Rome and the Sasanian Empire

Dispelling the alter orbis: Cultural Contradictions

Craig MorleyUniversity of Liverpool

Aims To show that ‘cultural’ relationship was

not straight-forward but one of contradictions

Focus;1)Attitudes To

Cultural Encounters2)Religion3)Ideology

Imperial Attitudes ‘Official’ Attitudes

The Manichaeans, about whom you reported to Our Serenity with much insight, as we have heard, have come into existence and entered our realm only recently from our enemy, the Persian people, just like new and unexpected portents, and they inflict harm on civilised states; and we have been afraid that, as tends to happen, by scandalous customs and the bad laws of the Persians over the course of time will try to infect people of a more innocent nature, modest and quiet Romans and our whole empire with their malign poison.

(Collatio Legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum 15.3.1-8)

NISIBIS

CALLINICUM

Frontier Military Installations:Mesopotamia

DURA EUROPUS

SINGARA

STRATADIOCLETIANA

AMIDA

“To evade the frontier guards”(Ammianus Marcellinus 18.5.2)

Royal Canal

“For Diocletian was the first to introduce foreign [Sasanian] and royal manner of adoration” (Ammianus Marcellinus 15.5.18)

Imperial Attitudes

“Now Chosroes built a city in Assyria in a place one day’s journey distant from the city of Ctesiphon, and he named it Antioch of Chosroes and settled there all the captives from Antioch, constructing for them a bath and a hippodrome and providing that they should have free enjoyment of their other luxuries besides. For he brought with him charioteers and musicians both from Antioch and other Roman cities.” (Procopius, BP. 2.14.1-4)

“We found a [Sasanian] royal lodge built in the Roman manner…” (Ammianus Marcellinus, 24.5.1)

‘Unofficial’ Attitudes

Cultural ExchangesTwo Types of Cultural Appropriation & Incorporation;1) Simple Transfer2) Adaptation

(Mosaic at Bishapur Palace)

“The high degree of subtlety indicates that the sculptors and patron knew and deliberately played on traditions and symbols of both cultures” (Canepa, 2010: 139)

Simple Transfers:•Sugarcane•Polo

Adaptions:• Regalia• Architecture• Symbols/Art

“Antoninus brought a cheap property in Hisapis, a district immediately bordering the Tigris” (Ammianus Marcellinus 18.5.2)

“There was no marked frontier. The subjects of both peoples did not fear one another and did not suspect an attack, but they intermarried and had joint markets” (Procopius, De. Aed. 3.3.9-10)

Stewart’s Model:

HIGH SOCIAL MASS

SHORT DISTANCE

TRANSFER/EXCHANGE OF IDEAS/CULTURE

Frontier of Exchange

NISIBIS

CALLINICUM

CAESAREA

EDESSA

ANTIOCH

SELEUCIA

CHURCH O

F TH

E

EAST

Heavily Populated Cities

Official Trading Centres (CJ 4.63.4.)

Sites of Exchange and Interaction

ARTAXATA

CHRIS

TIAN

COM

MUNIT

IES

Mechanics of Exchange

“Spectatus has returned to us from his embassy, regarded by many as fortunate – some, because he saw so much land and mountains and rivers, by others, because he witnessed the way of life of the Persians, the customs and laws by which they live; others considered it a great thing to have seen the king himself and the jewels with which he was adorned” (Libanius, Ep. 331.1)

Cross-Border travel:• Traders/merchants• Christianity – Pilgrims/Bishops• Diplomacy/Diplomats

“The Persians Say…”

(Amm.Marc.18.4.2)

Interchanging Ideologies

Achaemenid Heritage

Imitatio Alexandri

Roman Universal Rule(“Imperium sine fine”)

Sasanian Universal Rule

Opposing Ideologies Cooperative Ideologies

VS

Alter Orbis

Family of Kings

Interdependence &Joint Civilisation

“Two Eyes”(Theo.Sim. 4.2.2-3)

“Two Shoulders” (Syn.Or. 37)

“Two Lamps”(Pet.Pat. fr. 13-14)

“like eyes, [the two empires] are adorned by each others’ light”

(Pet.Pat. fr. 13-14)

Equals

ReligionTwo state religions:Roman Christianity

& Sasanian Zoroastrianism

“Similarly with great happiness he showed love for king Tiridates as a dear brother because of his knowledge of God; furthermore he made a treaty with him, holding the faith which was in Christ the lord as the common denominator, so that they might persevere assuredly and forever a steadfast friendship between the kingdoms.” (Agathangelos 877)

My son, religion and kingship are brothers who cannot do without each other, for religion is the foundation of kingship and kingship is religion’s protector. And that which does not have a foundation collapses and that which does not have a protector perishes.

(Mas’ūdī, Murūg 1 § 568)

If you [the Shahs] were to render them [the Christians] familiar with our religion…they would love you and the land of the Aryans and would reject and draw away from the [Roman] emperor and his religion and his empire.

43.

His Majesty, Ardashir, the king of kings, son of Pabag, acting on the just judgement of Tosar [a Magi], demanded that all those scattered teachings to be brought to court. Tosar assumed command; he selected those which were trustworthy, and left the rest out of the canon. And thus he decreed: From now on only those are true expositions of the Mazdean religion, for now there is no lack of information and knowledge concerning them.

Dēnkard ‘Acts of Religion’ (Shaki, 1981).

Sasanian ChristianityTHE CHURCH OF THE EAST

SYNODS;• 410 • 424• 484• 486

In the eleventh year of the reign of Yazdgard, king of kings, victorious. After peace and tranquillity were restored to the Lord, [this king] gave freedom and rest to the congregations of Christ and allowed the servants of God to exalt Christ publically in their body, either with their death, or during their life, he drew aside the storm of persecution of all of the flocks of Christ, indeed, he ordered in all his empire that the temples destroyed by his fathers might be magnificently reconstructed in his own time; that those who had been tested for God who had suffered prisons and tortures, should go in liberty; that the priests, the chiefs, together with all the holy order should circulate with complete freedom and without fear.

(Synodicon Orientale 17-18)

ConclusionsCulture a central component in overall Roman-Sasanian Relationship

Cultural Exchange & Encounters helped to develop unique character of this two late antique empires

Not simple, full of contradictions

By 7th Century both empires bore greater resemblance to each other than to the empires of Severus Alexander & Ardashir I