The Images of Eranshahr at the beginning of Sasanian Era (3rd Century) in the Eyes of the Rome: The Return of the Achaemenians

The replacement of the conservative Parthians with the arrogant Sassanians was a major turning point in the geostrategic policies of the Iranian Empire. Thus, the change of attitude of the Romans towards the Eastern superpower soon manifested itself in the first works of contemporaneous historians with Ardeshir I. Roman writers tried to bridge the gap between the Sassanians and the Achaemenian memory. In addition to this perception, the Roman propaganda machine and the newly established depiction also provided a suitable response to it. Rome’s strategy in the challenging third century CE was to exaggerate its military successes over the Sassanians and even to present deceitful official reports. During this period, they constructed a political-propagandistic pattern to represent the events of their eastern fronts. The aim of this study is to understand the Roman mentalities towards Iranshahr in the third century CE and to some extent to adapt it to the realities.