It would be a mistake to think that the cultural and historical achievements of the Sasanian Empire had purely “internal” significance and were not adopted by other peoples and states. Earlier, we cited examples of how the Sasanian state influenced contemporary and later states across Eurasia — but those examples are far fr om exhaustive.
Indeed, Sasanian Iran exerted a profound influence on its neighbours — and, perhaps surprisingly (given the traditional European view that the West civilises the East, not vice versa), on the Western Roman‑Byzantine world. For instance, the medieval knightly cavalry — widely perceived in popular culture as an essential attribute of the Middle Ages — traces its roots to the Sasanian military system, wh ere the backbone of the armed forces consisted of cataphracts: heavily armoured horsemen whose primary weapon was a powerful long lance. An example of such a mounted warrior is the sculptural depiction of Khosrow II Parvez at Taq‑e Bostan.
Sasanian Iran profoundly influenced the political culture of Late Rome and Early Byzantium. The Late Roman Empire, which emerged from the reforms of emperors Diocletian (284–305 CE) and Constantine the Great (306–337 CE), featured despotic imperial authority — traditions that these rulers borrowed directly from the Sasanian state.
In essence, the entire Roman‑Byzantine court ceremonial — centred on revering the emperor as a sacred figure whose authority over people mirrored God’s authority over the world — was a replica of the Sasanian court ritual. This is particularly relevant for Russia, heir to Roman‑Byzantine civilisation, as it helps deepen understanding of the origins of Russia’s traditional autocratic form of rule (which, as we see, stems not from Mongol‑Tatar influence, as N.M. Karamzin and many historians after him erroneously believed).
Last but not least, we must mention the religious doctrine of the prophet Mani (216–274 CE), known as Manichaeism, which emerged in Sasanian Iran in the 3rd century. It was eclectic in nature, blending elements of:
- Zoroastrianism;
- Christianity (likely in heretical, Gnostic form);
- Buddhism;
- and possibly Jainism.
In Iran itself, Mani’s preaching was short‑lived. According to a medieval Persian‑Arab chronicle, Bahram I (272–276 CE) “ordered him killed, had his skin flayed, stuffed with straw, and hung over one of the gates of Gundeshapur — which for this reason came to be called the ‘Gate of Mani’. He also exterminated Mani’s disciples and those who had joined his faith.”
However, the Manichaean religious doctrine was preserved by Mani’s adherents and later became one of the most widespread heretical teachings in Christian Rome. The struggle against it continued for several centuries with varying success. Later, Manichaeism spread far to the east, and in the Middle Ages, Manichaean communities emerged throughout the East — from Iran to Central Asia, Mongolia, and China.
Notably, several Old Russian mythological figures also have Iranian (more precisely, Zoroastrian) origins dating back to the Sasanian era. For example, the East Slavic pagan deity Simargl is none other than the transformed Iranian mythical creature Simurgh, known from numerous monuments of Sasanian literature. The cult of the god Hors and some other figures of the Old Russian pagan pantheon also have Iranian roots.
