Pre-Islamic Iran

شان  موسوم به چلیپای شکسته و گردونۀ مهر، از نقشمایه های اصیل و دیرینۀ هنر ایران است. این نشان را ازآن رو گردونۀ مهر می نامند که به آیین مهرپرستی تعلّق دارد و در متون مقدّس نیز مهر سوار بر گردونه ای وصف شده است. صلیب یا چلیپای شکسته با قدمتی نزدیک به هفت هزار سال نخستین بار در خوزستان یافت شد. معادل لاتین آن، واژه سانسکریت سواستیکا به معنی هستی خوب و نیکو است. صلیب پیشینه ای بسیار کهن تر از مسیحیّت دارد و به دوره های ابتدایی زندگی بشر بازمی گردد. نمونه های بسیار کهنی از نقشمایۀ چلیپا از دوران هخامنشی، اشکانی و ساسانی بر جای مانده است. این نشان اسرارآمیز نماد صلح و آشتی، خوشبختی، نیروهای حیات بخش و درمانگر، رفع چشم زخم، رفع گزند نیروهای اهریمنی و شیطانی است.

Archaeologically, only little is known of the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval periods of central Arabia, the Riyadh Province
in particular. And yet, as one of the few watered areas in the Najd, it has played a significant role in the political, economic, and
religious history of the Peninsula. In order to throw new light on this region, in 2011 a French-Saudi archaeological mission started
work in the Kharj oasis, surveying the area. Several types of site have been located: middle Palaeolithic workshops, Bronze Age
necropoleis, and late antique/early Islamic settlements and irrigation systems. The main results of this survey are presented here,
focusing on two sites: al-Kharj 22, a middle Palaeolithic site, and the late antique/early Islamic site of al-Yamāma, which was one of
the major settlements in central Arabia for almost half a millennium (fifth–twelfth centuries) and was occupied until the eighteenth
century.

ورودی بقعۀ شیخ‌ عبدالصمد، در ضلع جنوبی و مجاور با دیوارۀ منارۀ رفیع سی و هفت متری آن واقع شده است. از این مدخل ابتدا به یک هشتی و از آنجا با عبور از شبستان کوچکی به مزار شیخ دسترسی می‌یابیم. این مقبره به‌وسیلۀ دالانی به یک دهلیز در مسجد مجاور متصل می‌شود. این سردر رفیع، مملو از کاشی‌های فیروزه و آبی لاجورد است که در ترکیب با خشت‌های پختۀ منقوش بدون لعاب معرق‌کاری شده‌اند؛ و فضایی مُلوّن و مَملو از آرامش و زیبایی را شکل داده‌اند. مقرنس‌کاری‌های زیر طاق ورودی که از کاشی‌های چند سانتی‌متری ریزنقشی با درایت و دقت عمل پُر شده‌اند در هارمونی کامل با کاشی‌کاری‌های نُغول‌ها (فرورفتگی‌های طاقچه‌مانند) و همنشینی با تراش‌های هندسی دقیق گره‌های موجود در این بخش قرار گرفته‌اند. کتیبه‌های معرق کاشی کوفی بنایی و ثلث بدون لعاب در زمینه‌ای از بافت کاشیکاری، ریتمی بصری را از پایین تا بالا در چرخشی اعجاب‌آور ایجاد کرده‌اند که بیننده با خیره‌شدن به آن یارای ورود به داخل بنا را نمی‌یابد. به نظر می‌رسد طراحان و استادکاران به سفارش بانیان بنا، به تناسب هرجا توانسته‌اند با قرار دادن نقش‌ونگاری نمادین، ارجاعاتی به مفاهیم اسلامی و گرایشات مذهبی یا المان‌های صوفیانۀ فرقۀ خود و شیخ نطنزی پرداخته‌اند.
تمرکز این بنا بر نقوش هندسی، توجه انسان را از جهان مادی به جهان صور محض معطوف می‌کند. یکی از نقوش پرتکرار هندسی به‌کار رفته در بنا «شمسه» است. شمسه در هنر اسلامی، مجموعه‌ای از اشکال هندسی است که از مرکز یک دایره شروع شده و همانند شعاع‌های خورشید به اطراف گسترده می‌شود؛ علاوه بر آن دایره، هم دربردارنده و هم زیرساخت چندضلعی‌های متنوع نیز به‌شمار می‌رود. نقش شمسه، نزد اهل تصوف و عرفان، نماد انوار حاصل از تجلیات قدسی و حقیقت نور خدا و احادیث است و از آنجا که نور نزد صوفیان به اعتبار حضور حق و فی‌النفسه وجود حق است، نقوش شمسه و ستاره می‌تواند استعاره‌ای از نور الهی باشد که بنیاد عرفان و حکمت شرق محسوب می‌شود

