History of Warfare Summary 19 - Roman-Persian Wars 10 The Fall of the Sasanian Empire and the End of the War

The rivalry between Rome and Persia came to an end in the mid-7th century with the fall of the Sasanian Empire. The Persian Empire vanished from history with the death of the last Sasanian monarch, Yazdegerd III, in 651. The Eastern Roman Empire was also reorganized into a state centered in Anatolia, having lost significant portions of Syria, Egypt, and North Africa. The two empires clashed repeatedly for centuries over Mesopotamia, Armenia, Syria, and the Caucasus. Neither side could completely conquer the other, and war and truce alternated continuously. The war of 602-628, in particular, severely depleted the manpower and finances that both nations could mobilize, and shortly thereafter, the Arab conquests began, leading to the collapse of the existing international order. The Roman-Persian Wars were more than just border conflicts; they were a historical process of long-term competition between Roman and Iranian civilizations. During this process, military systems, diplomacy, fortress construction, and trade routes developed, leaving a profound impact on the politics and culture of the Middle East thereafter.