THE NATURE OF CONTINUITYration by Muslims of details of administrative, military, and social
practices from the Sasanian period, and even of the forms of organ-
ization and institutions connected with them. But even though the
cultural overlapping that made this possible was important, it does
not answer the question of whether or not Muslim Arabs preserved
the attitudes and values that were associated with them. This is best
explained in terms of reinforcement. Continuity through the trans-
mission of local Iraqi culture to the Muslim conquerors was most
effective where local customs could be matched with or compared to
the customs and outlook brought by the Muslims.
The importance of reinforcement for transmission is demonstrated
in several ways. Sasanian principles of statecraft could be applied to
Islamic forms of government by Muslim governors in Iraq because the
Sasanian concept of monarchy involved a combination of economic,
legal-religious, and military responsibilities, similar to the Muslim amzr
who led the Islamic community in Iraq in all of its activities. This was
especially true of Muslim viceroys who had total power, such as Ziyad
and al-I:Iajjaj. As a result, Sasanian royal traditions of justice, court
procedur.e, control, and enforcement survived among Muslims. Sa-
sanian royal customs such as the semiannual change of residence, the
use of bodyguards and runners, isolation from contact with the public
except at formal audiences, and the employment of a chamberlain (Ar.
lJiijib) on such occasions were all revived by early Islamic governors.
The understanding of the principles of Sasanian statecraft indicated
by these practices was responsible for the changes in the Arab-Sasanian
coinage which added the names of caliphs and governors, the use of
Hijri dates, and more Islamic inscriptions. This culminated in the
reform at the end of the seventh century which produced a new Arab-
Islamic coinage. This reform coincided with the revival of the Sasanian
appellate court for the redress of grievances (Ar. ma~iilim) and with
the first real intervention by the Islamic government in the affairs of
the Nestorian Church. The latter included the deposition and arbitrary
elevation of a catholicos-exactly as the late Sasanian monarchs had
done. The real extent of administrative continuity was indicated by
the way in which institutions and practices were accompanied by the
theories which justified them and by the problems contained in their. use. The result was that the conflict between security and accessibility,
the use of internal administrative checks, and the importance of re-
liability all survived in Islamic administration.
A similar kind of reinforcement was at work in the replacement of