زبان ایلامی باستان یکی از کهن ترین زبان های جهان است که از آن نبشته های بسیاری به جا مانده است. این زبان کهن برای دهه ها زبانی جدا از دیگر زبان های جهان دانسته شده که نژاد مردمانش نیز ناشناخته و ناایرانی انگاشته شده است. کتاب پیش رو نگاهی دیگر اندیشانه و ژرف به این زبان کهن می اندازد و با انبوهی از گواهی های زبان شناسی که از آن میان گواهی های دستوری و واژگانی است، نشان می دهد که این زبان کهن و مردمان باستانیش را باید خویشاوند و هم زبان با دیگر مردمان آریایی و ایرانی نامید.

Nabel, Jake. 2020.“The Arsacids of Rome and Parthia’s ‘Iranian Revival’ in the First Century CE.” In Kai Ruffing, Kerstin Droß-Krüpe, Sebastian Fink, and Robert Rollinger (eds), Societies at War: Proceedings of the 10th Symposium of the Melammu Project held in Kassel September 26-28 2016 and Proceedings of the 8th Symposium of the Melammu Project held in Kiel November 11-15 2014, 475–94. Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

Publisher's website: https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at/societies-at-war

ÖZET: Bu çalışma, klasik tarihyazımının son büyük temsilcisi Prokopios’un yapıtlarında Perslerin temsil edilişinin problemlerini tartışarak, geç antik tarihyazımının tarihi alanına bir katkı yapmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu çalışmanın temel sorunsallarından biri ise, Persleri temsil ediş şekliyle ve yarattığı (veya yeniden - ürettiği) “öteki” ile Prokopios’un antik tarihçilerden farkını sorgulamaktır. İlk önce, Prokopios’un çalışmalarındaki Perslerin bir halk ve bir toplum olarak ne şekilde temsil edildiği tartışılmıştır. Prokopios’un saikinin bir etnograf olmaktan ziyade, politik antropolojiye yakın olduğunu varsayılmıştır, çünkü sonuçta müverrih Pers emperyal yapısını siyasi, askeri ve dinsel ritüeller ile gelenekler üzerinden anlamaya çalışılmıştır. Perslerin temsilleri, Prokopios’un metinlerindeki başka halkların temsilleriyle de mukayese edilmiştir. Savaşların Tarihi yapıtında, Pers imparatorları merkezi bir role sahiptirler. I. Firuz  ( hük. 438–457), I. Kubâd (r. 488–531) ama özellikle kendi çağdaşı olduğu için I. Hüsrev (hük. 531-579) gibi Pers imparatorlarının, temsilleri, daha geç dönem Bizans tarihçiliği (özellikle de Agathias), Süryani ve Arap tarihçileri ile birlikte, mukayeseler yapılarak tartışılmıştır. Bu tartışmalarda şu soruya cevap vermeye çalışılmıştır: "Prokopios ne oranda klasik tarihçiliğin Persleri temsil ederken kullandığı modelleri yeniden- üretmiştir?" Prokopios’un klasik yazarlardan despotizm konusunda ayrılmaktadır. Zira Perslerdeki hukuka bağlılığa ve özellikle Sâsânî imparatorlarının saygısına güçlü bir vurgu yapar. Bu sebepten dolayı, Prokopios’un Persleri tasvirinde bir karakteristik unsur olarak "despotizm" yer almamakla birlikte, Persler saldırgan ve yayılmacı bir karatkteristikle tasvir edilmiştir. Bir müverrih, bir halkı ele alırken ötekileştirici bir söylem kullanabileceği gibi; buna alternatif olarak yabancı halkın adetlerini kendi halkının adetleriyle karşılaştırabileceği ve modelleştirilen halkın adetlerini üstün bulacağı bir model de yaratabilir. Prokopios ise anlatısında kendi toplumu açısından ayna işlevi görecek modeller de yaratmıştır.(Theoderik’in adil karakteri, Pers hükümdarlarının yasaya sıkı bağlılığı gibi.) Bu hususlar mukayeseli bir yöntemle, antik literatürü ve daha geç Bizans ve Doğu literatürünü de içerecek şekilde tartışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler : Prokopios, Geç Antikite, Bizans İmparatorluğu, Persler, Sasaniler, Tarihyazımının Tarihi, Geç Roma Kültür Tarihi.

