Reza Ordou; Roozbeh Zarrinkoob
Abstract
The nature of the broader geopolitical relationship between the Arsacids with Sarmatians and the Dacian kingdom, in the north and northwestern region of the Black Sea area, in the late ...
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The nature of the broader geopolitical relationship between the Arsacids with Sarmatians and the Dacian kingdom, in the north and northwestern region of the Black Sea area, in the late first and early second century CE, is a subject that has been mentioned in very few sources regarding the history of the Arsacids. After prolonged conflicts between the Arsacid and Roman empires, the Arsacids eventually could practically rule Armenia in the second half of the first century CE. In the first century CE, Sarmatians made a decisive appearance in the kingdoms north of the Black Sea. At the same time, in the late first century CE, the Dacian kingdom became an influential power in the northwest Black Sea region, troubling the Roman empire on its borders. In the Roman-Dacian wars, the Sarmatians were in alliance with the Dacians. On the other hand, the Dacian king probably was in a friendly relationship with the Arsacids. It appears that these three powers -Arsacids, Sarmatians, and Dacians- were interconnected in their progress toward the west. This research aims to answer the following question: How could the Arsacid Empire manage to establish friendly relations with the peoples of the Caspian-Pontic steppes and Dacian kingdom beyond the Black Sea? In an attempt to answer this question, the demographic composition of the northern half of the Black Sea, along with the regional power structures present, will be considered. The historical context between the Arsacids, Sarmatians, and the Dacians, along with their mutual allies in the first and early second century CE, will be considered. To Conclude, controlling Armenia by the Arsacids from mid-first century CE, for almost five decades, and also a significant influx of the Sarmatians, who had kinship and commercial communication with the Arsacids, into the states of the northern half of the Black Sea, simultaneously in this period, caused the formation of an alliance between the Arsacids and Dacians via Sarmatians.
