A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Early Islam, 590-660 A.D. PDF
Preview A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Early Islam, 590-660 A.D.
Gorgias Chronicles of Late Antiquity i y v y x A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Early Islam 590-660 A.D. Edition, Translation, and Commentar}" by Nasir al-Ka^^bi Qorgias^Prhss A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Early Islam Gorgias Chronicles of Late Antiquity 1 590-660 A.D. Editorial Board Amir Harrak Muriel Debi6 Jan J. van Ginkel Edition, Translation and Commentary by Nasif al-Ka'bi Gorgias Chronicles of Late Antiquity aims to publish Syriac and Christian Arabic chronicles datmg between the 6th and the 14th centuries in their original languages and with faring English translations. The translations will make these unique chronographic sources accessible to as wide an audience as possible, offering the specialist the opportunity to read them in the original languages and to compare ^ORGIAS them with the translations. '^^RESS 2016 A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Early Islam Gorgias Chronicles of Late Antiquity 1 590-660 A.D. Editorial Board Amir Harrak Muriel Debi6 Jan J. van Ginkel Edition, Translation and Commentary by Nasif al-Ka'bi Gorgias Chronicles of Late Antiquity aims to publish Syriac and Christian Arabic chronicles datmg between the 6th and the 14th centuries in their original languages and with faring English translations. The translations will make these unique chronographic sources accessible to as wide an audience as possible, offering the specialist the opportunity to read them in the original languages and to compare ^ORGIAS them with the translations. '^^RESS 2016 Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright© 2016 by Gorgias Press LLC All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any fo^ or by any means, electronic, mechamcal, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2016 For Amir Harrak ISBN 978-1-4632-0563-8 Ahmad Tafa22oE Michael Morony Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kabi, Nasir Abd al-Husayn, editor, translator. Title; A short chronicle on the end of the Sasanian Empire and early Islam 590-660 A.D. / edition, translation and commentary by Nasir al-Ka'bi. Description: Piscataway, NJ : Gorgias Press, 2016. | Series: Gorgias chronicles of late antiquity | Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Identifiers: LCCN 2016030283 1 ISBN 9781463205638 Subjects: LCSH: Sassanids. | Iran—History—To 640. | Islamic Empire—History—622-661. Classification: LCC DS286 .S47 2016 | DDC 935/.707—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030283 Printed in the United States of America Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright© 2016 by Gorgias Press LLC All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any fo^ or by any means, electronic, mechamcal, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2016 For Amir Harrak ISBN 978-1-4632-0563-8 Ahmad Tafa22oE Michael Morony Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kabi, Nasir Abd al-Husayn, editor, translator. Title; A short chronicle on the end of the Sasanian Empire and early Islam 590-660 A.D. / edition, translation and commentary by Nasir al-Ka'bi. Description: Piscataway, NJ : Gorgias Press, 2016. | Series: Gorgias chronicles of late antiquity | Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Identifiers: LCCN 2016030283 1 ISBN 9781463205638 Subjects: LCSH: Sassanids. | Iran—History—To 640. | Islamic Empire—History—622-661. Classification: LCC DS286 .S47 2016 | DDC 935/.707—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030283 Printed in the United States of America T i Table of Contents Table of Contents...........................................................................................................v Abbreviations................................................................................................................vii Epigraphy and Languages.....................................................................................vii Encyclopedias........................................................................................................vii Journals..................................................................................................................vii Preface and acknowledgements.....................................................................................be Introduction....................................................................................................................xi The Manuscript and the Identity of its Author...................................................xi Description of the manuscript........................................................................xi Author...............................................................................................................xii Tide..................................................................................................................XV Translations of the Chronicle.........................................................................xvii Sources and Contents of the Chronicle................................................................xix The Late Sasanian Period..............................................................................xxi Ecclesiastical History..........................................................................................1 Early Islamic Period.........................................................................................lx Historiographical Approach.............................................................................Ixxix The chronicler’s concept of history..........................................................Ixxix The contents and organization of material...............................................Ixxix The chronicler’s audience and message.....................................................Ixxxi God behind history....................................................................................Ixxxii Historical geography..................................................................................Ixxxiii Sasanian geography...................................................................................Ixxxiv Ecclesiastical geography............................................................................Ixxxvi Islamic geography....................................................................................Ixxxvii Text and Translation.......................................................................................................1 Chronology of the Short