Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: Their cultural influence extended far beyond the empire 's territorial borders , reaching as far as Western Europe , Africa , China and India , and played a prominent role in the formation of both European and Asiatic medieval art .
Simplified: The Sassanids ' cultural influence extended far beyond the empire 's territorial borders , reaching as far as Western Europe , Africa , China and India . It played a prominent role in the formation of both European and Asiatic medieval art .