Table of Contents

List of illustrationsAbbreviationsNote on transliteration and referencesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction31The world's two eyes: Iran, Rome, and the pursuit of world empire12The geographical focus12Iran, the Greeks, and Polytheist Rome19Sasanian universalism242Polytheist Rome: Toward cultural universalism within empire37Seeds of polytheist universalism37Alexandria44Rome45The third century50Julian and Helios-Mithras52Universalism and Rome's identity573The Fertile Crescent: Cultural universalism between and beyond empires61The Sabians of Harran62Judaism65Manichaeism72Christianity764Constantine: Christian empire and crusade80Antecedents of Christian Rome80Constantine's strategy85Empire and Church86Mission90Iran935The First Byzantine Commonwealth: Interactions of political and cultural universalism100The geographical focus101Iberia and Armenia104Southern Arabia and Ethiopia109Nubia116The Arabs119Christians of Iran and beyond121The politico-cultural entity1246Islam: World empire, then commonwealth138The building of world empire138Empire and religion152The Islamic Commonwealth160Epilogue169Bibliography177Index201

About the Author

Garth Fowden is Research Associate at the Center for Greek and Roman Antiquity of the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens, and the author of The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind (Cambridge/Princeton).

Reviews

"An intelligent essay... [It] should open new cooperation between scholars of late antiquity and early Christianity, and scholars of early Islam."--Choice "A tight, powerful volume that, among other things, makes some fairly revolutionary comparisons between the Islamic empire and Rome."--The Voice Literary Supplement "Fowden offers much that is new, interesting, and certainly correct in a manner that is generally appealing. The interaction of different cultures in the Ancient Near East is currently a popular area of research. Fowden has offered a valuable contribution to this field."--John Vanderspoel, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "This is a short book on a big subject: it is nothing less than an essay in large-scale historical interpretation... a courageous and stimulating book..."--R. A. Markus, Journal of Roman Studies