ABSTRACT: This study aims to make a contribution to the field of the history of late antique historiography by discussing the problems of the representation of the Persians in the works of Procopius, the last great representative of classical historiography. One of the main problematics of this study is to question the difference of Procopius from the ancient historians in the way he represents the Persians and the "other" he creates (or reproduces). Firstly, the representation of the Persians as a people and a society in Procopius' work is discussed. It is hypothesised that Procopius' motives were closer to political anthropology than to ethnography, since the author ultimately sought to understand the Persian imperial structure through political, military and religious rituals and customs. Representations of Persia have also been compared with those of other peoples in Procopius' texts. In the History of the Wars, the Sassanid emperors play a central role. The representations of Sassanid emperors such as Peros I  ( r. 438–457), Kavad I (r. 488–531) but especially his contemporary Khosrow I (r. 531-579) are discussed in comparison with later Byzantine historiography (especially Agathias), Syriac and Arab historians. In these discussions, the following question was tried to be answered: "To what extent did Procopius reproduce the models used by classical historiography to represent Persia?" Procopius differs from the classical authors on the issue of despotism. For he strongly emphasises the adherence to law in Persia and especially the respect of the Sassanid emperors. For this reason, Prokopios' description of the Persians does not include "despotism" as a characteristic element, but the Persians are depicted with an aggressive and expansionist characteristic. An historian can use a marginalising discourse when dealing with a people; alternatively, he can create a model in which he can compare the customs of a foreign people with the customs of his own people and find the customs of the people being modelled superior. Procopius, on the other hand, created models in his narrative that would serve as a mirror for his own society (Theoderic's just character, the strict adherence of Persian rulers to the law, etc.). These issues are discussed in a comparative manner, including ancient literature and later Byzantine and Eastern literature.

Keywords : Procopius, Late Antiquity, Byzantine Empire, Persians, Sassanids, History of Historiography, Late Roman Cultural History.

ABSZTRAKT: A tanulmány célja, hogy hozzájáruljon a késő antik történetírás megértéséhez azáltal, hogy megvizsgálja Prokopiosz perzsákról alkotott ábrázolását, valamint a klasszikus történetírókhoz képest eltérő megközelítését. A politikai antropológiát a néprajz helyett a politikai antropológiára helyezve a hangsúlyt, az elemzés megvizsgálja Prokopiosz perzsa társadalom ábrázolását, és azt állítja, hogy indítékai a perzsa birodalmi struktúra politikai, katonai és vallási rituálékon keresztül történő megértésében gyökereznek. A tanulmány megvizsgálja Prokopiosz ábrázolását a szasszanida császárokról, köztük I. Perosról, I. Kavadról és I. Khosrowról, és összehasonlítja a későbbi bizánci történetírással, szíriai és arab beszámolókkal. A vizsgált központi kérdés az, hogy Prokopiosz milyen mértékben replikálta a klasszikus történetírás modelljeit Perzsia ábrázolásában. A klasszikus szerzőktől való figyelemre méltó eltérés abban mutatkozik meg, hogy Prokopiosz a perzsák jogkövető magatartását hangsúlyozza, ahelyett, hogy despotikusnak jellemezné őket. A tanulmány elmélyül Prokopiosz elbeszélői választásaiban, kiemelve, hogy olyan modelleket alkotott, amelyek saját társadalmának tükörképeként szolgálnak. Például Theoderik igazságos jellemét szembeállítja a perzsa uralkodók törvényekhez való szigorú ragaszkodásával. Ez az összehasonlító elemzés kiterjed az ókori irodalomra és a későbbi bizánci és keleti irodalmi hagyományokra is, megvizsgálva, hogy Prokopiosz hogyan konstruál kulturális összehasonlításokat és hogyan értékeli a szokásokat. E vizsgálat révén a tanulmány rávilágít Prokopiosz egyedülálló perspektívájára és hozzájárulására a Perzsia történetírásban való ábrázolásáról szóló diskurzushoz.

