 274Battle of Naissus, AD 268
11 placed engagements of Crisis of the Third Century in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateSeptember AD 268 (month precision)
PlaceNiš, Serbia
43.300N, 21.900E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthUnknownUnknown
Casualties and lossesUnknownHeavy
Commanders
  • Cniva
  • Cannabaudes
Battle of NaissusBattle of NaissusSiege of Nish (1096)Battle of Niš (1915)Battle of ČegarBattle of KunovicaBattle of ŠumatovacBattle of KunovicaBattle of ŠumatovacSofiaPristinaCraiovaČačakPecKyustendilPrizrenKragujevac100 km43.300N, 21.900E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Naissus
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Naissus today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-08-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 339 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 180 to 665 m, 485 m of relief, steep country and today it is 35% built-up, 33% tree cover, 25% grassland.

built-up: 35%tree cover: 33%grassland: 25%cropland: 6%built-up 35%tree cover 33%grassland 25%cropland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km182 to 385 mnorth to south, 10.0 km190 to 382 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between AD 268 and 1915.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 268

Battle of Naissus is one of 85 engagements of the 3rd century in the atlas and one of 100 in present-day Serbia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q929265, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Naissus, revision 1370451155, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.