Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

14 The third Sasanian–Byzantine War 109
which had been built around this sanctuary. (9) For the envoys happened to make
their stop here. 169
The fall of Antioch left a deep impression on the Byzantine historian,
who was puzzled by the events. It was indeed primarily the conquest of
Antioch that made Xusrō famous in the Western world, 170 and the Sasanian
ruler added to his reputation by not missing any opportunity to remind
the world of his deeds. Not far from the Sasanian capital Ktēsiphōn he
built a new city that was modelled upon the conquered city; he named
the new foundation Veh-Antiok-Xusrō (= ‘Xusrō made this city better
than Antioch’) and settled Antioch’s deported population here (36). 171 The
capture of Antioch, however, did not bring any resolution but was merely
a prelude to further military engagements that lasted for twenty years 172
before in 562 an official peace concluded this second Sasanian–Byzantine
War of the sixth century (20).
14: The third Sasanian–Byzantine War (572–91) and the Persian
expansion into South Arabia
The historian Theophylact Simocatta, who was an imperial prefect and
secretary in Constantinople during the reign of the emperor Heraclius, 173
tells us about the outbreak of the third Sasanian–Byzantine War in the
sixth century. The author describes how the war spread geographically and
points to the many links within the ‘international balance of power’.
Theophylact Simocatta iii.9.3–11
(3) When the emperor Justinian had passed away to eternity after he had ruled
the Romans for thirty-nine years, Justin the Younger became the successor to his
rule; 174 he was actually a nephew of the emperor Justinian. (4) In the seventh year
of the reign of Justin the Younger 175 the Romans broke the peace treaty 176 because
of the king’s carelessness, the blessings of peace were disrupted and destroyed, and
what came upon the Romans and the Medes was war, which attracts all evils,
the harbours, so to say, of all misfortunes, the archetypal destroyer of life, which
169 Elsewhere Procopius describes the restoration of the city, which was called Theoupolis thereafter
(Proc. Aed. ii.10.1–25); for Antioch’s mixed fortune in late antiquity see Liebeschütz 1972
and Kennedy 1992: 181–98; in general on the history, population and topography of Antioch see
Chaumont 1987b: 119–25; Kondoleon 2000 and Huskinson and Sandwell 2004.
170 Agath. iv.29.5–6. 171 Tabarī, tr. Nöldeke, 265; Proc. BP ii.14.1–7.
172 For an outline see Bury 1958: 93–120.
173 On the author and his work see Schreiner 1985; for an English translation and commentary see
Whitby and Whitby 1986.
174 Justin II reigned from 14 August 565 to 5 October 578. 175 This is the year 572.
176 Theophylact Simocatta is referring to the foedus of 562 (20).