'The History of Persia, from the most early period to the present time: containing an account of the religion, government, usages and character of the inhabitants of that kingdom. By Colonel Sir John Malcolm, KCB, KLS Late minister plenipotentiary to the court of Persia from the supreme government of India. In two volumes.' [‎89] (128/730)

THE HISTORY OF PERSIA.
89
CHAPTER VI.
History of the Sassanian Dynasty, from Ardisheer Babigan, its Founder, to Yezd-e-jird,
the last Prince of that Race.
The Sassanian dynasty of kings forms a new era in the history of chap. vi.
Persia. These monarchs were engaged in constant wars with the
i p i • a. d. 226.
ruJers or the Roman empire: and the events recorded by the his- The Sassan i an
torians of that nation, enable us to correct the accounts of oriental d ^ nasty-
authors, and to discriminate with more exactness, than we could before
that period, between truth and fable. I shall continue, as hitherto,
to follow Persian writers: but an occasional reference to better
authorities will explain obscure passages, and fix the dates of the
different reigns, as well as those of the most important occurrences.
Ardisheer Babigan^, the son of Babek, was, we are told, a Ardisheer
descendant from Sassanf, the son of Bahman, and grandson 0 f Babi s an -
Isfundear. His father was an inferior officer in the public His descent,
service. The Governor of Darabjird, whose name was Peri, learnt
that Babek had a son, who, though quite a youth, was already
* Artaxerxes the First of the Greeks.
f According to the Zeenut-ul-Tuarikh, the mother was the daughter of Babek,
whose father, Sassan, was the son of Sassan, a son of Bahman, the son of Isfundear.
Other authors assign him a less noble origin. That of the Zeenut-ul-Tuarikh cannot
be correct, as the period from the death of Isfundear till his reign is six centuries.
vol. i. n