The Sasanid Empire was for more than four centuries a formidable neighbor to Rome. The relations between the two superpowers of their time were characterized by both antagonistic interaction and periods of friendly contact. Persian history itself has long been the domain of Orientalists; but, in recent times, the advantages of a multidisciplinary approach have encouraged historians of the Greco-Roman world to look beyond the boundaries of the Mediterranean region. The relationship between Greco-Roman civilization and neighboring cultures is receiving increasing attention. There has been a particular focus, sharpened by the growing interest in Late Antiquity, on relations between the Late Roman and Byzantine Empire on the one hand and the Sasanid on the other. A western perspective continues to dominate the study of those relations, and their examination from the ‘‘other side’’ is still in its infancy (Wiesehofer and Huyse 2006). Nevertheless, the key element to an understanding of the interaction between the superpowers is now more clearly recognized - namely, alternate confrontation and coexistence.
The relationship consisted partly of warfare, and much research has been, and still is, concentrated on the Roman-Persian wars. To emphasize war, however, is to place too much faith in the Greco-Roman sources, which like to deal with topoi that go back to Herodotus, and thus create a highly literary and tendentious image of Sasanian society. Those sources have rather less to say about the long periods of cooperation, which comprised active cultural, religious, economic, and diplomatic exchange. Only a careful reading of all available information makes it possible to sketch a more nuanced picture. I shall begin, therefore, with a brief description of the evidence that helps us to reconstruct a full account of the Roman-Persian relationship, and provide an overview of Sasanian society.
A Companion to Late Antiquity. Edited by Philip Rousseau © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-405-11980-1
World History
