February 2010
0 posts
Šābuhr I's new gold coin depicting the Roman...
In 243 CE, Gordian invaded Mesopotamia to take back what had been taken by Ardaxšīr and his son after Alexander Severus’ death. Šābuhr tells us (according to ŠKZ) that he was able to kill him at Misikhe in 244 CE, close to the Euphrates river which he later called Pērōz-Šābuhr (Victorious is Šābuhr).[1] In fact it appears that Gordian had died in Zaitha in northern Mesopotamia in 244 CE at a time...
January 2010
4 posts
Dura-Europos, Middle Persian Graffiti and the...
The remains of the once vibrant city of Dura-Europos stand on the banks of the Euphrates in modern day Syria. The city was established by the Seleucids in 303 BCE and during the reign of Mithradates II the city fell into the hands of the Arsacids. Avidius Cassius captured the city and brought it into the Roman orbit, where Dura acted as a defensive frontier city. Then the Sasanians conquered the...
A Middle Persian Text on Banqueting
A Pahlavi Text on Banqueting*
The text examined here, Sūr ī Saxwan, is a banquet speech which I thought may be of interest. The text is a blessing of a banquet, and of the hosts and guests, by a eulogist. It should be noticed, however, that there is a religious / sacrificial aspect to the speech. The text is also of interest for it provides information on Sasanian court culture, including...
Borj-e Lājīm: A Post-Sasanian Tomb Tower with...
On August 2008 Iraj Afshar, Manouchehr Sotudeh, Khodadad Rezakhani and myself traveled to the provinces of Mazandaran and Khurasan in search of medieval towers. The function of towers in Iran varies, depending on their location and the region and time period. Some may be landmarks so that travelers find their way and others are simply tombs of a notables and local rulers. For the province of...
