Del 0 - Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia

Myth and History in Ancient Persia

The Achaemenids in the Iranian Tradition

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

AvReza Shaghaghi Zarghamee,University of St Andrews) Zarghamee, Reza Shaghaghi (Post-doctoral Fellow

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This book fills an important gap in Achaemenid studies by using traditional Iranian narratives, such as those found in the famous Shahnameh, or 'Book of Kings', of Ferdowsi, to analyse the Greco-Roman accounts of Median and Persian royalty. The study shows that the classical authors derived their accounts from Iranian traditions, grounded in age-old myths and legends. This analysis serves many purposes. It refines the extent to which the classical sources may be used in historical reconstructions and sheds new light on the literary methods of authors, such as Herodotus, Ctesias, and Xenophon. Finally, the book offers insights into one of the thorniest enigmas in Iranian historiography, the apparent disappearance of Illustrious rulers like Cyrus II, Darius I, and Xerxes I from native historical traditions. Standing at the crossroads of Iranian studies and Classics, this book is an indispensable source for scholars of ancient Iran, Greek historiography, and the Shahnameh.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-06-30
Mått156 x 234 x 22 mm
Vikt703 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieEdinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia
Antal sidor376
FörlagEdinburgh University Press
ISBN9781399530989

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Dr Reza Shaghaghi Zarghamee is a Post-doctoral Fellow in Ancient History at the University of St. Andrews, where he received his PhD from the School of Classics in 2022. His area of specialisation is the history of pre-Islamic and, more specifically, Achaemenid Iran. He is the author of Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World (Mage: 2013), a biographical account of Cyrus the Great, and various shorter publications on ancient Iranian history and myth, as well as Greek accounts of ancient Persia. In addition to his work as a historian, Mr. Zarghamee is a practising attorney.

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsAbbreviations and SymbolsNote on Terminology: ‘Myths and Legends’Note on the Rendering of the NamesNote on the Use of the ShahnamehSeries Editor's PrefaceIntroduction: An Unanswered CallPart I. Oral Traditions, Myths and Legends 1. Achaemenid Oral Traditions and Tales Told From ‘Heart-to-Heart’2. Myths and Legends of Ancient Iran3. Median and Persian Familiarity with the Iranian TraditionsPart II. Sources and Case Studies4. An Approach to the Sources5. Herodotus, Deioces and the Creation of Kingship6. Dragon-slayers and Conquering Kings: The Iranian Background to the Cyrus Sagas7. Myth as an Alternative to Epigraph: Darius the Dragon-Slayer and the Cycle of the KhwarenahPart III. The Missing Great Kings8. Achaemenids and Kayanids Revisited9. Whither the Medes and Early Achaemenids?Part IV. ConclusionConclusion: History, Myth and Cultural IdentityAppendicesAppendix 1: Historical Enemies Believed to Have Been Identified with Azhi DahakaAppendix 2: Summary Chart of Onomastic CorrespondencesAppendix 3: Myth-Inspired Names in the Memorial List of the Farvardin Yasht and Parthian and Sasanid Epigraphical SourcesAppendix 4: Attestations of the Names of Mythical and Legendary Figures Mentioned or Alluded to in the Yashts in the Onomastics of Various Pre-Islamic EpochsAppendix 5: Sequences of Key Mythical and Legendary Figures in the YashtsAppendix 6: Recurrent Elements from the Cyrus Sagas in the Ardashir CycleAppendix 7: Heroes with Humble Upbringings in Pre-Islamic Iranian TraditionsAppendix 8: Parallels Between the Cyrus Sagas and Traditions Concerning Thraetona and Kavi HusravahBibliographyIndex