Kulcsszavak : Procopius, késő ókor, Bizánci Birodalom, perzsák, szasszanidák, történetírás-történetírás, késő római kultúrtörténet.

АБСТРАКТ: Цель данного исследования - внести вклад в понимание позднеантичной историографии, изучив представление Прокопия о персах и отличительные особенности его подхода по сравнению с классическими историками. Подчеркивая политическую антропологию над этнографией, анализ тщательно изучает изображение Прокопием персидского общества, предполагая, что его мотивы были основаны на постижении персидской имперской структуры через политические, военные и религиозные ритуалы. В исследовании рассматривается изображение Прокопием сасанидских императоров, включая Пероса I, Кавада I и Хосрова I, и сравнивается с более поздней византийской историографией, сирийскими и арабскими рассказами. Главный вопрос, который рассматривается, - это степень, в которой Прокопий повторяет классические модели историографии в представлении Персии. Заметное отклонение от классических авторов выявлено в том, что Прокопий подчеркивает приверженность персов закону, а не характеризует их как деспотичных. Исследование посвящено выбору повествования Прокопием, подчеркивая создание им моделей, которые служат зеркалом для его собственного общества. Например, он противопоставляет справедливый характер Теодерика и строгое следование персидских правителей закону.  Этот сравнительный анализ распространяется на античную литературу и более поздние византийские и восточные литературные традиции, исследуя, как Прокопий строит культурные сравнения и оценивает обычаи. Благодаря этому исследование проливает свет на уникальную перспективу и вклад Прокопия в дискурс о представлении Персии в историографии.

Ключевые слова : Прокопий, поздняя античность, Византийская империя, персы, Сасаниды, история историографии, позднеримская история культуры.

SCHOLARSHIP ON THE VISUAL CULTURES of ancient and early medieval Eurasia has recently benefited from art history’s renewed interest in questions that transcend political and cultural boundaries.1 Issues of cross-cultural interaction, however, have not enjoyed from art historians working on the ancient and early medieval worlds a level of critical attention commensurate with the number of problems arising from the material. As a result, many of those who work in the arts and cultures of the Mediterranean, Near East, and Asia have found themselves drawn closer together, but without a common vocabulary or debate with which to engage.

The organizing goal of this volume is to highlight these theoretical considerations and provide a forum where art historians of the ancient and medieval worlds can explore these problems of cross-cultural interaction with greater rigor. It does not intend to provide a comprehensive theoretical overview or art historical survey of Eurasian artistic interchange, nor an overarching theory. Rather, it aims to contribute critical perspectives drawn from premodern visual cultures to the wider theoretical conversation. The papers contained herein critically evaluate some of the most important problems encountered in the material: the cross-continental movement and selective appropriation of objects and motifs through trade; the impact of new ways of seeing, being seen, and acting introduced by these objects; the role of art and ritual in negotiations of power among empires; and representations and self-portrayals of ethnicity and gender within and beyond dominant visual cultures.

To order: http://www.asia.si.edu/visitor/arsorientalisVolumeOrder.htm

The Roman-Sasanian War of the seventh century CE was the last conflict of late antiquity. Sahansah Xusro II nearly conquered the Roman Empire. James Howard-Johnston has studied the war extensively. Walter Kaegi has produced a biography of Xusro II's opponent, Heraclius, while Geoffrey Greatrex and Touraj Daryaee have written articles focusing on Xusro II. Scholars, however, have not attempted a major study of him. This dissertation seeks not only to understand how different authors depicted Xusro II but to understand the man's personality.

Roman authors who witnessed the war sought to highlight only the negative aspects of Xusro II. He was, according to the Romans, an enemy of God. Fear of Xusro II was the basis for these depictions. Pseudo-Sebeos, an Armenian historian, depicted Xusro II as an arrogant, blasphemous ruler. Pseudo-Sebeos, however, did not write anything positive about the Romans, either, because both the Romans and Sasanians wanted to control Armenia.

Christians living under Xusro II's rulership also seemed to despise him. They portray Xusro II as wicked because, in an attempt to punish them, he did not let allow them to elect a ruler. A careful reading of these sources, however, suggests these authors were aware of how Xusro II took care of Christians in his realm. Finally, Arab and Persian sources differ in their portrayals of Xusro II because both groups, although both Muslim, were competing for legitimacy in the post-Islamic conquest of Iran, due to ethnic tensions. Arab authors emphasized Xusro II's faults. Persian authors, on the other hand, presented his good qualities.

