Modern Scholars View The name "Sasanians" is derived from a
Persian priest named
Sasan, the ancestor of the dynasty. One of his sons was
Pâpak, who revolted against the lawful ruler of Iran,
Artabanus IV, at the beginning of the third century. The Sasanians were based in
Firuzabad and
Istakhr, not far from ancient
Persepolis. Both cities are in
Persis, modern
Fars.
Dara II, the last
Kayanian king to rule before Alexander, is partly based on the last
Achaemenid King of Kings,
Darius III (r. 336–330 BC), whose empire was conquered by
Alexander's forces. A son of Dara II named Sasan (called "the elder") fled to
India and lived there in exile until his death. He was survived by a son who was likewise named Sasan (called "the younger"), "which continued in the family for four generations". A descendant of the family, likewise named
Sasan, worked for
Pabag, who was a local ruler in Pars. Pabag's daughter married Sasan and bore him a son named Ardashir. Following this, Sasan is no longer mentioned. The
Shahnameh thus indicates that the ancestors of Sasan resided in India following
Alexander's conquests. This report has been used by scholars to point out Sasan's
Indo-Parthian connection. The historian Marek Jan Olbrycht has suggested that the family was descended from the
Indo-Parthians of
Sakastan. Due to resemblance of the coinage of
Farn-Sasan the last Indo-Parthian monarch and the Sasanian Ardashir I, including the shared name Sasan—a name popular in the Indo-Parthian realm—suggests that the Sasanians and Indo-Parthians possibly shared a common ancestry.
Iranologist Khodadad Rezakhani also noted similarities between the early Sasanians and the Indo-Parthians, such as their coinage. Yet, he stated that "evidence might still be too inconclusive."
Sasanian claims The Sasanian monarchs claimed descent from the
Kayanids, a legendary Persian dynasty mentioned in the
Avesta, the sacred texts of
Zoroastrianism, which is commonly thought to be based upon the late
Achaemenid dynasty. As such,
Dara II, the Kayanid king Sasan supposedly traced his lineage to, was most likely based upon
Darius III, whose empire was conquered by
Alexander the Great just like Dara's. Another differing account exists in
Kar-Namag i Ardashir i Pabagan, in which Ardashir is presented as the son of Sasan, a descendant of Darius III, and a daughter of
Pabag, a feudal ruler in
Persis, whose name is not mentioned. However, these conflicting accounts led some historians, like
Touraj Daryaee, to believe that Ardashir simply claimed descent from anyone who was most convenient for him. Relating Ardashir to the legendary Kayanians with the nickname Kay, besides connecting himself to Sasan, a guardian deity, and also to Dara, which is possibly a combination of
Darius I and
Darius III the
Achaemenid, hints at a possible attempt to claim lineage from the Achaemenids. The Sasanians claimed such lineage for prestige and legitimacy of their rule.
Sasan deity The name "Sasan" was thought to be composed of the
epigraphic form "Ssn" on wares and other documents, implying that Sasan was based on a
Zoroastrian deity, though he is not mentioned in the Avesta or any other Iranian texts. The historian Martin Schwartz has recently shown that the deity shown on the pottery wares is not related to Sasan, but shows Ssn, an old
Semitic goddess that was worshiped in
Ugarit in the second millennium BC. The word "Sasa" is written on coins found in
Taxila; it is probably related to "Sasan", since the symbols on the coins are similar to the coins of
Shapur I, son of Ardashir. With all this in mind, it can be assumed that Ardashir claimed his lineage to be divine and the Sasanians may have raised Sasan's rank to that of a god's. ==See also==