Trade and travel played a tremendous role in connecting Sasanian and Roman empires in late antiquity. Yet this exchange between Persia and Rome was not confined to the movement of peoples and objects; it encompassed the movement of religious ideas. Giving readers a front-row seat to the turbulent 3rd – 5th centuries CE, this paper educates about the spread of religion between east and west—the reverberations of which are still felt today. The spread of Manichaeism, founded by 3rd century prophet Mani, is addressed. Manichaeism, because it did not survive as a global religion to the present, has often been overlooked by modern academia. Yet at its height, Manichaeism was one of the world’s most prominent religions. Additionally, this paper explores the spread of Christianity in late antiquity. Although Christianity’s diffusion has been widely studied, its penetration into the Arab world has often been overlooked. This paper explores the interchange between east and west.
