From Parthian to Sasanian Persia

EMPIRES OF FAITH HIST 1301 | History From Parthian to Sasanian Persia The Seleucid dynasty ruled over most of Alexander the Great's eastern realm after his victory of the Persians in the fourth century BCE and the dissolution of his empire. A native tribe on the east coast of the Caspian Sea engaged in warfare with the Seleucids in the third century BCE, and during the next two centuries, the tribe increased its influence in the area. The socalled Parthians had a monarch, but their administration was decentralised, with a network of semiautonomous leaders known as satrapies overseeing the empire's administrative regions. They established sea channels across the Caspian Sea and maintained the roads constructed during the Seleucid era, overseeing a vast network of trade. The Parthians defeated the Roman Empire in several military battles thanks to their expert cavalry. However, by the second century CE, the Parthian realm had been largely subjugated by the Romans, encompassing the bountiful regions of Mesopotamia, which Emperor Trajan had conquered. The Parthians established a new empire in 224 as a result of this unrest. The first Sasanian monarch was Ardashir, whose name came from the ruler's family name, Sasan. The Sasanians tried to hold onto the boundaries of their empire, but they were always at odds with the Romans and other nations throughout their existence. Notable occurrences included Shapur I's 260 capture of the Roman emperor Valerian and Shapur II's 4th-century defence of the western and eastern boundaries against intruders, particularly the Huns. After a string of incompetent rulers, clerics had essentially taken over the empire's governance by the fifth century. The Sasanian emperor, known as the "King of Kings," upheld a centralised government in which regional authorities answered directly to him. The Sasanians dominated what was formerly the traditional Persian Empire, which included modern-day Iran. But the empire stretched beyond than this, from the Indus River in the east to the present-day nation of Georgia in the west. Particularly on the Iranian plateau, it had a variety of nomadic tribes in addition to densely populated centres. The Sasanians were able to promote commerce by taking use of their strategic location between China and the Roman Empire. The Silk Roads provided the Sasanians with the biggest benefit since they connected their empire with other regional trading partners, allowing their empire's commerce network to go far beyond its boundaries. The empire was linguistically and culturally varied because to its immense breadth. In the east, evidence from inscriptions points to a diversity of languages and civilizations, while relations with the Byzantines typified the west. Greek, for instance, was still spoken as a vestige of the empire of Alexander the Great, while Bactrian was an Iranian language spoken in what is now Afghanistan. A hierarchical class system predominated in towns across the empire, with the educated priestly class at the top, followed by military personnel, agriculturalists, craftsmen, and, at the bottom, those in slavery. Similar to the Byzantine and Roman eras, women's behaviour was governed by several regulations and their legal standing was extremely low. On the other hand, women were allowed to inherit property from their families and engage in modest business. Punishments were a tool used by the official religion to manage Sasanian society, and they were frequently linked to transgressions. Even marriages and incestuous relationships were known, especially among the religious elite; but, subsequent portrayals of incest as frequent may have been attempts by successors to denigrate the Sasanians. Except for Queen Boran's brief ascent shortly before the Sasanian kingdom collapsed in the seventh century, women had little opportunity to participate in Sasanian politics. She was acclaimed as queen despite being a woman due of her relationship to Khosrow, not because of her skills or gender. She was the daughter of the previous emperor, Khosrow II. As a sign of the instability that followed the Sasanian defeat in the war, she tried to forge a good relationship with the Byzantines and to stabilise the Sasanian state, but she finally failed in her attempts before being killed by her own people. Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion, was established as the official religion by the first monarch, Ardashir, who used religious practice to instill devotion to the government and the royal family. The rites and beliefs of Zoroastrianism, a worldwide tradition founded on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster, who lived around the first millennium BCE, combine aspects of dualism and monotheism. Faithful individuals concentrate their everyday lives on doing good actions, thinking positive thoughts, and engaging in purifying rites in order to be ready for their judgement and resurrection after they pass away. Images of fire and water are the foundation of Zoroastrian iconography, which is dedicated to the creator god Ahura Mazda. Additionally, the faith presupposes that good and evil are eternally at odds with one another. Zoroastrian beliefs state that the good will undoubtedly win out in the end of this conflict. The Sasanian rulers established religious laws and kept up fire temples all across the empire, demonstrating their deep involvement in matters religious. However, the populace also comprised Christians and Jews, who may be criticised for not being as devoted to the official faith. The inhabitants of the western empire were seen by the Sasanian administration to be hard to control when it came to religion; maybe because Byzantine emperors asserted their power over all Christians, including those who lived outside of their kingdom.