Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

2.1 The third century 29
in order to provoke his thirst for revenge. 60 And indeed, in 298 Galerius
defeated Narsē at Satala in Armenia. 61 There are many attestations of this
particular Roman triumph against its Eastern rival (6).
The new success against Persia made Rome forget the setbacks of the
third century, in particular the capture of Valerian by ˇ Sāpūr I in 260. The
reign of Diocletian instilled in the West a level of confidence regarding
victory and peace that had been lost throughout the third century. Rome’s
successes reminded it of its former glory and accordingly were much emphasised
in Western historiography. In the Historia Augusta Diocletian is called
the ‘father of a golden age’ (aurei parens saeculi). 62 Aurelius Victor refers
to him as a father who had acted on behalf of his people. 63 Even Eusebius
of Caesarea mentions the fortune and wealth of the reign of Diocletian in
his ecclesiastical history. 64 According to the emperor Julian (361–3) Diocletian,
the ‘ruler of the entire world’, instilled such fear into his enemy
that the Sasanian king had to accept his conditions for peace. 65 The panegyric
literature praises the victory over Persia by emphasising that this
empire was the only power in a position to diminish Rome’s glory. 66 In
its preamble, the Prices Edict of the year 301, which is preserved on stone,
mentions that the most fortunate stability and peace had been restored in
the Roman Empire, if only with great difficulty. 67 Coins that show the
legend pax aeterna and securitas orbis were part of an imperial propaganda
but also expressed how much the Romans hoped that they had returned to
their former glory. 68 Diocletian was the man whom the state needed (vir
rei publicae necessarius). 69
In the light of his crushing defeat at Satala Narsē wanted to end the
conflict as quickly as possible, in particular as he could otherwise expect
Galerius to advance further into Sasanian territory. It was to his advantage
that Galerius and Diocletian could not agree on a strategy. 70 Whereas
Galerius intended to pursue Narsē, who had taken flight, and take possession
of the Persian heartland, Diocletian saw the aims of the war fulfilled
with the victory at Satala. He did not want to embark on new and uncertain
60 So Klein 1997: 278.
61 Enßlin 1936: 102–10; 1942: 40–5; for the chronology of the events see Barnes 1982: 54–5 and 63.
62 SHA Heliogab. 35.4. 63 Aur. Vict. Caes. 39.8. 64 Eus. HE viii.13.9.
65 Iul. Or. 1. 18a–b. 66 Pan. Lat. viii (v) 10.4.
67 Edictum Diocletiani et collegarum de pretiis rerum venalium, praef.; for an English translation of the
preamble and an early list of the prices see Grazer in Frank 1940: 157–74 (= Lewis and Reinhold
1955 ii: 464–72); for new fragments of the text see Crawford and Reynolds 1977: 125–51 and 1979:
163–210; S. Corcoran is preparing a translation of all fragments; see also Brandt 1998: 78–86.
68 Cf. e.g. references in RIC vi 1967: 145. 69 SHA Car. 10.1.
70 Aur. Vict. Caes. 39.36; see also Kolb 1987a: 85.