Persian Sassanid Empire

Sassanids Gain Greater Armenia from Rome (399): With weakening of Roman Empire (which was in rapid decline at this point), the Sassanid Empire entered a period of peace with Romans. This contributed to a shift toward religious tolerance, as the minority Christians, once heavily persecuted, are now protected. With Rome no longer a fierce rival, Christians were no longer viewed to be a threat to the empire. The Sassanid Empire was considered to be an equal of Rome, equally powerful and advanced.

(Timeline Continued Below)

Hunnic Invasions into Sassanid Empire (400 - 500): The Sassanid Empire was compromised by the Huns from Central Asia during much of the 5th century. The Huns continued to threaten their eastern and northern borders throughout the 400s.

Period of Peace in Sassanid Empire (500 - 600): The Sassanid Empire enjoyed relative peace, as the Huns were somewhat pacified by payments of tribute, and socialistic measures were put into place to increase equality. This was achieved through an advanced system of taxation, based on land parcels owned. The Sassanid Empire conducted frequent raids into the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) during this time period, extracting exorbitant tributes.

Maximum Expansion of Sassanid Empire (600 - 621): Sassanid Empire achieved maximum coverage, after decades of almost constant warfare on all fronts, while attempting to expand territory and consolidate rule among the various, disparate nations of people within its borders. After they finally made sustainable headway in Byzantine territory (Syria and Anatolia to the west), subsequent territories fell like dominos, including Jerusalem, parts of Arabia, and then Egypt.

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Sassanid Decline and Collapse (600 - 633): The astonishingly successful expansionism overextended the Sassanid regime. The Byzantine Empire responded by channeling all of its military assets to reverse the diminishing of its empire, successfully attacking territories recently lost to the Sassanid Empire. This including Syria, Anatolia, and Judea. By 628, the Sassanids withdrew from nearly all newly-conquered territories. This caused dissension and dissatisfaction, leading to internal political turmoil, ripening the empire for the Arab Muslim conquests beginning in 633.

Mesopotamians and Persians Maintain Distinction:

Mesopotamians and Persians Remain Separate Nations: Despite being under the same rule for much of the past 1000+ years, Mesopotamians and Persians remained very distinct and separate from one another. They developed their respective cultures and sense of unified identity in isolation from one another, as the Iranian Plateau and Euphrates-Tigris River Basin were separated by harsh desert and mountainous terrain. Therefore, Mesopotamian culture and lineage was strongly distinguished from that of Persia before falling under rule of the Persian Empire in 539 BC. This pronounced differentiation would endure during the two centuries of common rule under the Persian Empire, and another three centuries of common rule under the Greek Seleucid Empire. The distinction was further pronounced during the Roman Era, when Mesopotamia would fall under Roman rule for the better part of the time period between 116 and 363. During this time, many Mesopotamians became Christianized, while another significant portion continued to practice ancient Mesopotamian polytheist religions.

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During the Roman Era, the Persians resisted the Roman threat, maintaining sovereignty under the Persian-ruled Parthian and Sassanid Empires. Zoroastrianism remained the dominant religion among the Persians. Zoroastrians did not believe in proselytizing, nor converting people without either a father or mother belonging to the faith. As Christianity and Islam would unify previously separate nations, Zoroastrianism may have been able to accomplish the same within the Persian Empire had conversions been permitted. After Mesopotamia fell under Persian rule again following the withdrawal of Rome in 363, these separate cultural, lineage and religious roots were too deeply ingrained to be erased. Consequently, even after Iran and Iraq would be consolidated under Arab Muslim, Mongol and Turkish rule in the following centuries, they remained separate nations.

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