The History of al-Tabari Vol. 5: The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen (SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies)

This volume of al-T'abari's History has a particularly wide sweep and interest. It provides the most complete and detailed historical source for the Persian empire of the Sasanids, whose four centuries of rule were one of the most glorious periods in Persia's long history. It also gives information on the history of pre-Islamic Arabs of the Mesopotamian desert fringes and eastern Arabia (in al-Hira and the Ghassanid kingdom), and on the quite separate civilization of South Arabia, the Yemen, otherwise known mainly by inscriptions. It furnishes details of the centuries'-long warfare of the two great empires of Western Asia, the Sasanids and the Byzantine Greeks, a titanic struggle which paved the way for the subsequent rise of the new faith of Islam. The volume is thus of great value for scholars, from Byzantinists to Semitists and Iranists. It provides the first English translation of this key section of al-T'abari's work, one for which non-Arabists have hitherto relied on a partial German translation, meritorious for its time but now 120 years old. This new translation is enriched by a detailed commentary which takes into account up-to-date scholarship. Front Cover 1 The History of al-Tabari: Editorial Board 5 The History of al-Tabari: Vol. V 6 Copyright 7 Preface 8 Table of Contents 9 Abbreviations 16 Translator's Foreword 18 I 18 II 23 Table 1. The Sasanid Emperors 28 Table 2. The Roman and Byzantine Emperors, from Constantine the Great to Heraclius 30 Table 3. The Lakhmid Rulers 31 Table 4. The Chiefs of Kindah 32 Table 5 . Rulers in South Arabia during the Sixth and Early Seventh Centuries 33 Map 1. The Sasanid Empire 34 Map 2. The Roman-Byzantine and Persian Frontierlands 35 Map 3. The Northeastern Frontier of the Sasanids 36 Map 4. The Arabian Peninsula: The Lands of the Lakhmids, Kindah, etc. 37 Map 5. Southwestern Arabia 38 [The Kings of the Persians] 40 [Ardashir I] 40 [The History of al-Hirah] 59 Mention of the Holders of Power in the Kingdom of Persia after Ardashir b. Babak 62 [Sabur I, called Sabur al-Junud] 62 [Hurmuz I] 78 [Bahram I] 82 [The History of al-Hirah] 83 [Bahram II] 85 [Bahram III] 85 [Narsi] 87 [Hurmuz II] 87 [Sabur II Dhu al-Aktaf] 88 [The History of al-Hirah] 106 [Ardashir II] 106 [Sabur III] 106 [Bahram IV] 108 [Yazdajird I] 109 [The History of al-Hirah] 113 [Bahram V Jur] 121 [Yazdajird II] 145 [Fayruz I] 148 Mention of Events in the Reigns of Yazdajird (II), Son of Bahram (V), and Fayruz and the Relations of Their Respective Governors with the Arabs and the People of Yemen 160 [Balash] 165 [Qubadh I] 167 Mention of What Has Been Recorded Concerning the Events Taking Place among the Arabs in Qubadh's Reign in His Kingdom and Involving His Governors 178 [Kisra I Anusharwan] 185 [The History of al-Hirah] 201 [The History of Yemen] 203 Mention of the Rest of the Story of Tubba' in theDays of Qubadh and the Time of Anusharwan and the Persians' Dispatch of an Army to Yemen in Order to Combat the Abyssinians, and the Reason for This Last. 203 [Resumption of the History of Kisra Anusharwan] 291 Mention of the Birth o fthe Messenger of God 306 [The Remainder of Kisra Anusharwan's Reign and the Last Sasanid Kings] 324 [Hurmuz] 334 [Kisra II Abarwiz] 344 Mention of Those Who Say That 363 [The Encounter at Dhu Qar] 377 Mention of Those Vassal Rulers Set over the Desert Frontier of the Arabs at al-Hirah as Appointees of the Monarchs of Persia, after 'Amr b. Hind 409 The Story Returns to the Mention of al-Maruzan, Who Governed Yemen on Behalf of Hurmuz and His Son Abarwiz, and His Successors 412 [Qubadh II Shiruyah] 420 [Ardashir III] 439 [Shahrbaraz] 441 [Buran] 442 [Jushnas Dih] 444 [Azarmidukht] 445 [Kisra III] 446 [Khurrazadh Khusraw] 446 [Fayruz II] 447 [Farrukhzadh Khusraw] 447 [Yazdajird III] 448 [The Chronology of the World] 451 Mention of Those Who Say That 452 Bibliography of Cited Works 458 Index 482 A 482 B 484 C 486 D 486 E 486 F 486 G 487 H 487 I 488 J 489 K 489 L 490 M 491 N 492 P 493 Q 493 R 493 S 494 T 495 U 496 W 496 Y 496 Z 497 Back Cover 498 This volume of al-Ṭabarī's History has a particularly wide sweep and interest. It provides the most complete and detailed historical source for the Persian empire of the Sāsānids, whose four centuries of rule were one of the most glorious periods in Persia's long history. It also gives information on the history of pre-Islamic Arabs of the Mesopotamian desert fringes and eastern Arabia (in al-Hira and the Ghassanid kingdom), and on the quite separate civilization of South Arabia, the Yemen, otherwise known mainly by inscriptions. It furnishes details of the centuries'-long warfare of the two great empires of Western Asia, the Sāsānids and the Byzantine Greeks, a titanic struggle which paved the way for the subsequent rise of the new faith of Islam. The volume is thus of great value for scholars, from Byzantinists to Semitists and Iranists. It provides the first English translation of this key section of al-Ṭabarī's work, one for which non-Arabists have hitherto relied on a partial German translation, meritorious for its time but now 120 years old. This new translation is enriched by a detailed commentary which takes into account up-to-date scholarship. This volume of al-Tabari's History has a particularly wide sweep and interest. It provides the most complete and detailed historical source for the Persian empire of the Sasanids, whose four centuries of rule were one of the most glorious periods in Persia's long history. It also gives information on the pre-Islamic Arabs of the Mesopotamian desert fringes and eastern Arabia (in al-Hira and the Ghassanid kingdom), and on the quite separate civilization of South Arabia, the Yemen, otherwise known mainly by inscriptions. It furnishes details of the centuries'-long warfare of the two great empires of Western Asia, the Sasanids and the Byzantine Greeks, a titanic struggle which paved the way for the for the subsequent rise of the new faith of Islam. The volume is thus of great value for scholars, from Byzantinists to Semitists and Iranists. It provides the first English translation of this key section of al-Tabari's work, one for which non-Arabists have hitherto relied on a partial German translation meritorious forms time but now 120 years old. This new translation is enriched by a detailed commentary which takes into account up-to-date scholarship. Meritorious for its time but now 120 years old. This new translation is enriched by a detailed commentary which takes into account up-to-date scholarship. Book jacket