PERSIANSgenerals Jaliniis (Galienus?)32 and Jaban,33 both of whom were called
"kings." Rustam, the Sasanian general at Qadisiyya, also seems to
have belonged to this aristocratic elite because he possessed a qalan-
suwwa worth one hundred thousand dirhams.^34 The participation of
these representatives of the high nobility in the defense of Iraq seems
to have been at least in part motivated by the fact that a number of
"kings" had estates (Ar. q,iya) at Taff.^35
Next in rank was the class of shahrtjan (M.P., Ar. shaharija),36 so
named because the official (radh, shahrtj) in charge of a province
(shahr, kiira) was chosen from among them.^3? Ispahbadhs and marz-
bans, by virtue of being governors of provinces, also seem to have
belonged to this level of the aristocracy, because Mas'iidi puts them
in the second rank of courtiers right after the high nobility.38 The best
representative of this class in lower Iraq at the end of the Sasanian
period is Azadhbih, son of Baniyan, son of Mihrbundadh of Hamadan,
who was marzban of Hira from 613 to 630 or 634.^39 From what little
is known about him, he gives the impression of a person on his way
up in the Persian hierarchy. He is said to have achieved a position of
"half nobility" and the right to wear a qalansuwwa worth fifty thou-
sand dirhams, and had a close personal interest in the fate of the
agricultural districts east of the Euphrates around Amghishiya.^40 He
had also been able to secure the marriage of his daughter to one of
his neighbors (and social superiors), the lord (Ar. ~a/:Jib) of Sinnin,
who was a member of the high nobility (one of the "kings").41
At the bottom of this aristocratic hierarchy were the small landed
proprietors (A. tunna', Syr. mare qarye';. Administrators for the rural
sub districts in Sasanian Iraq were drawn from this class, and since
each subdistrict was grouped around a village (M.P., N.P. deh), the
official in charge was called a debtj or dehtk, and the entire class was
called dekanan (Ar. dahaqtn). They are said to have been further
divided into five grades,. each distinguished by its clothing.^42 Although
31 Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 2341.
33 Baiadhuri, Futu~, p. 242; Tabari, Ta'rlkh, 1,2032; Ya'qiibi, Ta'rlkh, II, 147.
34 Tabarl, Ta'rlkh, I, 2340.
35 Ibid., I, 2247.
36 Mas'iidi, Muruj, I, 327.
37 Ya'qiibi, Ta'rlkh, I, 203.
38 Mas'iidi, Muruj, I, 286.
39 Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 1038-39,2037.
40 Ibid., I, 2037.
41 Ibid., 1,2233; Ya'qiibi, Ta'rtkh, H, 163.
42 Mas'iidi, Muriij, I, 327.