Sassanid armies, however, excel in siege conditions - either when besieging enemy cities or when defending their own, and with heavy cataphract cavalry as their backbone, the Sassanids are a formidable battlefield opponent.Īt its greatest extent, the Roman Empire stretched from Mesopotamia to the coasts of the Atlantic. However, as its expansion pushes against the eastern fringes of Roman territory, either subjugation by or war with Rome seems inevitable. Built from the ashes of the Parthian Empire by its conqueror, Ardashir I, the Sassanid Empire has revived Iranian culture in Persia after an extended period of Hellenisation.
