دانلود کتاب World Order in Late Antiquity 2024

“World Order in Late Antiquity: The ‘Two Eyes’ Rivalry of Byzantium and Sasanian Persia” by Kevin Blachford examines the geopolitical competition between the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and the Sasanian Persian Empire from 224 to 628 AD. Over these four centuries, both empires engaged in numerous conflicts, leading to the establishment of a dual hierarchy that sought to divide the known world between them. Despite their competing claims to universal rule, mutual spheres of interest emerged as both empires developed rules, norms, and diplomatic practices to regulate their rivalry.

Blachford introduces the concept of a suzerain order, wherein both empires aimed to hierarchically organize neighboring ‘barbarian’ tribes. This order, referred to by contemporaries as the ‘Two Eyes’ of the Earth, was challenged by nomadic tribes that resisted the hierarchical ambitions of these rival empires. Through an English School approach to International Relations, the book offers a nuanced understanding of how these empires navigated their complex interactions and how their competition influenced the broader world order during late antiquity¹.