Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals | Beate Dignas, Engelbert Winter

book: Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals | Beate Dignas, Engelbert Winter

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Rome and Persia in...

	Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals Beate Dignas, Engelbert Winter Cambridge University Press, 2007 - 364 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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The foundation of the Sasanian Empire in Persia in AD 224 established a formidable new power on the Roman Empire's eastern frontier, and relations over the next four centuries proved turbulent. This book provides a chronological narrative of their relationship, supported by a substantial collection of translated sources illustrating structural patterns. The political goals of the two sides, their military confrontations and their diplomatic solutions are discussed, as well as the common interests between the two powers. Special attention is given to the situation of Arabia and Armenia, to economic aspects, the protection of the frontiers, the religious life in both empires and the channels of communication between East and West. Considerable attention is also paid to exploring the role played by the Sasanians in the history of the ancient Near East. The book will prove invaluable for students and non-specialists interested in late antiquity and early Byzantium.

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Good Summary

Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity provides a brief summary of events in chronological order supported by quotation and references. Supplementing this are additional chapters that focus on particular aspects of the two empires. These include the military, the diplomatic and the religious.

Most of the content will be entirely familiar to readers with an interest in the period, and for English-speaking readers, many of the referenced works are in German, which makes checking footnotes and references difficult for the monolingual.

This volume is a good companion to the period, occupying a middle ground between the more detailed source books such as Dodgeon & Lieu's 'The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars: A Documentary History' and a more generalist historical summary. One or two points did grate, for example the use of Wilcox's Osprey book as a source for the Sasanian army, and an acceptance of claims of multiple captures of Ctesiphon in the 3rd Century that have never been substantiated. The authors seem to have a very good grasp of the source material available, covering Syriac and Armenian accounts, together with the later Arab authors such as Masudi and Baladhur as well as the more widely known Western sources such as Ammianus, Procopius and the like.

I would have liked to see more critical analysis of some of the Romano-Byzantine sources, but on the whole I can recommend this book as an excellent summary for the more than casual reader.

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