| House of Sasan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Sasanian Empire |
| Founded | 224 |
| Founder | Ardashir I |
| Final ruler | Yazdegerd III |
| Titles | |
| Deposition | 651 |
| Cadet branches | Dabuyid dynasty Mikalid dynasty Banu Munajjim Bavand Dynasty |
TheSasanian dynasty (also known as theSassanids or theHouse of Sasan), the lastPersian lineage of rulers to achieve hegemony over much of Western Asia before Islam, ruled 224 CE–650 CE. the house of Sasan founded theSasanian Empire ofIran, It began withArdashir I, who named the dynasty in honour of his predecessor,Sasan.[1]
TheShahanshah was the sole regent, head of state and head of government of the empire. At times, power shifted de facto to other officials, namely thespahbed. Upon the empire'sconquest by theIslamic caliphate in 651, members of the imperial family fled in exile toChina following the death ofYazdegerd III, where they would become accepted as members of the imperial court byEmperor Gaozong of Tang. Although there would be numerous attempts to invade Islamic Persia with Chinese support,[2][3] this branch of Sasanids would remain in China indefinitely.Narsieh, grandson of Yazdegerd and last recorded Sasanid in China, would adopt the surnameLi (李) in honor of theChinese imperial family.
The name "Sasanians" is derived from aPersianpriest namedSasan, the ancestor of the dynasty. One of his sons wasPâpak, who revolted against the lawful ruler of Iran,Artabanus IV, at the beginning of the third century. The Sasanians were based inFiruzabad andIstakhr, not far from ancientPersepolis. Both cities are inPersis, modernFars.[4]
Dara II, the lastKayanian king to rule before Alexander, is partly based on the lastAchaemenidKing of Kings,Darius III (r. 336–330 BC), whose empire was indeed conquered byAlexander's forces. A son of Dara II named Sasan (called "the elder") fled toIndia and lived there in exile until his death. He was survived by a son who was likewise named Sasan (called "the younger"), "which continued in the family for four generations". A descendant of the family, likewise namedSasan, worked forPabag, who was a local ruler in Pars. Pabag's daughter married Sasan and bore him a son named Ardashir.[5] Following this, Sasan is no longer mentioned. TheShahnameh thus indicates that the ancestors of Sasan resided in India followingAlexander's conquests. This report has been used by scholars to point out Sasan'sIndo-Parthian connection.[6] The historian Marek Jan Olbrycht has suggested that the family was descended from theIndo-Parthians ofSakastan. Due to resemblance of the coinage ofFarn-Sasan the last Indo-Parthian monarch and the Sasanian Ardashir I, including the shared name Sasan—a name popular in the Indo-Parthian realm—suggests that the Sasanians and Indo-Parthians possibly shared a common ancestry.[7][8]IranologistKhodadad Rezakhani also noted similarities between the early Sasanians and the Indo-Parthians, such as their coinage.[9] Yet, he stated that "evidence might still be too inconclusive."[10]
The Sasanian monarchs claimed descent from theKayanids,[11] a legendary Persian dynasty mentioned in theAvesta, the sacred texts ofZoroastrianism, which is commonly thought to be based upon the lateAchaemenid dynasty. As such,Dara II, the Kayanid king Sasan supposedly traced his lineage to, was most likely based uponDarius III, whose empire was conquered byAlexander the Great just like Dara's.[11] Another differing account exists inKar-Namag i Ardashir i Pabagan, in which Ardashir is presented as the son of Sasan, a descendant of Darius III, and a daughter ofPabag, a feudal ruler inPersis, whose name is not mentioned.[12] However, these conflicting accounts led some historians, likeTouraj Daryaee, to believe that Ardashir simply claimed descent from anyone who was most convenient for him. Relating Ardashir to the legendary Kayanians with the nickname Kay, besides connecting himself to Sasan, a guardian deity, and also to Dara, which is possibly a combination ofDarius I andDarius III theAchaemenid, hints at a possible attempt to claim lineage from the Achaemenids.[13] the Sasanians claimed such lineage for prestige and legitimacy of their rule.[14]
the name "Sasan" was thought to be composed of theepigraphic form "Ssn" on wares and other documents, implying that Sasan was based on aZoroastrian deity, though he is not mentioned in the Avesta or any other Iranian texts. Martin Schwartz has recently shown that the deity shown on the pottery wares is not related to Sasan, but shows Ssn, an oldSemitic goddess that was worshiped inUgarit in the second millennium BC. The word "Sasa" is written on coins found inTaxila; it is probably related to "Sasan", since the symbols on the coins are similar to the coins ofShapur I, son of Ardashir. With all this in mind, it can be assumed that Ardashir claimed his lineage to be divine and the Sasanians may have raised Sasan's rank to that of a god's.[15][16]
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