Nero (Roman emperor), 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Nessana (Negev settlement)
Nestorius and Nestorians, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1
New Testament, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1; “gospels”, 1.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5; Athanasius prescribes list of books, 3.6, 5.1
Nicaean Council (325), 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1
Nisibis (Persian city), 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
Noah and the Flood
nomads, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1; Arab, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.2; Avars, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5; largely unaffected by plague, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9; see also Hephthalites
Ohrmazd (Persian god), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 6.1, 7.1; lighter of the great fires, 2.8; struggle with Ahriman, 2.9, 2.10; revelations to Zoroaster, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13; Mihr and, 2.14, 2.15
Ostrogoths, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 6.1
paganism: in Mecca, 1.1, 1.2, 6.1; Islam defeats in Arabia, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5; invisibility of in Christian histories, 1.6*; in Mesopotamia, 2.1; cult of Sin, 2.2, 6.2, 7.1; in Roman Empire, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6; Greek mythology, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 4.1, 6.3; in Persian Empire, 3.11; Christian disdain for, 3.12, 3.13; Julian reasserts, 3.14, 4.2; Constantinople outlaws, 3.15, 3.16; turning of blind eye to in Constantinople, 3.17; Justinian’s campaign against, 3.18, 5.1, 6.4; pillar climbers, 4.3; survival of in Holy Land, 4.4, 4.5; tent dwelling Arabs and, 4.6; effect on Arabs of suppression of, 4.7; Arab desert spirits/demons, 4.8, 5.2, 5.3, 6.5, 6.6; Alexandria and, 5.4, 5.5; overlaps with Christian belief, 5.6; scattered outposts remaining, 6.7; expurgation of in Constantinople under Maurice, 6.8; manuscripts in libraries, 6.9; in Damascus, 7.2; in Harran, 7.3
Palestine see Holy Land
Palladium, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 7.1
Pallas Athena, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Palmyra (oasis city), 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1
Parthians, 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1; Mihran dynasty, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 5.3, 5.4; Karin dynasty, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 7.1, 7.2; Sasanian-Parthian civil war (630), 5.5
Saint Paul, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 7.1; rejection of the Torah, 3.5, 3.6; letters of, 3.7, 3.8; travel westward, 3.9; in Ephesus, 3.10, 3.11; execution of in Rome, 3.12
Paul (patriarch of Alexandria)
Pelusium (Egyptian port)
Pergamum (city)
Peroz (King of Persia), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 4.1, 7.1; re-writing of Iranian history by, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12*; Roman subsidies/tribute and, 2.13; crumbling of Jewish compact and, 2.14; persecution of Jews, 2.15, 2.16
Persepolis, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3†, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 6.1
Persian Empire: extent of dominion, 1.1, 2.1; collapse of, 1.2, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1; comparisons with Caliphate, 1.3; Arab conquest of former provinces, 1.4; facial hair in, 2.2; Hephthalite threat to, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7; campaigns against Hephthalites, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 7.2; military and royal insignia, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15; farr (mark of kingly divinity), 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22; supernatural mystique of royalty, 2.23, 2.24, 2.25; rule of King Peroz, 2.26, 2.27, 2.28, 2.29, 2.30, 2.31, 2.32; Parthians and, 2.33, 2.34, 2.35, 2.36, 2.37, 2.38, 5.1, 5.2, 6.4; fifth-century re-writing of Iranian history, 2.39, 2.40, 2.41, 2.42, 2.43*; sacred fire temples, 2.44, 2.45, 2.46, 5.3, 6.5, 6.6, 7.3, 7.4; rule of King Kavad, 2.47, 2.48, 2.49, 2.50; social upheaval after civil war, 2.51; millennium prophet awaited, 2.52; “Adherents of Justice”, 2.53; forced abdication/imprisonment of Kavad (496), 2.54; Kavad returns as king, 2.55; monuments to golden age, 2.56; “Place of a Hundred Pillars” (Persepolis), 2.57; conflict with Roman Empire, 2.58, 2.59, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.7, 