Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

2.1 The third century 27
288 returned to the Western parts of his empire in order to intervene in the
conflict with the Alamanni. 45
Bahrām II’s readiness to come to a friendly understanding with Rome
indicates that the Sasanian king was preoccupied with domestic affairs. 46
His brother Hormizd was rebelling against the legitimate ruler with the help
of Eastern peoples such as the Saka and the Kūˇsān, 47 and the Zoroastrian
priest Kartēr was exerting more and more influence in the empire. The
latter, who had been a political factor already during the reign of ˇ Sāpūr I,
was now at the zenith of his power and had great influence over Bahrām II. 48
The king backed Kartēr in pursuing a repressive policy that aimed at the
elimination of all non-Zoroastrian religions in Persia (29). 49 Measures by
which Bahrām increased the powers of the Zoroastrian priesthood reflect
the king’s efforts to unify his kingdom as well as to strengthen his own
position. 50 This period saw the origins of the union between the Sasanian
monarchy and the Zoroastrian religion that would become so significant
for the history of the Sasanian Empire (28). The priest Kartēr expanded
his power enormously and became the leading exponent of a movement 51
that gained more and more independence from the monarchy. Reflecting
the king’s weak position, this development is probably the reason why
Bahrām yielded to Diocletian and was eager to come to an agreement with
the emperor. From now onwards religious affairs became a significant and
growing factor in the relations between the two great powers.
Both sides respected the agreement of 288 while their energies were
applied elsewhere. Already in 290 Diocletian once more headed East. In
the following period he took numerous measures in order to strengthen
the Roman position along the Eastern frontier. 52 Above all, he intervened
in Armenian matters by restoring Tiridates III to the throne in
290, thereby increasing Roman influence in this strategically important
region. 53 Although Tiridates’ realm of influence was limited to Western
(Lesser) Armenia, Diocletian used the opportunity to win an important
ally for the imminent conflict with Persia (26). The difficult situation
45 On the Roman–Sasanian peace treaty of 288 see Winter 1988: 137–51.
46 On the king’s struggle to legitimise his rule see Winter 1988: 138–41.
47 Pan. Lat. x (ii) 7.5; 9.2; on the Saka see Bosi 1994: 109–22; Narain 1987: 27–31 and 1990: 151–76; on
the Kūˇsān see the glossary, and below p. 93 with n. 107.
48 For Kartēr and his rise to power see Sprengling 1940a: 197–228; Chaumont 1960: 339–80; Hinz 1971:
485–99.
49 Brock 1978: 167–81. 50 Decret 1979: 130–1. 51 Metzler 1982: 144.
52 The title Persicus maximus of the year 290 (CIL iii 5810) emphasises Diocletian’s successes in the
East; cf. Enßlin 1942.
53 Chaumont 1969: 93–111; Kettenhofen 1995c: esp. 48–55 and 144–68; see also p. 128 with n. 47 below.