A Unique Drachm Coin of Shapur I

The Sasanian king Shapur I held a ten year series of campaigns against the Roman Empire. Returning to Iran after these campaigns, in order to immortalize his victories he built a series of reliefs and gave broad information in his famous work, Ka’be-ye Zardosht. However, the term he used to define himself in these articles, “King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians,” was not used on coins, which has become a subject of discussion. This work aims to clarify such arguments based on a unique drachm belonging to Shapur I which is present in the Elazig Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography.     

The idea of freedom in the writings of non-Chalcedonian Christians in the fifth and sixth centuries

ABSTRACT

This article examines how Christians who had been deprived of the direct sponsorship of the state articulated their claims for political and religious freedom. I examine four cases from the fifth and sixth century in the Eastern Roman Empire and Sasanian Iran. Here I argue that Scriptural models provided an important reservoir of political ideas that could be used by clerics to undermine state authority, whether to underscore the conditional nature of Roman claims to authority or to deny an equality of religious freedom to non-Christian co-citizens.     

萨珊王朝存续考

萨珊王朝何时灭亡,似乎已成定论,即史学界把萨珊王朝国王伊嗣侯于651年在呼罗珊地区的木鹿附近被杀,视为萨珊王朝灭亡的标志。但本认为,萨珊残存王朝继续存在到八世纪中期。     

Oman and late Sasanian imperialism

Arguments about the nature of late Sasanian imperial involvement in Oman have become quite polarised over the past few decades. Historians and archaeologists have used their different caches of evidence to suggest quite variant conclusions concerning the extent of the Sasanians’ imperial involvement in south‐east Arabia and the impact that this involvement may have had on the prosperity of Omani local agriculture and the economy there. This article, however, seeks to demonstrate that the evidence of literary sources for the late pre‐Islamic history of south‐east Arabia, written primarily in Arabic by Muslims several centuries after the events being described, can be placed alongside other written evidence for the late Sasanian empire to suggest a picture of late Sasanian imperial involvement in Oman that is not all that far removed from the conclusions reached by many archaeologists working in the region. The article demonstrates that late Sasanian imperial interest in Oman may not have led to the intense settlement and agricultural development of the coastal plain sometimes suggested, but that there was nonetheless a significant place for Oman within ērān?ahr, the territory of the king of kings.     

Buried far from home: Sasanian graves at Jebel al‐Emeilah (Sharjah,UAE)

Human skeletons were recovered in two unmarked burials blown to the surface of a dune south‐west of Jebel al‐Emeilah in the Central Region of the Sharjah Emirate (UAE). Sasanian stamp seals were found associated with one of the individuals. A bone fragment of this individual provided a direct radiocarbon date placing it in the Middle Sasanian period. With the aid of strontium isotope analysis it was possible to determine that the two individuals were immigrants to the area that is now part of the UAE.     

“Who Would be Mine for the Day!”: Irano-Judaic Marriage Customs in Late Antiquity

Zoroastrians of Babylonia had long lived alongside an important Jewish community whose presence in the region can be traced back to the Achaemenid period (c. 550?330 BCE). Such long coexistence should justify an interest in the examination of cultural sharing between these two religious groups of ērān?ahr; however, it is just recently that the question of the level of cultural contact between them has become a more important source of inquiry and research by scholars of Iranian history, religious studies and Late Antiquity. The exchanges between the Jews and Zoroastrians of the Sasanian period and their impact on the character of the Babylonian Talmud have been the subject of a number of recent studies, notably by Shaul Shaked, Yaakov Elman, Geoffrey Herman and Shai Segunda, among others. The aim of this article is to contribute to these efforts by exploring the roots of some distinctly Sasanian marriage customs that transcended religious lines and were shared by the rabbinic Jews and Zoroastrians of ērān?ahr.     

The Limits of Sasanian History: Between Iranian,Islamic and Late Antique Studies

This essay discusses the position of Sasanian Studies from its inception in the late nineteenth century, to its reinvigoration at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The work also discusses the development of the field of Sasanian history and civilization vis-à-vis the three fields of Iranian, Islamic and Late Antique Studies. It is posited that Sasanians have benefited from cross-disciplinary and new historical frameworks that go beyond the traditional field of Iranian Studies, which was never as interested in the history of the period.     

