Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

15 The advance of Xusrō II Parvēz 115
to sell silk in the Persian Empire. In turn, the Turks approached Byzantium
and offered the emperor trade relations and safe transport of the precious
ware beyond Sasanian territory; they declared that they were willing to fight
enemies of Byzantium along all frontiers. 202 Not surprisingly, Theophylact
Simocatta mentions Sasanian attempts to undermine these diplomatic contacts.
The Persians’ fear of an alliance between their two greatest rivals was
more than justified.
Although the negotiations with the Turks were delayed until 576 and
even then from a Roman perspective did not bring the desired results,
in 572 Justin used the first opportunity to start a war against the Sasanians.
203 According to Theophylact Simocatta political unrest in Armenia
triggered the war. In the course of a revolt against Persian domination a
high Sasanian official, whom Xusrō I had entrusted with the erection of a
Zoroastrian fire temple in Dvin, was killed. When the Armenians successfully
appealed to Justin II for protection this amounted to a declaration of
war. 204
3.5 the seventh century: might and decline of
sasanian power
15: The advance of Xusrō II Parvēz (602–28)
Tabarī, Ta rīh i 1001–2 205
When the news that the Romans had broken their allegiance to Maurice and had
killed him reached Xusrō, he became furious, and was disgusted by it and was filled
with anger. He sheltered the son of Maurice who had come to him as a refugee,
crowned him and announced him king over the Romans. He then dispatched
him together with strong troops led by three of his commanders. One of them,
called Rumiyūzān, was sent to Syria, which he conquered as far as Palestine. . . 206
The other commander, whose name was ˇ Sāhin, was the Pādōsbān of the West. 207
He journeyed until he took possession of Egypt, Alexandria and Nubia. He sent
Xusrō the keys of the city of Alexandria in the 28th year of his reign. As far as the
third commander is concerned, he was called Farūhān and his rank was that of
202 Menander Protector frg. 18.
203 On the violation of the peace of 562 see Güterbock 1906: 110–16.
204 Theoph. Simoc. iii.9.9; cf. in this context also Schreiner 1985: 278–9 n. 370.
205 Cf. Bosworth, English translation, notes to the text 317–19.
206 For the following passage see 33 below.
207 The title Pādōsbān indicates a high military official; according to Tabarī there were four Pādōsbāns,
each of whom was in charge of a fourth part of the empire (corresponding to the four points of
the compass); cf. Tabarī, tr. Nöldeke 15 n. 2 and Wiesehöfer 2001: 198; on the Sasanian military in
general see Gignoux 1984b: 1–29 and Gnoli 1985: 265–70; for an introduction to the administration
of the Sasanian Empire see Demandt 1995: 517–18.