PERSIANS IN EGYPT (619-629). The last great clash between the
Eastern Roman empire and the Sassanid empire (602-628), begun by
Chosroes II Parvez (590-628) against Phocas (602-610) and
continued against Heraclius (610-634), at first brought
brilliant successes to the Sassanids. The culmination was the
conquest of Egypt with its Byzantine administrative districts:
Aegyptos, Augustamnike, Arkadia, and the Thebaid. Never before
had the Sassanids, as heirs of Achaemenid rule, been so close to
emulating their great ancestors in territorial expansion. But
thrust was followed by counterthrust. After intensive military
preparations, Heraclius launched a counteroffensive in 622 that
the Sassanids, weakened by years of offensive campaigns, could
not resist for long. The fall of Chosroes II and a peace treaty
dictated by the conquerors brought the war to an end. The
decisive event that had ensured the success of the Persians was
the capture of Alexandria. A Syrian chronicle assigns it to June
619 (Chronica minora, II, e