Parthia 5

An era of quiet seems to have returned with Vologaeses III. (147-191), and we hear no more of rival kings. With the Roman empire a profound peace had reigned since Hadrian ( T7), which was first disturbed by the attack of Marcus Aurelius and Aelius Verus in 162. This war, which broke out on the question of Armenia and Osroene, proved of decisive significance for the future development of the east, for, in its course, Seleucia was destroyed by the Romans under Avidius Cassius (164). The downfall of the great Greek city sealed the fate of Hellenism in the countries east of the Euphrates. Henceforward Greek culture practically vanishes and gives place to Aramaic; it is significant that in future the kings of Mesene stamped their coinage with Aramaic legends. This Aramaic victory was power fully aided by the ever-increasing progress of Christianity, which soon created, as is well known, an Aramaic literature of which the language was the dialect of Edessa, a city in which the last king of Osroene, Abgar IX. (179-214), had been converted to the faith. After that Greek culture and Greek literature were only accessible to the Orientals in an Aramaic dress. Vologaeses III. is probably also the king Valgash, who, according to a native tradition, preserved in the Dinkart, began a collection of the sacred writings of Zoroaster—the origin of the Avesta which has come down to us. This would show how the national Iranian element in the Parthian empire was continually gathering strength. The Roman war was closed in 165 by a peace which ceded north-west Mesopotamia to Rome. Similar conflicts took place in 195-202 between Vologaeses IV. (191-209) and Septimius Severus, and again in 216-217 between Artabanus IV. (209-226) and Caracalla. They failed, however, to affect materially the position of the two empires.

The Sassanian Empire.

That the Arsacid empire should have endured some 35o years after its foundation, was a re sult, not of internal strength, but of chance working in its external development. It might equally well have so existed for centuries more. But under Artabanus IV. the catastrophe came. In his days there arose in Persis—precisely as Cyrus had arisen under Astyages the Mede--a great personality. Ardashir (Artaxerxes) I., son of Papak (Babek), the descendant of Sasan, was the sov ereign of one of the small states into which Persis had gradually fallen. His father Papak had taken possession of the district of Istakhr, which had replaced the old Persepolis, long a mass of ruins. Thence Ardashir I., who reigned from about A.D. 212, sub dued the neighbouring potentates—disposing of his own brothers among the rest. This proceeding quickly led to war with his suzerain Artabanus IV. The conflict was protracted through sev eral years, and the Parthians were worsted in three battles. The last of these witnessed the fall of Artabanus (A.D. 224), though a Parthian king, Artavasdes—perhaps a son of Artabanus IV.—who is only known to us from his own coins, appears to have retained a portion of the empire for some time longer. The members of the Arsacid line who fell into the hands of the victor were put to death ; a number of the princes found refuge in Armenia, where the Arsacid dynasty maintained itself till A.D. 429. The remainder of the vassal states—Carmania, Susiana, Sakastan (Seistan), Mesene—were ended by Ardashir; and the autonomous desert fortress of Hatra in Mesopotamia was destroyed by his son Shapur (Sapor) I., according to the Persian and Arabian traditions, which, in this point, are deserving of credence. The victorious

Ardashir then took possession of the palace of Ctesiphon and assumed the title "King of the kings of the Iranians" (OcnXeis flacrt) Loy 'Apt. avCop).

The new empire founded by Ardashir I.—the Sassanian, or Neo-Persian empire—is essentially different from that of his Arsacid predecessors. It is, rather, a continuation of the Achae menid traditions which were still alive on their native soil. Con sequently the national impetus—already clearly revealed in the title of the new sovereign—again becomes strikingly manifest. The Sassanian empire, in fact, is once more a national Persian or Iranian empire. The religious element is, of course, inseparable from the national, and Ardashir, like all the dynasts of Persis, was an ardent devotee of the Zoroastrian doctrine, and closely connected with the priesthood. In his royal style he assumed the designation "Mazdayasnian" and the fire-cult was everywhere vigorously disseminated. Simultaneously the old claims to world dominion made their reappearance. After the defeat of Artabanus, Ardashir, as heir of the Achaemenids, formulated his pretensions to the dominion of western Asia (Dio. Cass. 8o, 3; Herodian vi. 2, 4; Zonar xii. 15; similarly under Shapur Ammian. Marc. xvii. 5, 5). He attacked Armenia, though without permanent success (cf. von Gutschmid in Zeit schr. d. d. morgenl. Ges. xxxi. 47, on the fabulous Armenian ac count of these wars), and despatched his armies against Roman Mesopotamia. They strayed as far as Syria and Cappadocia. The inner decay of the Roman empire, and the widespread tendency of its troops to mutiny and usurpation, favoured his enterprise. Nevertheless, the armies of Alexander Severus, supported by the king of Armenia, succeeded in repelling the Persians, though the Romans sustained severe losses (231-233). Towards the end of his reign Ardashir resumed the attack; while his son Shapur I. (241-272) reduced Nisibis and Carrhae and penetrated into Syria, but was defeated by Gordian III. at Resaena (243). Soon afterwards, however, the Roman empire seemed to collapse utterly. The Goths defeated Decius (251) and harried the Balkan peninsula and Asia Minor, while insurrections broke out everywhere and the legions created one Caesar of ter the other. Then Shapur resumed the war, subdued Armenia and plundered Antioch. The emperor Valerian, who marched to encounter him, was overthrown at Edessa and taken prisoner (26o). The Persian armies Cappadocia ; but here Ballista or Balista (d. c. 264) beat them back, and Odenathus (Odainath), prince of Palmyra (q.v.), rose in their rear, defeated Shapur, captured his harem, and twice forced his way to Ctesiphon (263-265). Shapur was in no position to repair the defeat, or even to hold Armenia ; so that the Sassanid power failed to pass the bounds of the Arsacid empire. Nevertheless Shapur I., in contrast to his father, assumed the title "King of the kings of the Iranians and non-Iranians" (3acradn 'Aptavcov Kai. Avaptlmov; shah an shah Iran we Aniran), thus emphasizing his claim to world dominion. His successors retained the designation, little as it cor responded to the facts, for the single non-Iranian land governed by the Sassanids was, as under the Parthians, the district of the Tigris and Euphrates as far as the Mesopotamian desert ; western and northern Mesopotamia remained Roman.