text: Historians studying ancient Persian records date the arrival to sometime prior to 500 BC , attributing it to either Persian transplantation of saffron corms to stock new gardens and parks or to a Persian invasion and colonization of Kashmir .
simplified: Historians studying ancient Persian records date the arrival to sometime before 500 BC , saying it was either Persian transplantation of saffron corms to stock new gardens and parks or a Persian invasion and colonization of Kashmir .