Ultimately, all of these different depictions of Xusro II demonstrate that he possessed a fierce will and embraced a vision of how to rule. Xusro II wanted to conquer the Romans and extend his domain and be remembered forever. Xusro II's drive might have made him seem arrogant to the authors studied in this dissertation, and they depicted him accordingly. We should not, however, lose sight of the man he truly was: a man who dared to dream.

Title: Cities and Mint Centers Founded by Sasanians.
Sasanians played a critical role in urbanization of Persia and greater Iran.
Many of these cities (more than 100) were built for economic reasons and mintage of coins required to improve trade, military payments and local and civic markets.

The mining archaeological excavations in Veshnaveh were among the first systematic of their kind in Iran. This is surprising, since the site itself had been known and described since the 1970s, but could not be investigated thoroughly until the early 2000s. The joint Iranian-German research in Veshnaveh was carried out as a part of the “Early Min- ing and Metallurgy in West-Central Iran” project, which had been continued until 2005. In this context, the mining area of Veshnaveh was comprehensively researched and, for the first time, underground excavations and surveys were carried out in the vicinity of the mining area.
During our research of the mining evidence, it was the more surprising to discover ritual re-use of a Bronze Age copper mine. The excavations from 2001 onwards made it immediately clear that these deposits were not part of mining debris as one would have expected for mining activities. The findings suggested a different con- text and it was clear that this was a special rural sanc- tuary of pre- and early Zoroastrian cults.

This book is a study of the pre-Islamic passages of Abū Ḥanīfa Aḥmad ibn Dāwūd ibn Wanand Dīnawarī’s Kitāb al-Aḫbār al-Ṭiwāl. This is to say that it stops at the beginning of the Arab conquest of Iran. It is intended for scholars of Late Antiquity. Special emphasis is placed on Dīnawarī’s exposition of the rule of the Sasanian dynasty and questions relating to the mysterious Ḫudāynāma tradition which are intimately connected with it. Beginning with a discussion of Dīnawarī and his work, the book moves into a discussion of indigenous Iranian historiography. Speculation on the sources of Kitāb al-Aḫbār al-Ṭiwāl follows, and the historiographical investigation of the most substantial portion of Kitāb al-Aḫbār al-Ṭiwāl’s notices on the Sasanian dynasty comes next. I end by setting out my findings within a narrative of Sasanian history.
This book was written with one main question in mind: what does Dīnawarī’s Kitāb al-Aḫbār al-Ṭiwāl have to say about pre-Islamic Iranian history? A host of other questions arose immediately: who was Dīnawarī; when did he live; what did he do; how was his work perceived by others; where did Dīnawarī get his information and how did he present it; is Dīnawarī’s information reliable? These questions are addressed one by one.

THE TWO EYES OF THE EARTH is the first sustained and theoretically rigorous study of the evolution of a supra-religious yet sacral cross-cultural language of kingship between the late Roman empire and Sasanian Iran (224-642 CE). It investigates the shared ideal of sacred kingship that emerged in the late Roman and Persian empires. This shared ideal, while often generating conflict during the four centuries of the empires' coexistence (224-642), also drove exchange, especially the means and methods Roman and Persian sovereigns used to project their notions of universal rule: elaborate systems of ritual and their cultures' visual, architectural, and urban environments. Matthew Canepa explores the artistic, ritual, and ideological interactions between Rome and the Iranian world under the Sasanian dynasty, the last great Persian dynasty before Islam. He analyzes how these two hostile systems of sacred universal sovereignty not only coexisted, but fostered cross-cultural exchange and communication despite their undying rivalry. Bridging the traditional divide between classical and Iranian history, this book brings to life the dazzling courts of two global powers that deeply affected the cultures of medieval Europe, Byzantium, Islam, South Asia, and China.

http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520257276

http://books.google.com/books?id=57szORf0_B0C&lpg=PP1&dq=the%20two%20eyes%20of%20the%20earth&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

“Walt Whitman’s and Nima Yushij’s Literary Innovations: A Study in Comparative Poetics” is an attempt to investigate the sociopolitical and literary contexts of the nineteenth-century America and that of the constitutional Iran. The purpose of this study is to unravel the relation between sociopolitical situations of the two societies and the literary changes those situations brought about in each society. To be more precise, this study aims to investigate how Whitman and Nima translated the discourses of their societies to a literary discourse and developed free verse and New Poetry.

