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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page research paper that describes factors that may have affected the decline of the Sasanian Empire. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khsasadecl.rtf
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dynasty, the Sasanian rulers succeeded in establishing a "strong central power," which enabled them to gain control of the "unruly feudal aristocracy" (Porada, Dyson and Wilkinson). The Sasanian administration was
so successful that it enabled this society to undertake irrigation projects, as well as "town building and industrialization on an unprecedented scale" (Porada, Dyson and Wilkinson). During the centuries
of Sasanian rule, the power and wealth of Persia (modern day Iran) was never greater, and the Sasanian Empire was "the most formidable opponent" encountered by both Rome, and later
by Byzantium (Porada, Dyson and Wilkinson). Why, then, would this mighty empire finally succumb to defeat and destruction at the hands of Arab invaders? The following examination of sources focuses
on any signs of weakness in Sasanian societal structures that may have served to hasten its collapse in order to answer this research question. Economy As with any economy,
the Sasanian economy was shaped by both "natural elements and human intervention" (Gyselen). In other words, the availability of water, the nature of the climate, the topography and soil fertility,
along with the activities of peasant farmers, administrators, rulers, etc., were the main forces determining economic activity (Gyselen). While the Sasanian Empire has frequently been regarded as having a centralized
economy and it is true that the royalty reserved for itself specific monopolies, the majority of its economic production rested "in the hands of private entrepreneurs," the governments focus was
primarily on "taxes, levies and customs duties" (Gyselen). Additionally, the large estates controlled by the powerful nobility existed outside of realm of governmental control (Gyselen). There is a deficit of
information regarding how the "great traditional families" influenced economic expansion (Gyselen). A characteristic that is evident throughout Sasanian history was the struggle that for "political and economic power" that
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