Chronicle...........................................................................117 Events relating to the period covered by the Chronicle (590-660)..................117 Late Sasanian history.....................................................................................117 Ecclesiastical history......................................................................................118 Early Islamic period.......................................................................................120 Bibliography.................................................................................................................123 Primary textual sources.......................................................................................123 Arabic (Muslim) sources...............................................................................123 V T i Table of Contents Table of Contents...........................................................................................................v Abbreviations................................................................................................................vii Epigraphy and Languages.....................................................................................vii Encyclopedias........................................................................................................vii Journals..................................................................................................................vii Preface and acknowledgements.....................................................................................be Introduction....................................................................................................................xi The Manuscript and the Identity of its Author...................................................xi Description of the manuscript........................................................................xi Author...............................................................................................................xii Tide..................................................................................................................XV Translations of the Chronicle.........................................................................xvii Sources and Contents of the Chronicle................................................................xix The Late Sasanian Period..............................................................................xxi Ecclesiastical History..........................................................................................1 Early Islamic Period.........................................................................................lx Historiographical Approach.............................................................................Ixxix The chronicler’s concept of history..........................................................Ixxix The contents and organization of material...............................................Ixxix The chronicler’s audience and message.....................................................Ixxxi God behind history....................................................................................Ixxxii Historical geography..................................................................................Ixxxiii Sasanian geography...................................................................................Ixxxiv Ecclesiastical geography............................................................................Ixxxvi Islamic geography....................................................................................Ixxxvii Text and Translation.......................................................................................................1 Chronology of the Short Chronicle...........................................................................117 Events relating to the period covered by the Chronicle (590-660)..................117 Late Sasanian history.....................................................................................117 Ecclesiastical history......................................................................................118 Early Islamic period.......................................................................................120 Bibliography.................................................................................................................123 Primary textual sources.......................................................................................123 Arabic (Muslim) sources...............................................................................123 V VI A Short Chronicle Arabic (Christian) sources................................. .....126 Armenian sources.............................................. .....126 Coptic sources.................................................... .....126 Greek and Latin sources.................................... Middle Persian sources....................................... Persian sources................................................... Abbreviations Syriac sources...................................................... ..............128 Secondary sources.................................................... ..............129 Individuals mentioned in the Chronicle............................ Kings, commanders and nobles in the Chronicle.... Epigraphy AND Languages Kings................................................................... Av. Avesta Commanders and nobles................................... KSM Inscription of Kerdir at Sar Mashad Patriarchs............................................................. NPi Inscription Narseh in Paikuli Muslim (Arab) rulers in the Chronicle................ Pah Pahlavi List of works relating to the Chronicle............................... Syr. Syriac Maps and Tables................................................................ §I<2 Sapur’s Ka’ba-ye Zardost Inscription Maps.............................................................. SNRb Sapur I on the Ka’ba-ye Zardost at Naqs-e Rostam . Tables................................... Inscription Indexes............................................................................... Encyclopedias Index of Personal Names....................................... Index of Place Names............................................. CHI Cambridge History of Iran Index of Biblical and Qur’anic citations................ Encyclopedic Dictionary Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Subject Index............................................................ Heritage Iranica Encyclopaedia Iranica EP Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition EP Encyclopedia of Islam, Third Edition csco Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Paris and Louvain Journals BAI Bulletin of the Asia Institute BASOR Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research BSAC Bulletin de la societe d’archeologie copte BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies JIHCS Journal of Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies IJAS International Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies JAN Journal of American Numismatics JBIPS Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies JCSSS Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies JIA Journal of the Iraqi Academy JIE Israel Exploration Journal JNF Journal of Nameye Farhangestan vii VI A Short Chronicle Arabic (Christian) sources................................. .....126 Armenian sources.............................................. .....126 Coptic sources.................................................... .....126 Greek and Latin sources.................................... Middle Persian sources....................................... Persian sources................................................... Abbreviations Syriac sources...................................................... ..............128 Secondary sources.................................................... ..............129 Individuals mentioned in the Chronicle............................ Kings, commanders and nobles in the Chronicle.... Epigraphy AND Languages Kings................................................................... Av. Avesta Commanders and nobles................................... KSM Inscription of Kerdir at Sar Mashad Patriarchs............................................................. NPi Inscription Narseh in Paikuli Muslim (Arab) rulers in the Chronicle................ Pah Pahlavi List of works relating to the Chronicle............................... Syr. Syriac Maps and Tables................................................................ §I<2 Sapur’s Ka’ba-ye Zardost Inscription Maps.............................................................. SNRb Sapur I on the Ka’ba-ye Zardost at Naqs-e Rostam . Tables................................... Inscription Indexes............................................................................... Encyclopedias Index of Personal Names....................................... Index of Place Names............................................. CHI Cambridge History of Iran Index of Biblical and Qur’anic citations................ Encyclopedic Dictionary Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Subject Index............................................................ Heritage Iranica Encyclopaedia Iranica EP Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition EP Encyclopedia of Islam, Third Edition csco Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Paris and Louvain Journals BAI Bulletin of the Asia Institute BASOR Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research BSAC Bulletin de la societe d’archeologie copte BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies JIHCS Journal of Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies IJAS International Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies JAN Journal of American Numismatics JBIPS Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies JCSSS Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies JIA Journal of the Iraqi Academy JIE Israel Exploration Journal JNF Journal of Nameye Farhangestan vii VUl A Short Chronicle JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JNIB Journal of Name-ye Baharestan Sumer Sumer, Iraq Museum JSAN Journal of the Society for Ancient Numismatics JSOR Journal of the Society of the Oriental Research JSAI Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam Preface and acknowledgements JWH Journal of War in History NC Numismatic Chronicle NF Name-ye Farhangestan PdO Parole de I’Orient This book, A Short Chronicle on the End of the Sasanian Empire and Earlj Islam 590-660 A.D., emerged from a two-year postdoctoral project undertaken at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. The book offers the first English translation of the text with notes on personal names, tides, and toponyms, and comments on various technical terms in Syriac and Persian. Extensive foomotes discuss the contents of the Chronicle, often in light of Syriac, Arabic, Middle Persian, and Armenian sources that may offer comparable accounts to those found in the Chronicle, the footnotes also refer to archaeological discoveries of sites and buildings mentioned in the text. The book discusses issues such as the identity of the anonymous chronicler, his sources of information, and major themes that mark his historical accounts. The historical analysis in this volume covers the late Sasanian period to the rise of Islam, with an emphasis on the conditions of the Church in these cmcial historical periods. This Chronicle is central for the study of the seventh century, a period of drastic historical changes which witnessed the demise of two contending world empires and their replacement by Islam - thus signaling the end of Late Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. The importance of the Chronicle lies in the fact that it may be the earliest Syriac document known which relies on official Sasanian sources. It may also be the oldest Syriac chronicle which deals with the advent of Muhammad and the ensuing Arab conquest, while its author was an eyewitness to the succession of rulers and kingdoms. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my supervisor and mentor Professor Amir Harrak, who generously gave time and earnest attention at every stage of my postdoctoral studies. His help was particularly important in selecting a historiographical topic and the elucidation of its plan, and in editing and translating the Syriac text. My profound thanks are also due to Professor Shafiq Virani who co supervised my project and to Professor Muhammad Tavakoli whose encouragement and help in extending my research time at the University of Toronto are most appreciated. I must not fail to mention my dear friend Mr. Neil Faibish who throughout the preparation of this work was always ready to go through my English text and improve it. Professor Amar Baadj helped me in the analysis of the historical sources, reviewing my discussion of historical events readily and critically. My colleague Mr. Ashoor Yousef, a doctoral candidate in the department of Religion at the University of Toronto, provided me with invaluable logistical academic help. I also IX
The list of books you might like