北齐韩祖念墓出土玻璃杯考--兼论魏晋南北朝时期波斯玻璃器之东传

1982年太原北齐韩祖念墓出土了一件玻璃高足杯,我们用X射线荧光光谱对其进行了无损分析。检测结果表明:这件玻璃杯是典型的萨珊草木灰类型玻璃。结合器形、纹饰和文献记载,推测其应为波斯萨珊使者向北齐进献的贡品,为萨珊玻璃沿丝绸之路传播提供了新的证据。本文还对魏晋南北朝外来玻璃检测结果进行了总结,并系统划分了这一时期舶来玻璃的类型及其在中国分布的地域和时代特征。     

六世纪中后期的中国联珠纹织物

联珠纹在中国虽有更早的源头,但它从6世纪中期才开始流行。那时中国的联珠纹虽以粟特地区为中介受到萨珊艺术的影响,但也融入了自身的文化理解和艺术形式,这令联珠纹在很大程度上丧失了原有的萨珊图案寓意、改变了西方原貌。邺城等黄河中下游的丝织重镇,应是联珠纹织物在内地的重要产地。     

The “Warrior of the Lords”: Smbat Bagratuni at the Center and Periphery of Late Sasanian Iran

The Armenian general Smbat Bagratuni's remarkable rise to military and political preeminence in the late sixth- and early seventh-century Sasanian Empire presents a fascinating historical question: how did a liminal figure, a Christian from a frontier region, become the “Joy of ?usrō” and “Warrior of the Lords” of king ?usrō II Aparvēz (590–628 CE)? This essay argues that Bagratuni's accomplishments were rooted in Sasanian patterns of political decentralization, provincial regionalism and strategic politics. The Sasanians were ethnically Persian, but Parthian and Armenian aristocrats from the periphery of the empire played a central role in upholding the regime. Granting titles, wealth and personal support, the king sought to turn aristocratic families against each other to enhance royal authority. Simultaneously, regional aristocrats like Smbat Bagratuni used royal patronage to advance their local interests, often at the expense of the royal center. The life of Smbat Bagratuni illustrates how complex negotiations of individual and collective identity shaped relations of “center” and “periphery” in Sasanian Iran.     

The dating of the Coastal Fortress at Qala'at al‐Bahrain: Sasanian or Islamic?

The dating of the Coastal Fortress at Qala'at al-Bahrain to the Islamic period has been maintained by the Danish excavators since the building was uncovered in 1955–57. The French excavators have argued for a considerably earlier date, in the Sasanian period. The problem with this dating is firstly, the lack of Sasanian finds on the alleged early floor of the fortress and secondly, the status of this floor which is known only from very small trenches and more likely belongs to a Late Parthian architectural phase predating the fortress.     

From the “Cleavage” of Central Asia to Greater Khurasan: History and Historiography of Late Antique East Iran

The history of Central Asia is normally considered peripheral to those of the civilizations that surrounded it—Marshal Hodgson termed it a civilizational “cleavage.” However, in the early Islamic period this region, particularly its southern and western parts, emerges as the dominant entity of Greater Khurasan to play a central role in the affairs of the Islamic Caliphate. This paper considers the history of the region, dubbed East Iran, before this rise to importance and proposes a different historiographical approach focusing on the developments in East Iran during the period of late antiquity and in interaction with the Sasanian Empire. It is proposed that the Greater Khurasan emerged as the result of the merging of the socio-cultural worlds of East Iran and that of the Sasanian Empire.     

‘Ambushed by Victory’: British,French and American Military Plans to Defeat Germany in 1919

The United States, Britain, and France’s discussions on how to achieve victory over the enemy reveal how widespread was the notion that the war would have to be carried into 1919 in order to ensure a military victory over the German army. With the British, political pressure to maintain a sizable army combined with the over-estimation of the abilities of the enemy meant that many considered victory only possible in 1919. The Americans were determined to expand their army substantially to play a leading role in the 1919 campaign; however, they had to negotiate what constituted a realistic contribution. Behind these deliberations stood the French who were promoting the idea of a decisive 1919 campaign and pressuring their co-belligerents to make the greatest possible commitment to ensure a victorious outcome.     

抗美援朝的战略决策在政治与军事互动中的得与失

抗美援朝战争的特殊性决定了其政治与军事的互动作用与以往战争相比更有特殊性的表现 ,如政治对军事的主导作用增强 ;军事行动所追求的目标已不再是以全歼敌人并摧毁国家机器为目的的全面胜利 ,而是在力争维护国内国际和平前提下取得打退敌人有限胜利等。由于这些特殊性 ,使我党在以政治和军事互动作用为基础的抗美援朝的战略决策上有得有失     

American power before and after 11 September: dizzy with success?

One of the most interesting consequences of the war against international terrorism is the discovery by many analysts of American power. However, if the experts had been more attentive they might have noticed that a power shift in favour of the United States is not just some recent phenomenon arising from US victory over the Taliban or the new Bush military build-up. Rather, it can, and should be, traced back to important trends of the early 1990s. What the war has done is to reveal the extent of America's renaissance in the postwar decade while its position as true hegemon was being consolidated. However, victory in war may not bring order in peace if the United States does not draw the correct lessons.     

