Lecture 4 Empires of Rome and Persia (1)

Late Antiquity in the Middle East

The Empires of Rome and Persia

• Professor Tim Greenwood

Structure

• Introduction

• A comparative exercise

• Impact

• Political Culture (Emperor and Shahanshah)

• Geography, resources, neighbours

• History (conflict and engagement)

• Cultural memory

• Urbanism (Capitals and the built environment)

• Expressions of Statehood (Seals, coins, law)

• Conclusion

Introduction

• East Roman Empire: Predominantly Christian, fusion of Roman imperialism with Christianity.

• Sasanian Iran: Zoroastrian elite, diverse communities (Christian, Jewish).

  • Characterized by coexistence and cooperation within specific boundaries.

• Equal power, different characteristics: potential bias from surviving sources.

Impact

Distribution of Finds

• Late Sasanian finds beyond empire's borders; research by Dr. Caitlin Green (2017).

  • Example artifacts: Coin of Khusro II found in Anglesey, glass bowl from Japan.

Early Byzantine Finds

• Plotted distribution; examples include coins found in Maldives and South Korea.

Urbanism

• Capitals: Constantinople (East Roman) and Ctesiphon (Sasanian).

• Challenge in assessing Sasanian urbanism due to lack of contemporary sources.

Political Culture

• Emperor vs Shahanshah (King of Kings).

• Dynasticism: key figures like Constantine I and Ardashir I, focus on patrilineal descent.

• Monumental inscriptions, e.g., Shapuhr I's rock relief, indicating divine descent claims.

Definitions

• Roman: Constructed identity varying by legal, political, and religious features.

• Eran: Follower of the Good religion (Zoroastrian); Aneran: non-believers.

Geography, Resources and Neighbours

• Roman Empire: Expansion focusing on Egypt under Justinian (527-565).

• Sasanian Iran: Key infrastructures like the Nahrawan canal and defenses against nomadic threats.

  • Significant conflicts with groups such as the Huns and Hephthalites.

Engagements

• Historical interactions characterized by warfare but also attempts at peace and diplomacy, exemplified by correspondence between Persian and Roman leaders.

Expressions of Statehood

• Challenges of administrative records noted; reliance on seals, coins, and laws.

• Examples of coins and seals highlight administrative practices.

Conclusion

• Both empires displayed unique administrative and cultural structures, illustrating diverse approaches to governance, resource management, commerce, and urban development.

• Distinct heritages and ideologies shaped their legacies.