ADMINISTRATIONthian period, when it included the territory called Aturia around Nin-
eveh on both sides of the Tigris.^31 Since Adiabene proper lay east of
the Tigris between the Greater and Lesser Zab rivers, it is not always
possible to tell whether the references to Adiabene in administrative
contexts should be understood in a restricted or expanded sense. The
administrative division of Sasanian Mesopotamia into Asoristan, Adi-
abene, and Arbayestan in the third and fourth centuries, however,
would suggest that Adiabene included that part of the region not
contained in the other two. The Sasanians called this province Nodh-
Ardashirakan and, according to Arabic literature, it was equivalent to
that of Mawsil. Although Not-Ardashirakan and Garmekan are listed
as separate provinces in the Armenian Geography,32 the existence of
a combined administrative jursdiction in the late Sasanian period is
indicated by a seal inscription of the finance official of Beth Garme
and Nodh-Ardashirakan (M.P. Garmekan u Nodh-ardashtrakan
amiirkar).33 This formulation suggests that these two provinces had
indeed been combined into a single larger jurisdiction nearly coexten-
sive with Ard Mawsil and at the same time tells us that there was no
·single term for it.
At the end of the Sasanian period the main administrative center of
Nodh-Ardashirakan appears to have been located at the village of
Heza, twelve kilometers southwest of Irbil. Although the main prison,
fire temple, and probably the moJ;pat (M.P.) were at Irbil, the leaders
of the Magians and the radh were at Heza in the early seventh century.
The radh had a judge (Syr. dayyanii) and soldiers commanded by an
ai'nbadh (M.P.) under his authority. This arrangment seems to be that
of a satellite military and administrative center located outside of the
main town for greater efficiency, discipline, and control. It is possible
that the marzbiin who was captured and killed by the Muslims during
the conquest of this part of Iraq was the local governor.^34 As usual,
the territory was named after its administrative center, and the infor-
mation that "Nudh-Ardashir which is Hazza" was in MawsiPs is best
31 Dillemann, Haute Mesopotamie orientale, pp. 103, 112.
32 Hewsen, "Armenian Historical Geography," p. 296.
33 Bivar, Western Asiatic Seals, pp. 18,117; Milik, "Natounia," p. 57. Bivar dates
it to the fourth century but Milik regards it as later. This combination seems to have
existed by 446 when Siiren is called the vice-dastvar (M.P. dastvar hamdiidh) of He-
dhayabh and Beth Garme (Braun, Persischer Miirtyrer, p. 180).
34 A. Mingana, Sources syriaques, I, 230.
35 Tabarl, Ta'rzkh, I, 820.