Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

94 3 Military confrontations
Julian’s death ended the Persian War, which had started in the year 338.
The Roman army proclaimed a man from their own ranks the new emperor,
Jovian, who quickly agreed to a peace with ˇ Sāpūr II (18). As Jovian was
in a fairly hopeless situation, he had no choice but to accept considerable
territorial losses, which turned this peace treaty into a humiliating experience
for Rome. In any case, the new emperor was primarily interested in
leading his army safely back onto Roman territory. 93 The ‘Armenian problem’
shattered any hope which the Romans may have entertained of a long
peace on the Eastern frontier; however, in the fifth century this conflict was
eventually ‘resolved’ between the two powers.
3.3 the fifth century: détente at the roman
eastern frontier
9: Arcadius (383–408) and Yazdgard I (399–420)
Procopius, De bello Persico i.2.6–10 94
(6) When Arcadius, although he was in general not very shrewd, was in this
troublesome situation, 95 he devised a plan that guaranteed him both his son and
his rule without problems, either after conversations with certain experts (and
there tend to be many of such royal advisors) or after having had some divine
inspiration. (7) For when he wrote down his will he determined that his son
would be the successor to his rule but he designated the Persian king Yazdgard
(I) to be his guardian; 96 in this will he urged the king many times to preserve the
empire for Theodosius with all his energy and foresight. (8) Having taken care of
the succession and also of his domestic affairs in this way Arcadius died. When
the Persian king Yazdgard (I) saw this will, which was indeed delivered to him, he
(who was already very famous for his extraordinary greatness of mind) displayed a
virtue both amazing and praiseworthy. (9) For he did not neglect Arcadius’ wishes
in any way but established and always kept a profound peace with the Romans
and preserved the empire for Theodosius. (10) Immediately, he wrote a letter to
the Roman Senate saying that he was not refusing to become the guardian of the
93 Ehling 1996: 186–91.
94 For an English translation of the preceding paragraphs see Greatrex and Lieu 2002: 32–3.
95 Arcadius knew that his death was imminent and his only son, Theodosius, was only seven years
old. Proc. BP i.2.1–5 describes the emperor’s concern regarding both the empire and his son. In this
context the author points to the particular threat from Persia and warns that the barbarians could
take advantage of the young age of the new Roman emperor and inflict great harm on the Romans.
96 Scholars have interpreted the term epitropos that Procopius uses in this passage in different ways.
Blockley 1992: 197 n. 36 sums up, ‘While many see Yezdgerd’s “guardianship” as no more than a
diplomatic nicety. . . I accept Pieler’s view that it was an extension of diplomatic fraternitas into
executive force via the legacy’; cf. Pieler 1972: 411–33.