Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

16 The peace treaty of 244 121
Fig. 16 Coin of Philip the Arab, 244
(Cohen, H. (1955 2 ) Description historique des monnaies frapées sous l’empire romain
communément appelées médailles impériales V/2: Philippe Père nr. 113)
(Cabinet de France. Signifie Argent)
These testimonies obviously form a stark contrast with the military defeat
at Miˇsīk and the terms of the peace that followed. However, we have to
bear in mind that – given his political and military situation – the Roman
emperor concluded a treaty with the Sasanians that could not have been
any more favourable. Considering the disastrous Roman defeat at Miˇsīk
Philip the Arab has to be given some credit for having satisfied ˇ Sāpūr’s
territorial claims by offering to withdraw from Armenia. In light of these
circumstances it would appear justified that the Roman emperor publicly
advertised his pax fundata cum Persis.
The events of the year 244 raised the ‘national’ confidence of the East vis
à vis the world power Rome considerably. The Persians intended to represent
their military as well as diplomatic triumph to the world accordingly.
As we learn from the great ˇ Sāpūr Inscription, the Persian king changed
the name of Miˇsīk into the triumphal ‘Pērōz- ˇ Sāpūr’ (= ‘victorious is
ˇSāpūr’), which was certainly an effective starting point for promoting the
victory. In this context the Sasanian rock reliefs may be compared as the
iconographic counterpart to the epigraphic account of the events given
by ˇ Sāpūr I. On the majority of the rock reliefs, also on the one at Bīˇsāpūr,
Philip the Arab is represented in a kneeling position (fig. 6). He is paying