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[[File: Sasanian_Empire_621_A.D.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Map of the Sasanian Empire in the Early Seventh Century AD: the Lined Territories Represent Lands Temporarily Held by the Sasanian, while the Rest of the Territory Represents the Extent of the Empire for Most of Its Life]]__NOTOC__
The Sasanian Empire (AD 224-651) was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire and it was also the last kingdom of the ancient Near East. The Sasanians were able to build their empire by controlling important trade routes and by building an extremely capable military with cavalry as the backbone. Although the Sasanian cavalry won many impressive victories against the Romans, Huns, and Byzantines, the Empire’s true military success came from its elaborate system of walls, forts, and border defenses.
===Protecting the Western Border of the Sasanian Empire===
[[File: Ctesiphon.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|The Ruins of the Sasanian City of Ctesiphon near Modern Baghdad, Iraq]]
The Sasanian Empire’s western border was much different than its northern borders for a couple of reasons. First, it was much more fluid, with the boundaries constantly shifting due to warfare and subsequent treaties. Second, the Sasanians had to keep it somewhat open due to trade and diplomatic relations with the peoples in the west. Although they were often at war with the Romans, Byzantines, and Arabs, the Silk Roads terminated in those territories. The Sasanian answer for the western border, then, was to develop a heavy garrison in Mesopotamia.
The Sasanian kings continued to battle the Roman emperors for control of Mesopotamia, with Ctesiphon being the Sasanian bulwark, until Rome collapsed in the fifth century. Actually, Roman culture persisted in Constantinople, which became the capital of what is today known as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire under Justinian I (ruled 527-565) challenged the western border of the Sasanian Empire just as much as their Roman predecessors, eventually leading to war in 531. The Sasanians met the large Byzantine army with an equally large army on the Euphrates River near the city of Callinicus (modern day Raqqa, Syria). The battle was chronicled by the sixth century Byzantine historian, Procopius.
“Finally the Persians made their bivouac on the bank of the Euphrates just opposite the city of Callinicus, From there they were about to march through a country absolutely uninhabited by man, and thus to quit the land of the Romans; for they purposed no longer to proceed as before, keeping to the bank of the river. The Romans had passed the night in the city of Sura, and, removing from there, they came upon the enemy just in the act of preparing for the departure. Now the fest of Easter was near and would take place on the following day. . . Many a time after giving up, the Persians would advance against them determined to break up and destroy their line, but they always retired again from the assault unsuccessful. For their horses, annoyed by the clashing of the shields, reared up and made confusion for themselves and their riders. Thus both sides continued the struggle until it had become late in the day. And when night had already come on, the Persians withdrew to their camp, and Belisarius accompanied by some few men found a freight-boat and crossed over to the island in the river, while the other Romans reached the same place by swimming. On the following day many freight-boats were brought to the Romans from the city of Callinicus and they were conveyed thither in them, and the Persians, after despoiling the dead, all departed homeward. However they did not find their own dead less numerous than the enemy’s.” <ref> Procopius of Caesarea. <i> The History of the Wars.</i> Translated by H. B. Dewing. (London: William Heinemann, 1916), Book I, xviii, 13-50</ref>
The victory proved to be pyrrhic for Khosrow I (reigned 531-579) and the Sasanians because although it eliminated the Byzantine threat on the western border, it left the Sasanian army severely reduced and open to another threat.
===Protecting the Northern Border West of the Caspian Sea===
[[File: Khosrow_I.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Silver Coin of Khosrow I]]
Sasanian fortifications west of the Caspian Sea were quite developed and complex, consisting of a series of forts and walls. The Wall of Derbent, which is the best known and longest of all fortifications on the northern frontier, was actually two twenty foot high walls that began on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and went west into the Caucasus Mountains through what is today Dagestan. <ref> Powel, Eric A. “The Shah’s Great Wall.” <i>Archaeology</i> 61 (1996) p. 36</ref>
=== Protecting the Northern Border East of the Caspian Sea===
[[File: Gorgan.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Ruins of the Wall of Gorgan]]
Without doubt, the primary feature of the Sasanians’ northeastern border defenses was the so-called “Great Wall of Gorgan.” Like the Wall of Derbent and the fortifications on the Sasanians’ northwestern border, the Wall of Gorgan was probably stared by Peroz and finished during the reign of Khosrow I. <ref> Harmatta, pgs. 80-81</ref> The Wall of Gorgan rivaled the walls built by the Romans in Britain and is a testament to both the Sasanians’ abilities to construct border defenses and the tenacity of the enemies they faced on their northern border.
===References===
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