والت ویتمن به عنوان پدر شعر آزاد آمریکا و نیما یوشیج به عنوان پدر شعر نوی فارسی هر یک در سنّت ادبی
مربوط به خود نقشی اساسی بر عهده داشته¬اند. این دو شاعر در برهه¬ای حساس از تاریخ ملت خود زندگی کردند و نوآوری¬های ادبی¬شان جهت شعر ملت¬شان را تغییر داد. علاوه بر نوآوری¬های شاعرانه، شرایط تاریخیِ دو شاعر نیز وجوه مشابهی دارد. در واقع، هر دو ملت در مسیر حرکت به سوی دمکراسی قرار گرفته بودند. شعر آزاد ویتمن و شعر نوی نیما حاصل تبدیل گفتمان دمکراسی به نظریۀ ادبی است. چنین شباهت¬هایی در شعر، نظریۀ ادبی و شرایط تاریخیِ دو شاعر آن دو را گزینه¬های قابل تأملی برای مقایسه می-سازد.
هرچند پژوهش¬های متعددی در زمینۀ شباهت¬های اندیشۀ عارفانۀ ویتمن و عرفان فارسی انجام شده، امّا هیچ یک از آن پژوهش¬ها به بافت سیاسی-اجتماعی جامعۀ آمریکای قرن نوزدهم و قیاس آن با ایران عصر مشروطه عنایتی نداشته¬است. علاوه براین، نوآوری¬های ویتمن در شعر –که در شعر آزاد آمریکا متبلور شده¬است- با نوآوری¬های شاعرانۀ نیما –که در شعر نوی فارسی متبلور شده¬است- نیز مقایسه نشده¬است. نکتۀ حائز اهمیت این که تأثیر و تأثّری چندانی نیز بین دو شاعر وجود ندارد و همین امر پژوهش تطبیقی آن دو شاعر را جالب¬تر می¬سازد.
این پژوهش بر آن است تا ارتباط میان شرایط سیاسی-اجتماعی و همچنین تحولات ادبی دو جامعه -که در نتیجۀ شرایط تاریخی مذکور در آن دو جامعه بوجود آمده¬است- را آشکارسازد. تجزیه و تحلیل نقاط اشتراک و افتراق بافت سیاسی-اجتماعی و تحول ادبیِ دو ملت به درک عمیق¬تری از قواعد کلی حاکم بر تحول ادبی خواهد انجامید. علاوه بر این، چنین تجزیه و تحلیلی پژوهشگر را به شناخت بهتری از ویژگی¬های تاریخی هر یک از دو ادبیات، یکتایی بافت سیاسی-اجتماعی هر کشور و همچنین فردیت هر شاعر رهنمون خواهد شد. پژوهش پیش¬رو به اثبات این مدعا می¬پردازد که به طور کلی مشترکات موجود در بافت سیاسی-اجتماعی جوامع گوناگون به آفرینش ادبیات و نظریۀ ادبی مشابه –و نه لزوماً یکسان- می¬انجامد. به طور ویژه در این پژوهش ثابت می¬شود که گفتمان دمکراسی موجود در آمریکای قرن نوزدهم و ایران عصر مشروطه به شکل¬گیری شکل¬های آزادتری از شعر –شعر آزاد در آمریکا و شعر نو در ایران- کمک شایانی کرد.

Two Sasanian kings are depicted on the back wall of the smaller grotto at Taq-i Bustan near Kermanshah (Iran). They are identified by inscriptions as Shapur II (309-379 A.D.) and his son Shapur III (383-388 A.D.). However, the details of the crowns and the design of the relief oppose this idea. It makes it likely that the figure identified as Shapur III is in fact Ardashir II (379-383 A.D.), the immediate successor and (half)brother of Shapur II. It is suggested that the identifying texts were added when Shapur III came to power.

