Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c. 500–1492
- Frontispiece
- The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c. 500–1492
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Maps
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Dedication
- Preface
- Preface to the Paperback Edition
- General Introduction
- Part I The Earlier Empire c. 500–c. 700
- Chapter 1 Justinian and his Legacy (500–600)
- Chapter 2a Eastern Neighbours: Persia and the Sasanian Monarchy (224–651)
- Chapter 2b Eastern Neighbours: Armenia (400–600)
- Chapter 2c Eastern Neighbours: the Arabs to the Time of the Prophet
- Chapter 3 Western Approaches (500–600)
- Chapter 4 Byzantium Transforming (600–700)
- Part II The Middle Empire c. 700–1204
- Part III The Byzantine Lands in the Later Middle Ages 1204–1492
- Glossary (Including Some Proper Names)
- Genealogical Tables and Lists of Rulers
- Alternative Place Names
- Bibliography
- Book part
- Picture Acknowledgements
- Index
Chapter 2a - Eastern Neighbours: Persia and the Sasanian Monarchy (224–651)
from Part I - The Earlier Empire c. 500–c. 700
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 November 2019
- The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c. 500–1492
- Frontispiece
- The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c. 500–1492
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Maps
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Dedication
- Preface
- Preface to the Paperback Edition
- General Introduction
- Part I The Earlier Empire c. 500–c. 700
- Chapter 1 Justinian and his Legacy (500–600)
- Chapter 2a Eastern Neighbours: Persia and the Sasanian Monarchy (224–651)
- Chapter 2b Eastern Neighbours: Armenia (400–600)
- Chapter 2c Eastern Neighbours: the Arabs to the Time of the Prophet
- Chapter 3 Western Approaches (500–600)
- Chapter 4 Byzantium Transforming (600–700)
- Part II The Middle Empire c. 700–1204
- Part III The Byzantine Lands in the Later Middle Ages 1204–1492
- Glossary (Including Some Proper Names)
- Genealogical Tables and Lists of Rulers
- Alternative Place Names
- Bibliography
- Book part
- Picture Acknowledgements
- Index
Summary
A chapter dealing with Iranian feudalism in a distinguished series dedicated to The rise and fall of the Roman world bears the title ‘Iran, Rome’s greatest enemy’. This title is more than merely a justification for the inclusion of a chapter on Iran in a work devoted to the history of the East Roman empire. It also reflects a host of fears and prejudices fostered for long centuries in the Roman world, since the trauma of Crassus’ defeat by the Parthians at Carrhae. Not even extended periods of decline and internal disarray within the Parthian monarchy, during which it was repeatedly invaded by the Roman army, could dispel the myth of the uncompromising threat posed by Iran to the Roman order. The replacement of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty by a vigorous new one, based in Fars, namely the Sasanian dynasty, at a time when the Roman empire itself was facing one of its severest crises, only aggravated its inhabitants’ deeply rooted fear of Iran. Ancient writers in the Roman oikoumenē passed on this attitude to modern western scholars.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c.500–1492 , pp. 130 - 155Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019