Sasanian period drop-tower gristmills on the Deh Luran Plain,southwestern Iran

Abstract

The nature of the Deh Luran gristmill system is described, and archaeological and ethnohistorical observations provide insights into ancient rural technology, economics, and socio-politics. Optically Scanned Luminescence, ceramics, and other archaeological associations, date the Deh Luran gristmills to the Sasanian period (A.D. 225–700). A Middle East/Mediterranean origin as early as 250 B.C. is suggested for the drop-tower side-shot water wheel technology used.

The Deh Luran gristmill technology was well adapted to the topography and limited, variable water supply. Currently farmed lands, and their productivity, are found to be far less than projected grain surpluses for an expanding Sasanian Empire in Deh Luran. Population estimates based on gristmill productivity contradict those from archaeological data. Data suggest that Deh Luran, and similar rural areas, were relatively autonomous.     

OPTICAL DATING OF SINGLE AND MULTIPLE GRAINS OF QUARTZ FROM JINMIUM ROCK SHELTER,NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: PART I,EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND STATISTICAL MODELS*

Jinmium rock shelter is famous for the claims made by Fullagar et al. (1996) for the early human colonization and ancient rock art of northern Australia. These claims were based on thermo-luminescence ages obtained for the artefact-bearing quartz sediments that form the floor deposit at the site. In this paper, we outline the background to the optical dating programme at Jinmium, and describe the experimental design and statistical methods used to obtain optical ages from single grains of quartz sand. The results, interpretations, and implications of this dating programme are reported in a companion paper (Roberts et al. 7999, this volume).     

The politics of Australian yuppies

Although many popular claims are made about the social distinctiveness and political importance of yuppies (young, urban or upwardly‐mobile professionals), there is little firm evidence to support such claims. This paper uses national survey data to identify individuals who might be classified as yuppies, and examines their demographic and social attributes and political orientations. The results show that there are no substantial differences between yuppies on the one hand, and non‐yuppies (young, rural persons or young urban non‐professionals) and people aged 40 and over on the other. Moreover, yuppies tend to be liberal rather than conservative on most issues, economic ones included. These results suggest that claims about the distinctiveness and political importance of yuppies are generally exaggerated.     

The decline of eastern Arabia in the Sasanian period

This paper lists and reviews the archaeological evidence for the Sasanian period in eastern Arabia (third–seventh centuries AD). Much of the published evidence is shown to be either erroneous or highly doubtful, leaving very little evidence that is reliable. It is argued that the paucity of evidence in comparison to the Hellenistic/Parthian period indicates that this was a time of marked and continuing decline in the number and size of settlements, the number of tombs and the amount of coinage in circulation, all of which probably result from a population that was both declining in size and participating less in the types of production and consumption that leave discoverable traces in the archaeological record. This is in contrast to the historical evidence, which, although patchy, is stronger for the Sasanian period than it is for the Hellenistic/Parthian period. The argument for decline challenges some generally accepted historical views of eastern Arabia at this time, which see the region as undergoing a notable period of growth. In conclusion, some brief consideration is given to the possible causes of the decline.     

ICP–MS ANALYSIS OF GLASS FRAGMENTS OF PARTHIAN AND SASANIAN EPOCH FROM SELEUCIA AND VEH ARDAŠ?R (CENTRAL IRAQ)*

Forty‐one glass fragments were analysed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry, determining 40 major, minor and trace elements, including rare earth elements. The fragments came from excavations carried out at the archaeological sites of Seleucia and Veh Arda??r in modern Iraq, and were dated to the Parthian and Sasanian epochs. Analytical data indicate that all the samples are silica–soda–lime glasses. Magnesium and potassium oxide contents below 1% suggest that eight out of nine glasses from Seleucia, dating from between the first and the third century ad , could have been obtained by use of an evaporite as a flux; the same conclusion can be drawn for some of the Sasanian glasses dating from the fourth and fifth centuries ad . The other glasses from Veh Arda??r, as well as the remaining sample from Seleucia, are characterized by higher contents of magnesium and potassium, which suggests recourse to plant ash; different magnesium and phosphorus contents allow one to separate these samples into two main groups, pointing to the use of different kinds of plant ash. Aluminium and calcium contents, together with trace element data, may indicate that different sands were used for preparing glasses of different composition. Samples from Seleucia and Veh Arda??r are mainly blue–green and green to yellow–green, respectively; iron and manganese contents suggest that the furnace atmosphere was mainly responsible for the development of these hues.