Sasanians at the court of the Liang dynasty (502 - 557 AD)

Abstract

In the first half of the sixth century AD, northern China was riven by internal conflict, and in the south, there was a period of peace. The Liang dynasty ruled large parts of southern China from 502 to 557, and their capital hosted foreign monks and merchants. In this period, the historical sources from the Liang period provide us important information about the relations between China and Iran in the Sassanid period. In addition to Liangshu, which reports that the Persian king sent an ambassador to Liang's court in 530, 533, and 535 A.D., Liang Zhigongtu contains a portrait and an inscription of Sasanian Persia and its ambassador which is very interesting. In these sources, for the first time, information about the name of the founder of the Sassanid dynasty and a prince named Qituo is mentioned, which is unique in its kind. Researchers have not yet paid attention to this information or have not been careful in finding their equivalents. Thus, the present article tries to examine this information. Furthermore, while Khosrow Anushirvan was practically the ruler of the country during the last years of the Sassanid Ghobad rule, the inscription of Zhigongtu mentions Qituo who sent an ambassador to Liang's court. Comparing the above inscription with Pahlavi and Islamic texts implies that this prince is Khosrow I.

Keywords

• sasanians
• china
• liang
• liangshu
• zhigongtu