Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

37 Mutual cultural interest 263
comments do an injustice to ˇ Sāpūr I and other rulers, who primarily sought
to use the specialised knowledge of Western workers for the benefit of their
own empire.
37: Mutual cultural interest
Apart from the rather pragmatic motive to secure Western know-how, several
Sasanian kings showed a ‘philosophical’ interest in Western civilisation
and culture. Western and Eastern sources agree that in particular Xusrō
I Anōˇsarvān (531–79), whose added title means ‘the wise king’, continuously
strove to familiarise himself with foreign cultures. Agathias elaborately
describes the king’s passion for Western literature and philosophy.
Agathias ii.28.1–2
(1) After saying a few words about Xusrō (I) I shall immediately return to my
previous topic. For he is praised and admired excessively not only by the Persians
but also by some Romans as a lover of literature and an expert on our philosophy
because someone supposedly translated the Greek authors into Persian for him.
(2) It is even claimed that he devoured the whole Aristotle 88 more thoroughly than
Demosthenes 89 devoured Thucydides 90 and that he was full of the doctrines of
Plato, the son of Ariston, that neither the Timaeus (although it bursts with scholarly
theory and presents innumerous scientific speculations) was too demanding for
him, nor the Phaedo or the Gorgias, nor any other subtle and complex dialogue,
such as, for example, the Parmenides.
Although the author tries to be specific in his claim that Xusrō was admired
unduly – he seems to doubt that the king actually knew the works of Aristotle
or Plato well 91 – his words express a fundamentally critical attitude
towards Eastern culture and the ‘barbarians’ rather than precise knowledge
about Xusrō’s activities. 92 In any case, the king’s eagerness to get to know
the works of the Greek philosophers is a remarkable testimony to his tolerance
and open-mindedness as well as his desire to learn and make use
of new things. 93 It is also noteworthy that – according to Agathias – the
Sasanian ruler was praised not only in the East but also in the West; further
on the author tells us that Xusrō welcomed numerous Western pagan
88 Literally ‘the one from Stagira’, Aristotle’s birth place.
89 Literally ‘the orator from the demos Paeania’. 90 Literally ‘the son of Olorus’.
91 Wiesehöfer 2001: 216–17 attributes the sceptical attitude of the Byzantine historian to his excessive
patriotism.
92 On these prejudices see Cameron 1969–70: 172–6 and Duneau 1966: 13–22; Pugliese-Caratelli 1971:
597–604.
93 On Xusrō’s attempts to write medical works see Sezgin 1970: 186; for further references see Shahbazi
1990: 293; in general on the efforts of late Sasanian kings to acquire knowledge on foreign cultures
see Wiesehöfer 2001: 216–21; on philosophy in particular see Walker 2002: 45–9.