Tārīkh-i Īrān

Tārīkh-i Īrān

The Position of Surena, Commander of the Battle of Harran, in the Administrative Structure of the Parthian Empire

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Dep. of History, University of Tehran
2 University of Tehran
Abstract
The Roman commander Crassus marched from Syria into northern Mesopotamia in 53 BC to crush Parthian resistance in that region and subsequently advance into the southern part of that land. However, in a decisive battle, he was defeated and later killed by the Arsacid commander Surena. Given the identical name of the Arsacid commander and the powerful landowning Suren clan of Sistan from that period, and relying on the so-called feudal nature of the Parthian Empire, many scholars have long regarded Surena as the head of the Suren clan who came to the aid of the King of Kings from his own domain. In this view, aside from overlooking significant references in certain sources, insufficient attention has been paid to the nature of the Parthian imperial administrative structure in the western part of the empire, particularly in the geographical context of the Battle of Carrhae. Therefore, the main question of this research, which is conducted using the content analysis method, is: What position did Surena hold within the administrative structure of the Parthian Empire? The findings will reveal that the Arsacids had organized the western part of their empire in a hierarchical manner at that time. After the King of Kings, the highest authority was a position known as the "Satrap of Satraps", held by a member of the royal family and based in Media. After him was the position of the bitaxš of Mesopotamia, responsible for managing military and likely administrative affairs in the territories between Media and Syria. The descriptions of Surena by historians such as Plutarch and Cassius Dio align with the position of the bitaxš of Mesopotamia, and thus he can be identified as holding this important office within the Parthian Empire at that time.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 08 September 2026