ABSTRACT
Key events of the 260s and 270s form the basis of this chapter, beginning with the withdrawal of Shapur’s armies from the Roman eastern provinces and ending with the invasion of Persia by the emperor Carus in 283. Shapur’s celebrations of the enormous victories over the Romans in the form of the SKZ inscription and a number of rock relief carvings are analysed to demonstrate the rhetorical emphases made by the Persians in relation to their victories over the Romans. The emergence of Odenathus of Palmyra and his ongoing loyalty to the Romans forms a further part of the analysis in this chapter and the rebellion of Palmyra ca. 268 is examined as a factor in the relationship between Rome and Persia in the 260s and 270s. In the second part of this chapter, the impact of Shapur I’s death and ensuing instability in Persia is analysed as an important factor in the emergence of a degree of equilibrium between the two powers. The emergence of a Roman imperial objective of undertaking a Persian invasion under Aurelian and his successors also receives attention, culminating in an examination of the Persian invasion of Carus.
