Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

34 2 A chronological survey
When the Caesar Julian (361–3), who agitated in the West, refused to
reinforce Constantius’ army against the Sasanians, the emperor was in a
difficult situation. When, moreover, in the spring of 360 Julian was proclaimed
Augustus by his army in Paris, Constantius was forced to intervene
against him in the West but died on his way in Cilicia on 3 November
361. Towards the beginning of the year 363 his successor to the throne,
Julian, renewed the Roman offensive in the East in order to deal with the
situation along the Eastern frontier of the Roman Empire once and for
all. His advance far into Sasanian territory was successful at first but ended
in catastrophe. The emperor was wounded in battle and died on 26 June
363 (8). In great haste a new emperor, Jovian (363–4), was proclaimed,
who had to conclude a peace with ˇ Sāpūr II immediately. Jovian was in a
hopeless situation and his main concern would have been to lead his army
safely back to Roman territory; he therefore had no choice but to agree to
the peace terms dictated by ˇ Sāpūr II, namely to surrender the conquests
made by Diocletian, to give up Nisibis and Singara and to withdraw from
Armenia (18). The hope for a lasting peace was not fulfilled. ˇ Sāpūr II felt
bound by the treaty of 363 only as long as Jovian was alive. When the
Roman emperor died in the following year he went back to his aggressive
policy against Rome. In 371 he embarked on a campaign against Armenia
(8), which led to nothing less than the division of Armenia between the
Romans and the Sasanians. When ˇ Sāpūr II died in 379 Persia was more
powerful than ever before. The king had been one of the greatest rulers on
the Sasanian throne and was admired even by authors biased against him,
such as Ammianus Marcellinus. 82 Apart from the continuing quarrels over
Armenia, 83 the tensions between the two great empires ceased towards the
end of the fourth century; 84 apparently the two sides moved closer together
because both had a lively interest in guarding the Caucasian frontier and
in sharing the cost of its defence (27).
2.3 the fifth century: détente at the
roman eastern frontier
While the fourth century was characterised by the long reign of ˇ Sāpūr II
and his aggressive Western policy and hence marked by numerous armed
82 Schippmann 1990: 36–7.
83 For a history of Armenia in the fourth century see Baynes 1910: 625–43; Garsoïan 1967: 297–320;
ead. 1971: 342–52; Hewsen 1978/9: 99–126; for the partition of Armenia during the reign of ˇ Sāpūr
III (383–8) see the references on p. 185 n. 56.
84 For an analysis of Roman–Persian relations under Theodosius I see Gutmann 1991: 226–32.