• Mesopotamia AD 500

Along with other regions in the Middle East, Mesopotamia passed from the Parthian empire to the Sassanid empire in AD 222. This Persian dynasty has created a centralized empire, and the small kingdoms which the Parthians tolerated have now come firmly under Sassanid control.

As in the Roman empire to its west, new religions have spread in the region. Whilst the Persian ruling class is loyal to Zoroastrianism, Christianity is widespread amongst the population at large, and many of the cities house flourishing Jewish colonies. A new religion also makes its appearance in Sassanid Mesopotamia, that of Manichaeism. Economically, Sassanid rule sees the ancient Mesopotamian irrigation systems reach new heights of productivity, and the prosperity of the region probably attains its highest levels prior to the twentieth century.