Sassanids for Kids - hey, that rhymes!

The Sassanids

Parthian Head
Head of a Parthian (from the Louvre)
In 211 AD, a group of Persians called the Sassanids (the descendants of Sassan) took over control of the Parthian Empire from the Parthians. The Sassanids were proud of their Persian heritage, and they wanted to reestablish the borders of the old Persian empire. This meant reconquering all the land to the edge of the Mediterranean Sea from the Romans (Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey), and also reconquering Egypt from the Romans.
Like their Persian ancestors, these Sassanid Persians were Zoroastrians, and they also wanted to spread the Zoroastrian faith.

Arshashir

Shapur I, son of Ardashir

The leader of the Sassanids, by 227 AD the king of the Parthian Empire, was named Ardashir (the Greeks and Romans called him Artaxerxes). He organized a very strong and unified government. Then he took the army and invaded Roman territory in West Asia. Neither side won a clear victory, and this set the pattern for the next four hundred years: a lot of fighting but no real change in the borders.

To find out more about the Sassanids, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:

Ancient Persia, by Don Nardo (2003). For kids, good for reports.

Parthian Art, by Malcolm Colledge (1977). Not very easy to get anymore, but it's the classic book for the Parthians - it has a lot more than just the art.

Ancient Persia, by Josef Wiesehofer (2001). Includes the Parthians and the Sassanians.

Sasanian Society: Warriors, Scribes, Dehqans, by A. Tafazzoli (2000). An Iranian perspective.

The Cambridge History of Iran: Volume 3, The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanid Periods, Part 2: Seleucid Parthian, edited by E. Yarshater (reprinted 1983). Expensive but complete.

Islamic empire
Main West Asia history page
Kidipede - History for Kids home





Tell a friend about this page

Save to del.icio.us/digg

Did Kidipede answer your question?

Yes, thanks! / No, can you help me?



!!NEW!!
Science for Kids



Teachers - check out our social studies lesson plans for middle school ancient history! Kidipede covers Egyptian Art, the Middle Ages, Ancient Rome, Native Americans and much more. Instant museum in your classroom.



Parents and grandparents – find the perfect gift for your middle school kid in Kidipede’s store! Kidipede has history books and other educational gifts for kids, from Halloween costumes to CD’s and DVD’s to art supplies. Now that’s good parenting! Pay securely through Amazon.


Teens – Kidipede has the best homework help around. Find out about ancient Greek music, medieval clothing fashions, and Native American technology trends. What was trendy clothing in ancient China? Who were the most popular girls in ancient Rome? How did teens decorate their rooms in ancient India?



Experience true business class web hosting only at Dewahost!
Dewahost offers premium web hosting service at a great price. Kidipede is proudly hosted by Dewahost!