Objective The Sasanian Empire (3rd-7th c. AD) stretched from Mesopotamia to the west of the Indian Subcontinent. A pilot study has shown that major frontier walls and geometrical fortifications, whose scale and sophistication surpasses those in contemporary Europe, date to the Sasanian era, as do grand urban foundations and canal systems. Yet, excavations and surveys of Sasanian monuments have been far and few between and have mostly employed conventional approaches. Publications amount to a fraction of those on Roman studies.Our interdisciplinary project will provide unique insights into one of the great powers of the age, but the one that is most poorly understood. It will achieve this by bringing together a broad range of complementary methods. Satellite images will be analysed to examine the Empire’s frontier zones. Key sites will be selected for geophysical survey, targeted excavation, scientific dating and systematic analysis of artefacts, faunal and botanical remains. Combining large-scale survey with small-scale case studies promises to provide unrivalled insights into military infrastructure, urbanisation and rural settlement – intertwined phenomena, as agricultural surplus production enabled large-scale construction projects. Our in-depth study of Sasanian frontier territories promises to fill a major gap in our understanding of Late Antiquity and shed light on the reasons behind the longevity, economic and military dominance and dynamism of one of the largest empires of the ancient world, far beyond what has been achieved so far.The Empire’s capabilities challenge our traditional Eurocentric approach. While it is acknowledged that the later Caliphate’s military power and urban culture were unrivalled in Western Europe at the time, our project promises to show that some of these advances have their roots in the pre-Islamic era. Our project will open up new fields of research, and will have a major impact on archaeological studies and ancient and medieval history. Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryancient historyhumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorymedieval historyengineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technologyhumanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeology Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-AG-SH6 - ERC Advanced Grant - The study of the human past Call for proposal ERC-2011-ADG_20110406 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Host institution THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH EU contribution € 1 378 844,11 Address OLD COLLEGE, SOUTH BRIDGE EH8 9YL Edinburgh United Kingdom See on map Region Scotland Eastern Scotland Edinburgh Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Alan Kennedy (Mr.) Principal investigator Eberhard Wolfram Sauer (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH United Kingdom EU contribution € 1 378 844,11 Address OLD COLLEGE, SOUTH BRIDGE EH8 9YL Edinburgh See on map Region Scotland Eastern Scotland Edinburgh Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Alan Kennedy (Mr.) Principal investigator Eberhard Wolfram Sauer (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS United Kingdom EU contribution € 25 323,60 Address NORTH STREET 66 COLLEGE GATE KY16 9AJ St Andrews See on map Region Scotland Eastern Scotland Clackmannanshire and Fife Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Trish Starrs (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS France EU contribution € 44 367,22 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Brice Kerber (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM United Kingdom EU contribution € 858 456,07 Address STOCKTON ROAD THE PALATINE CENTRE DH1 3LE Durham See on map Region North East (England) Tees Valley and Durham Durham CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Wendy Harle (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD United Kingdom EU contribution € 58 812,00 Address RICHMOND ROAD BD7 1DP Bradford See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire Bradford Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Sheila Fry (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLE France EU contribution € 122 200,00 Address BOULEVARD CHARLES LIVON 58 LE PHARO 13284 Marseille See on map Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Bouches-du-Rhône Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Magali Niox (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Total cost No data
