The textbook highlights the history of the military-political confrontation of the Roman (later - Byzantine) empire and Sassanid Iran for hegemony in the Central Asian region in the second third of the III - mid VII centuries. Based on a wide range of sources and scientific literature (both domestic and foreign) the author shows the vicissitudes of the struggle of the two largest powers of the late antiquity and considers the entire range of forms of their relationship - from allied to openly hostile. The publication is equipped with appendices that supplement and deepen the material set out in the main part of the manual. Each paragraph is accompanied by control questions and tasks designed to stimulate the cognitive activity of students.