House of Suren
| House of Suren | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sakastan |
| Current head | None, extinct |
| Members | Surena, Gregory the Illuminator, Chihor-Vishnasp, Mehr Narseh, Mahbod |
| Estate | Sakastan |
| Cadet branches | Gondopharids |
House of Suren or Surenas[1][2] (Parthian: đđ đđđ SurÄn, Middle Persian: đźđ„đ«đ©đ) is one of two[c] Parthian noble families explicitly mentioned by name in sources dateable to the Arsacid period. They held considerable influence within the Parthian Empire and were the rulers of Sistan.[3][4]
History
[edit | edit source]The head of Suren family had the privilege to crown the first Parthian king in the 3rd century BC, which founded a tradition that was continued by his descendants.[5][3][a] Following the 3rd century AD defeat of the Arsacids and the subsequent rise of the Sassanids, the Surenas then switched sides and began to serve the Sassanids,[6][7] at whose court they were identified as one of the so-called "Parthian clans." The last attested scion of the family was a military commander active in northern China during the 9th century.[8]
It is probable[6] that the Surenas were landowners in Sakastan, that is, in the region between Arachosia and Drangiana in present-day southeast Iran and Southern Afghanistan. The Surenas appear to have governed Sistan (which derives its name from 'Sakastan' and was once a much larger region than the present day province) as their personal fiefdom.[6]
Notable members of the family include the 1st century BC cavalry commander Surena, Gregory the Illuminator,[9][10][11] and Chihor-Vishnasp, a 6th-century AD governor of Armenia who attempted to establish Zoroastrianism in that country.[12]
Mehr Narseh, the minister of four Sasanian kings, was from the House of Suren,[13] as was Mahbod, who was ambassador during the reigns of Khosrow I (r. 531â579) and Hormizd IV (r. 579â590).[14]
Gondopharids
[edit | edit source]The ruling dynasty of the Indo-Parthian kingdom may have belonged to the house of Suren.[15] "Ernst Herzfeld maintained that the dynasty of [the Indo-Parthian emperor] Gondophares represented the House of Suren."[16]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Bivar 1983, p. 41.
- ^ Herzfeld 1929, p. 70.
- ^ a b Lukonin 1983, p. 704.
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- ^ a b c Lendering 2006.
- ^ Frye 1983, p. 130.
- ^ Perikanian 1983, p. 683.
- ^ Terian, Patriotism And Piety In Armenian Christianity: The Early Panegyrics On Saint Gregory, p. 106
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ Frye 1983, p. 159.
- ^ Pourshariati 2008, p. 60
- ^ Martindale 1992, p. 868.
- ^ Gazerani 2015, p. 26.
- ^ Bivar 2003 cf. Bivar 1983, p. 51.
Bibliography
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