6.8; subsidies/tribute from Rome, 2.60, 2.61, 3.4; Mesopotamia as “jewel in crown”, 2.62, 2.63; Ctesiphon as cockpit of, 2.64; de-militarisation of Roman frontier, 2.65; slavery in, 2.66, 7.5; Khusrow forms standing army, 2.67; urination in public and, 2.68; re-militarised Roman frontier and, 3.5, 3.6; embassies to Constantinople, 3.7, 3.8; paganism in, 3.9; Arab mercenaries and, 4.1; Justinian-Khusrow peace treaty (532), 4.2, 5.6, 5.7; plague epidemic (from 545), 5.8, 5.9; alliance with the Turks, 5.10; final defeat of Hephthalites (557), 5.11; Hormizd deposed and murdered, 5.12; Khusrow II’s invasion of Roman Empire (603-15), 5.13, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13; fall of Jerusalem to Shahrbaraz (614), 5.14; Heraclius’ counteroffensive against (624-9), 5.15; Sasanian-Parthian civil war (630), 5.16; rejection of Manichaeism, 6.14; direct rule over Himyar, 6.15; Saracen victory at Qadisiyya, 6.16, 6.17; Saracen capture of Ctesiphon, 6.18; Saracen invasion of, 6.19; see also Sasan, House of (Persian dynasty); Zoroastrians
Peter, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Petra (city)
Philip (Roman emperor), 3.1, 4.1
Phocas (Roman emperor), 5.1, 5.2
plague epidemics, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 6.1; nomads largely unaffected by, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11; returns to Galilee (600), 5.12; in Iraq, 7.1
Posidonius (Greek polymath), 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
poverty, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.1, 5.1, 5.2, 7.1
Puin, Gerd-Rüdiger, 6.1, 6.2
Pumpedita (Mesopotamian city), 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 7.1
Qadisiyya, battle at, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3
Qur’an: tradition of Uthman as compiler, 1.1, 6.1, 7.1; scholars of, 1.2, 1.3, 6.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, bm1.1; the Prophet’s opacity within, 1.4, 1.5, 6.3; authentication by “isnads”, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11; “tafsir”, 1.12; as word of God, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 6.4, 6.5; eternal and divine nature of, 1.16, 6.6, 6.7; date of Badr and, 1.17; modern doubts over origins of, 1.18, 1.19, 6.8; dating of composition of, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12; Christian writings and, 1.23; Jewish writings and, 1.24, 6.13, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16; the Annunciation in, 1.25; birth of Christ in, 1.26; Jibril (Gabriel) in, 1.27; Biblical characters in, 1.28, 1.29, 6.17, 6.18, 6.19; Mary (mother of Christ) in, 1.30; traditional version of origins, 1.31, 6.20; “muhajirun” (emigrants) concept, 6.21, 6.22, 6.23, 6.24, 6.25; story of Abraham in, 6.26, 6.27; absence of Mecca in, 6.28, 6.29, 6.30; absence of commentaries pre-ninth Christian century, 6.31; Jewish/Christian beliefs and, 6.32, 6.33, 6.34, 6.35; low profile in early decades of empire, 6.36, 6.37, 7.7; secular enquiry into origins of, 6.38, 6.39, 6.40; global standard/single text (est. 1924), 6.41*; fragments found in Sana’a, 6.42, 6.43; unified bedrock of, 6.44; appears in written record (early eighth century), 6.45; sense of awe amongst transcribers, 6.46, 6.47; ambiguous material in, 6.48; scarcity of datable characters/events, 6.49; Mushrikun in, 6.50, 6.51, 6.52, 6.53, 6.54, 6.55, 6.56, 7.8, 7.9; clues in to date of composition, 6.57; references to Roman-Persian war, 6.58, 6.59; End Days in, 6.60, 6.61, 6.62, 6.63; Alexander the Great (Dhu’l Qarnayn) in, 6.64, 6.65, 6.66; focus on prophets not kings, 6.67; miracle of the seven sleepers in, 6.68; as record of specific moment in history, 6.69, 6.70, 6.71; jizya (poll tax on infidels), 6.72, 7.10, 7.11; Nasara (Christians) in, 6.73; allusions to fabulously distant past, 6.74; “Dead Sea Scrolls” and, 6.75; “the People of the Trench” in, 6.76; Greek mythology and, 6.77; doubts over Mecca as city of origin, 6.78, 6.79, 6.80, 6.81, 6.82, 6.83, 7.12, 7.13; offences relating to cattle in, 6.84; scarcity of place names in, 6.85; Bakka’s significance in, 6.86, 6.87, 6.88, 6.89, 7.14, 7.15, 7.16; habits of worship in, 6.90; allusions to Sodom and Gomorrah, 6.91; descriptions of Quraysh in, 6.92, 6.93, 6.94; earthly profits and, 6.95, 6.96, 6.97; traces of decaying imperial frontier in, 6.98, 6.99; absence of hijra term in, 6.100; absence of inscriptions from before Abd al-Malik’s reign, 7.17; early Christian comment on, 7.18; Abd al-Malik’ role in compilation, 7.19; Al-Hajjaj’s role in compilation, 7.20; jihad concept, 7.21; see also Muhammad