Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

146 4 The diplomatic solutions
acquired the same rights. Byzantium gained considerable fiscal advantages
from the fact that now a further place within the Roman realm would be
dedicated to the exchange of goods. When the Sasanians conquered Dārā
in 573, the Roman emperor intended to buy Dārā back or to win the city
back in some other way. 135 The Sasanian ruler, however, did not want to
return the city under any circumstances and announced that he would never
withdraw from Dārā, or from Nisibis. 136 The Persians were not willing to
give up the financial advantages that came with controlling the city.
According to article four of the foedus ambassadors and those travelling
for reasons of state did not have to pay any customs duty for the goods
they brought with them and were not subject to any trade restrictions. 137
A similar arrangement had existed in 408/9. However, the diplomats were
allowed to stay on foreign territory only as long as necessary. 138 They were
thereby prevented from gathering information about the opponent (35).
Article five stopped Saracen or other barbarian merchants from entering
the Persian or Roman Empire via unknown roads. They were required
to go straight to Nisibis or Dārā and to obtain an official permit if they
wanted to continue their journey from there. Any violation of these terms or
customs fraud entailed legal proceedings. This article concerned merchants
from Roman as well as Persian territories and also travellers from nations
who were not allies of the great powers, such as tradesmen from South
Arabia. 139 This stipulation was designed to stop the smuggling of goods
as well as to eliminate any foreign competition for merchants at home
and also to prevent Arab tradesmen from engaging in espionage. Above
all the geographic conditions to the west and south-west of the Euphrates,
where the Syrian Desert represented the actual frontier between the empires,
made any strict control of this border area impossible and increased mutual
suspicion. Due to these circumstances, foreign trade and national security
were politically linked in a way that was characteristic for the economic
relations between the Sasanian and the Byzantine Empire, a link that is
nicely illustrated by the relevant articles of the foedus of 562.
Fugitives of war, reparations, guarantee clauses
Further points dealt with the treatment of the fugitives of war, the payment
of reparations as well as the observance of the treaty. 140 Article six permits
135 Menander Protector, frg. 47 (FHG iv 250).
136 Ibid., frg. 55 (FHG iv 257). 137 Antoniadis-Bibicou 1963: 47–8. 138 Cod. Iust. iv.63.4 (3).
139 Contacts between the Sasanian Empire and South Arabia, which were primarily initiated by interests
in trade, are attested already for the early Sasanian period; cf. Metzler 1982: 190.
140 Güterbock 1906: 80–3.