was questioned in the past, but a series of thirteen recently discovered seals, which provide the names of eight spahbeds, provide contemporary evidence from the reigns of Khosrow I and his successor, Hormizd IV (r. 579-590); P. Pourshariati suggests that two may date to the reign of Khosrow II (r. 590-628). The eight known spahbeds are:

Other holders of the rank are difficult to identify from the literary sources, since