Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ws8qp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T13:15:16.824Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF IRAN UNDER THE SASANIANS

from PART 1 - POLITICAL HISTORY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

R. N. Frye
Affiliation:
Harvard University
Get access

Summary

THE RISE OF THE SASANIANS

The rise of the Sasanian dynasty can be understood as the successful struggle of a minor ruler of Persis (today Fārs province) not only against his Parthian overlord, but also against a multitude of neighbouring rulers. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the pre–Sasanian history of Persis is almost a total blank save for what is known from coins struck by local dynasts. At least one local kingdom had existed in the heart of Persis since the breakup of Seleucid power in Iran, if not earlier, from shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae alone would have been a standing reminder of the past glory of the area, even if knowledge of a great empire for the most part had been forgotten. The names (such as Darius and Artaxerxes) on the coins of the local rulers who held sway here before the rise of the Sasanians testify to a certain continuity of Achaemenian traditions, if not to an actual descent in a side line from the royal Achaemenian family itself. The history of the immediate predecessors of Ardashir is thus virtually unknown and the few items of information about them are conflicting.

Most scholars have assumed, following the Arabic history by Tabarī, that Sāsān was the grandfather and Pāpak the father of Ardashir, founder of the Sasanian dynasty. The trilingual inscription (Greek Parthian and Middle Persian) of Shāpūr I, on the Ka'ya-yi Zardusht at Naqshi-i Rustam, however, does not say that Sāsān was the father of Pāpak.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, R., “Agriculture and urban life in early southwestern Iran”, Science CXXXVI (1962)Google Scholar
al-I⊡fahānī, Hamza, Kitāb ta'rīkb sinī mulūk al-ard wa'l-anbiyā' (Berlin, 1922)
Altheim, F., Finanzgeschichte der Spätantike (Frankfurt, 1957).
Asdourian, P., Die politischen Beziehungen mschen Armenien und Rom (Venice, 1911).
Boyce, M., Zoroastrians; Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (London, 1979)
Braun, O., Ausgewählte Akten persischer Märtyrer (Munich, 1915).
Chavannes, E., Documents sur les Tou-Kiue (Turcs) occidentaux, 2nd ed. (Paris, 1946).
Christensen, A., “La Légende du sage Buzurjmihr”, AO VIII (1930).Google Scholar
Elišē, , Vasn Vardanay ew Hayoc Paterazmin ed. Ter-Minasean, E. (Erevan, 1957)
Frye, , “The Persepolis Middle Persian inscriptions from the time of Shapur II”, AO XXX (1966)Google Scholar
Frye, , The Heritage of Persia (London, 1962).
Ghirshman, R., “Inscription du monument de Chapour 1er à Châpour”, RAA X (1936).Google Scholar
Grignaschi, M., “Quelques specimens de la littérature sassanide” J A 1966.Google Scholar
Hansen, O., “Tocharisch-iranische Beziehungen”, ZDMG XCIV (1940).Google Scholar
Henning, W. B. and Taqizadeh, S. H., “The dates of Mani's life”, Asia Major VI (1957).Google Scholar
Henrichs, A. and Koenen, L., “Ein griechischer Mani–Codex”, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik V (Bonn, 1970).Google Scholar
Herzfeld, E., Paikuli 1 (Berlin, 1924).
Langlois, V., Collection des historiens de l'Arménie i (Paris, 1880).
Marcus, R., “The Armenian life of Marutha of Maipherkat”, Harvard Theological Review XXV (1932)Google Scholar
Maricq, A., “Les dernières années de Hatra”, Syria XXXIV (1957).Google Scholar
Maricq, A., “Res gestae divi Saporis”, Syria, XXXV (1958)Google Scholar
Müller, F. W. K., “Handschriften in Estrangelo-Schrift aus Turfan”, AP AW 1904.Google Scholar
Olinder, G., The Kings of Kinda (Land 1927), pp.
Pasha, Ahmed Zeki, Djahiz, le livre de la couronne (Cairo, 1914).
Sachau, E., “Die Chronik von Arbela”, AP AW, 1915.Google Scholar
Schmidt, C. and Polotsky, H. J., “Ein Mani-Fund in Ägypten”, SP AF 1933.Google Scholar
Sundermann, W. und Thilo, T., “Zur mittelpersisch-chinesischen Grabinschrift aus Xi'an (Volksrepublik China)”, Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung XI (Berlin, 1966).Google Scholar
Taqizadeh, S. H., Az Parviz tā Changiz 2nd ed. (Tehran, 1349/1970).
Ter-Mkrtzean, ed. Lazar of P'arp, Patmut‘iun Hayoc, (Tiflis, 1904).Google Scholar
Thomson, R. W. tr. History of the Armenians, (Cambridge, Mass., 1978), II.
Unvala, J., King Husrav and His Boy (Paris, 1923).
Wiessner, G. Zur Märtyrerüberlieferung aus der Christenverfolgung Schapurs II (Göttingen, 1967).
Wright, W. trans. According to Joshua the Stylite, The Chronicle of Joshua the Stylite, (Cambridge, 1882)Google Scholar
Yu., A. Solodukho, e.g. in VDI xx (1947. 2).
Zaehner, R. C., The Teachings of the Magi (London, 1956).
Zotenberg, H. ed. and trans. Histoire des rois des Perses, (Paris, 1900).

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×