THE QUESTION OF CONTINUITYYazdandadh (Theodore), means "God (Ohrmazd) gave" or "the Ya-
zatas gave" and was used by Magians.
Because the forms of place names occurring in Arabic literature
generally reflect the actual pronunciation during the seventh century,
these forms will be used throughout the text without the Arabic definite
article (al-) or diacritical marks, except for the consonants 'ayn (')
and hamza C). The reader may wish to refer to the map in part I,
chapter 3, "Administrative Geography." The Arabic name, Mada'in
(literally "the cities"), will be used for the Sasanian imperial capital
instead of the name Ctesiphon because it is more descriptive of the
metropolis. By the late Sasanian period, Ctesiphon was only one of
several adjacent cities on both sides of the Tigris river. In discussing
coins, the dates that are actually used on them will be given in the
solar era of Yazdagerd Ill, which began in 632 and in the lunar era
of the Hijra (A.H.), which began in 622.
This work is intended to be only a preliminary statement. It is not
intended or expected to be definitive or to exhaust the subject. Its
purpose is more to provoke discussion than to end it. Important aspects
of economic, intellectual, and literary history will be mentioned only
in passing or not at all. Intellectual history will be discussed only in
terms of political theory and religious doctrine. There will be no treat-
ment of science, technology, or art. This study of early Islamic Iraq is
essentially an attempt at a descriptive analysis of some of the more
significant aspects of continuity and change-a forest and trees ap-
proach-by establishing patterns and precedents prevalent during the
century before the conquest. Against these patterns, then, the nature
and extent of continuity or of the changes brought about by the con-
quest can be measured. Let us begin by considering administration.