A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

716 SASSANIDAE. SASSANIDAE.
cessors, became conspicuous among the Parthians in Cappadocia through the treachery of a physician,
and those kindred nations which they had subdued, and after a long and gallant resistance from its
and at the court as well as among the nobles, the commander, the brave Demosthenes, who succeeded
Greek language seems to have been cultivated with in cutting his way through the enemy. But Shapur
success, and became, in some degree, the official did not keep his conquests long. A hero and a
language of the country. The fact of so many heroine, Odenathus and Zenobia, arose in the very
Parthian princes and nobles having been educated, desert, drove the king back beyond the Euphrates,
or having lived for a long time among the Greeks and founded a new empire, over which they ruled
and at Itome, where Greek was cultivated by all at Palmyra. Rome was thus saved; and the last
educated men, likewise contributed to the intro- years of the reign of Shapur offer nothing of imduction of Greek civilisation in Parthia during the portance for Roman history. An event, however,
reign of the Arsacidae. The Parthian coins of the took place in Persia at this period which must not
Arsacidae have all Greek inscriptions with nailed be passed over in silence here. We allude to the
letters, and the design is evidently after Greek new doctrine of the celebrated Mani, who, endeamodels. With the accession of the first Sassanid vouring to amalgamate the Christian and Zoroasthe Greek influence was stopped; the new dynasty trian religions, gave rise to the famous sect of the
was in every respect a national dynasty. The Manichaeans, who spread over the whole East, exSassanian coins are a proof of this great change: posing themselves to most sanguinary persecutions
the Greek. inscriptions disappear and give place from both Christians and fire-worshippers. Shapur I.
4to Persian inscriptions in Arianian characters, died in 273.
as'Wilson calls them; the design also becomes 3. HORMUZ or HORMISDAS I. ('OpylFi[aa or
gradually more barbarous, and the costume of the'Op[aio7Srls), the son of the preceding, an excellent
kings is different from that on the coins of the man, reigned only one year, and died in A. D. 274.
Arsacidae. The change of the alphabet, however, 4. BAHRAM or BAHARAM, VARANES or VAwhich was used for the inscription, was not sudden. RARANES I. (OWapadvqs or Oipapivrjs), the son of
Some coins which have portraits of a Sassanian Hormuz I., reigned from A. D. 274-277. He
character have names and titles in Nagari letters; carried on unprofitable wars against Zenobia, and,
some have bilingual inscriptions. Great numbers after her captivity, was involved in a contest with
of Sassanian coins of different periods, though very the victorious emperor Aurelian, which, however,
few only of the earliest period, have been, and are was not attended with any serious results on acstill found, at Kabul and at other places in Afgha- count of the sudden death of Aurelian in 275.
nistan." Under him the celebrated Mani (who, be it said
2. SHAPUR or SAPOR I. (:arcoprjs or:aCfap7s), here, was also a distinguished painter) was put to
the son and successor of Ardishir I., reigned from death, and both Manichaeans and Cllristians were
A. nD. 240-273. Soon after his succession a war cruelly persecuted. -Ie was succeeded by his son
broke out with the Romans, which was occasioned 5. BAHRAM or VARANES II., who reigned
by the hostile conduct of Shapur against Ar- A. D. 277-294. Bahram was engaged in a war
inenia. The Romans, commanded by the emperor with his turbulent neighbours in the north-east,
Gordian, were at first successful, but afterwards towards the sources of the Indus, when he was
suffered some defeats, and the murder of Gordian, called to the west by a formidable invasion of the
in 244, put a check to their further progress. On emperor Carus. It was near the river Euphrates
the other hand the Persians were unable to subdue that the old hero received a Persian embassy, to
Armenia, which was nobly defended by king Chos- whom he gave audience whilst sitting on the turf
roes, who, however, was assassinated after a re- and dressed in the garb of a common soldier. His
sistance of nearly thirty years. Shapur had con- language, however, soon convinced the luxurious
trived this murder. His son, Tiridates, being an Orientals that this mean-looking person, who was
infant, the Armenians implored the assistance of the making his dinner upon some pease and a piece of
emperor Valerian; but before the Romans appeared bacon, was a monarch of no less power than their
in the field, Armenia was subdued, and Shapur own Shahinshah. He told them that if the king
conquered Mesopotamia (258). Upon this Valerian did not recognise the superiority of the Roman
put himself at the head of his army. He met empire, he would make Persia as naked of trees as
Sapor near Edessa, on the Euphrates, and a pitched his own head was destitute of hair; and the Perbattle was fought, in which, owing to the perfidy sians being little inclined to make peace on such
or incapacity of the Roman minister Macrianlus, conditions, he began in earnest to show the goodthe Persians carried the day. Valerian sought ness of his word. Seleucia and Ctesiphon both
refuge within his fortified camp, but was finally yielded to him, and Bahram being compelled to
obliged to surrender with his army, Shapur having keep most of his troops on the Indian frontier was
refused to accept the enormous ransom offered to only saved by the sudden death of Carus (283).
him (260). The conduct of Shapur against Vale- The sons and successors of Carus, Carinus and
rian, who died in captivity, is not to be discussed Numerianus, retreated in consternation, and Diohere; but his political conduct offers a bold stroke cletian, who soon wrested the power from them,
of policy. He caused one Cyriades, a miserable was too busily engaged in the north to follow up
fugitive of Antioch, to be proclaimed Roman em- the success of Carus. Bahram II. died in 294.
peror, and acknowledged him as such, for the pur- 6. BAHRAM or VARANES III., the elder son and
pose, as it seems, of having a proper person to sign successor of the preceding, died after a reign of
a treaty of peace, through which he hoped to gain eight months only, A. D. 294, and was succeeded
legal possession of the provinces beyond the Taurus. by his younger brother.
He consequently pushed on to obtain possession of 7. NARSI or NARSES (Nadpess), who reigned
them, destroyed Antioch, conquered Syria, and from A. D. 294-303. He carried on a formidable
having made himself master of the passes in the war against the emperor Diocletian, which arose
Taurus, laid Tarsus in ashes, and took Caesareia out of the state of Armenian affiirs. As early as