A Note on Šahrwarāz in Egypt
Šahrwarāz was the general involved in the conquest of the Roman Empire in the early seventh century CE and became a main actor in the “Last Great War of Antiquity.” Šāhrwarāz, along with the other Sasanian general, Šāhēn were instructed by king of kings, Khosrow II to conquer the eastern territory of the Roman Empire. Indeed, these generals were able to do what was planned by the court and the king and by 619 CE, Šahrwarāz had reached Egypt and the Persians would be in control there till 628 CE. While we have Pahlavi, Greek Coptic papyri from the period of Sasanian presence in Egypt, and we know that in 630 CE Šahrwarāz ruled as the king of kings, we do not have any coins or images of this all-important person. In many ways the Sasanian Empire was brought down by the coup and the probable complicity of Šahrwarāz and not the invasion of the Emperor Heraclius. Understanding the developments in Sasanian Iranshahr between 626 and 630 CE is a key factor in the history of the period. I would point to W. Kaegi (2003) and James Howard-Johnston (2006) whose attention to Heraclius and the great war of the world in the seventh century have given us the basic outline of what took place. The historiography of Šahrwarāz now been masterfully presented by Hameen-Anttila (2022), where we can trace the historiography of Šahrwarāz as presented in the Roman and Iranian based sources. Still, no pictorial images of Šahrwarāz is available and a biography of his is needed to be written.
Šahrwarāz’s name appears in various forms, such as in Persian as Šahrbarāz and his title Gurāz “boar” in the Šāhnāmeh. This is however one of the titles of the man whose real name is Farroxān, who is the Šāhnāmeh is mentioned as Ferāyīn, and in the Armenian and Georgian sources as Xrean and with similar forms. Tabari states that Farroxān had the rank of Šāhrwarāz (Tabari 1999, p. 319), meaning “Boar of the Empire,” But it is interesting that he may have had other titles, for example Razmyōzān (Tabari 1999, 318), meaning the “War Panther,” variously appearing as Rozmyōzān, Ruzmiozan, Rozmi-Ozan, Razmiołan, Ruzi Bahan (Noldeke 1879, p. 292, ft. 2 : Justi 1895, p. 277 : Hübschman 1893, p. 622-624 : Dowsett, 1961, p. 77, ft. 2).
It is also interesting that the highest ranking Sasanian personage in the Pahlavi papyri from Egypt (619-628 CE), who carries the title of Kārframān ī dar, a “Chief of the Court,” has the title or named Σαρϱαλανεοζᾶν / Saralaneozan, which renders Šahr-Ālānyōzān (Sanger 2011, p. 654), and this person has certainly been identified as Šahrwarāz by J. Banaji (2019). But what is to be meant by Šahr-Ālānyōzān? Of course the simple answer is the “Alanian Panther of the Empire.” This affiliation remind me of the Georgian The Knight in the Panther’s Skin of Shota Rustaveli and his heroic deeds who took place in lands of Arabia and India. We should be reminded that there are other generals with similar feline titles in the Sasanians period, for example Sar-palang “Leopard Head,” which again reminds of the Georgian Vakhtang Gorgasali.
There are new finds which suggest the strong Persian presence in Egypt, most notably a Sasanian plate (Azarnouche, Fragaki, Grenet 2020). The Getty Villa had an amazing exhibition and a catalogue on Ancient Iran, edited by J. Spier, T. Potts, and S.E. Cole. One of the pieces that caught my eye there was a bone plaque found in Sohag, in Upper Egypt (2022, 315). The piece is certainly Sasanian in style and the catalogue suggests that it is an “enthroned king.” Leaving aside that the plaque may be post-Sasanian, I noticed that while the figure is seated like a ruler, he is not wearing a crown! So, the figure is seating on a throne, but with no crown; it is from Egypt and most likely from the Sasanian period. Who could this person be? To my mind a strong possibility would be Šahrwarāz.
From the Persian: Ancient Iran and the Classical World, Getty Villa Catalogue, eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, S.E. Cole, 2022.
Shall write the article soon.
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