Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

c h a p t e r 2
Rome and the Sasanian Empire:
A chronological survey
2.1 the third century: the origins of
sasanian interests in the west
The rise of the Sasanian dynasty, the revolt of Ardaˇsīr I (224–40) against the
Arsacids, the fall of Parthian rule and the foundation of the Neo-Persian
Sasanian Empire (map 2) 1 – together, these were not only a turning point
within the history of Iran 2 but also a benchmark regarding Iran’s relations
with Rome. Although Ardaˇsīr’s hostile attitude against Rome was at first a
mere continuation of Parthian sentiments, within a few years of his reign
the king established, consolidated and centralised his rule 3 to the extent
that his ambitions threatened wide areas of the eastern half of the Roman
Empire. The West knew that Ardaˇsīr’s claims would go beyond the borders
of the Parthian kingdom and that he would ask for more than declarations
of loyalty from the many client kings within his empire; it was clear that he
would claim all the territories that had once belonged to his Achaemenid
ancestors. Rome therefore considered the Sasanian dynasty as a serious
opponent right from the beginning of their relations (1). 4
As soon as Ardaˇsīr had established his rule he turned towards the West.
According to the contemporary historian Herodian, Ardaˇsīr I responded
to a letter from the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222–35), in which
the emperor warned him to respect peace and reminded him of the great
victories of Augustus, Trajan and Septimius Severus, 5 by asking Rome to
1 For a chronology of the early Sasanian rulers and the beginnings of Sasanian history see Altheim-Stiehl
1982: 152–9; Sundermann 1990: 295–9; Richter-Bernburg 1993: 71–80.
2 For the history of the Sasanian Empire see Morony 1997: 70–83; Christensen 1944; Widengren
1971: 711–82; Frye 1983a: 116–80; 1984: 287–339; Schippmann 1990: 10–79; Wiesehöfer 2001: 151–
221; see Shahbazi 1990: 588–99 for a survey of the multi-faceted relations between Iran and the
West.
3 With regard to the activities of the first Sasanian king see Wiesehöfer 1986a: 371–6.
4 On ‘Achaemenid echoes’ see Frye 1983c: 247–52 and Roaf 1998: 1–7.
5 Herodian vi.2.4–5.
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