Ruling the World

How did an empire rule vast and diverse territories without imposing direct control everywhere? This volume explores one of the most distinctive features of Late Antique imperial governance: indirect, or vassal, rule.

Bringing together contributions from the international conference Expressions of Empires: Indirect Rule in the Sāsānian Commonwealth, the volume examines vassalage as a central instrument of Sāsānian power. From the 3rd to the 5th century CE, dependent rulers exercised far-reaching autonomy while securing borders, administering territories, and collecting taxes in the name of the imperial centre. This system combined political flexibility with economic efficiency. Its gradual replacement by direct rule in the 5th and 6th centuries overstrained imperial capacities and contributed to the empires disintegration. The volume analyses key regions such as Adiabene, Arabia, and the Caucasus, and studies military organisation, religious policy, dynastic networks, historiography, and material culture. By integrating regional case studies with broader structural perspectives, it develops a comparative approach to indirect rule and invites dialogue with the histories of Rome and other ancient empires.