ENGLISH:
After an initial chance find in 1993, research excavations in the ancient salt mine of Chehrābād (Zanjan Province, Iran) unearthed several salt mummies and or- ganic finds of textile and leather, as well as tools and ceramic vessels. The finds predominantly date to the Achaemenid (550–330 BCE) and Sassanid periods (224–642 CE). The organic substances preserved by the salt contain valuable in- formation that contributes to the understanding of the living environment of these periods and to the reconstruction of social structures of past societies.
The salt mine in Chehrābād and the finds displayed in the museum of the provincial capital Zanjan are an important cultural heritage whose preservation is understood as a joint task of the local population, the province and the cen- tral cultural authority. The Iranian-German projects dealing with the salt mum- mies of Iran are concerned, on the one hand, with developing sustainable con- servation concepts for the salt mine and the collection in the museum that are adapted to local conditions. On the other hand, incentives are created for the local population to participate in the preservation of the cultural heritage.

GERMAN:
Nach einem ersten Zufallsfund 1993 wurden bei Forschungsgrabungen im anti- ken Salzbergwerk von Chehrābād (Provinz Zandschan, Iran) mehrere Salz- mumien und organische Funde aus Textil und Leder, aber auch Werkzeuge und Keramikgefäße ausgegraben. Die Funde datieren überwiegend in die achäme- nidische (550–330 v. Chr.) und sassanidische Zeit (224–642 n. Chr.). Die durch das Salz erhaltenen organischen Substanzen enthalten wertvolle Informatio- nen, die zum Verständnis der Lebenswelt dieser Perioden und zur Rekonstruk- tion sozialer Gefüge vergangener Gesellschaften beitragen.
Das Salzbergwerk in Chehrābād und die Funde, die im Museum der Pro- vinzhauptstadt Zanjan gezeigt werden, sind ein wichtiges Kulturerbe, dessen Erhalt als Gemeinschaftsaufgabe der lokalen Bevölkerung, der Provinz und der zentralen Kulturbehörde verstanden wird. Die iranisch-deutschen Projekte rund um die Salzmumien Irans befassen sich zum einen damit, nachhaltige Erhaltungskonzepte für das Salzbergwerk und die Sammlung im Museum zu entwickeln, die sich an die lokalen Gegebenheiten anpassen. Zum anderen wer- den Anreize für die lokale Bevölkerung geschaffen, sich am Erhalt des kulturel- len Erbes zu beteiligen.

The Shapur I inscription at Ka'ba-ye Zartošt, located at the historical site of Naqš-e Rostam in Fars is one of the biggest and most important historical documents related to the early Sasanian period. This inscription comes in three languages of Arsacid Pahlavi (Parthian), and Middle Persian (Sasanian Pahlavi), and Greek, carved on the three walls of Ka'ba-ye Zartošt building. Since the excavations of Naqš-e Rostam and the discovery of the inscription, many scholars have conducted research on it and extracted plenty of valuable information about the geographical, political, cultural and military circumstances during the Shapur I regning period. Yet, it seems there are still some new points in this valuable inscription that have been left out of the sight of researchers. In this research, the attempt is made to provide a more precise meaning for the word nibušt in Shapur I inscription at Ka'ba-ye Zartošt, which has been misleading many scholars so far. Here, it is suggested that the word nibušt is a proper noun corresponding to the term Dez Nebešt/Nefešt in Persian, Arabic and Zoroastrian texts, and it is probably the name used in the early Sasanian period for the historical complex of Naqš-e rostam.

The‌ Extensive‌ Sampling‌ of‌ Tappe‌-‌Borj‌ in‌ Nishapur‌in‌2019:‌
Documentation‌ of‌ Basic‌ Data‌ for‌ the‌ Future‌ Studies
Abstract
Tappe - Borj is a key prehistoric settlement nestling on the eastern side of Nishapur plain, west of Khorasan. Some limited excavations and superficial samplings were carried out in Tappe - Borj between 2001 and 2011. Over the las t years, Nishapur University has proceeded to conduct some researches on this site in cooperation with China Science and Technology University. This article presents the results of the aforesaid researches.
This article offers two interconnected approaches; on the one hand, it sheds light on the findings and the basic information obtained by an extensive sampling across the site. On the other hand, based on the available information, the article briefly comes up with some hypothesis and questions to be examined in the future researches. Nonetheless,
the article tries to avoid any confusion between data documentation / description and methods. This article also explains the methods in a nutshell, giving insight into some preliminary frameworks for the future prehistoric researches on Tappe - Borj settlement in the plain of Nishapur. In one article it is impossible to delve deeper into each of
the abovementioned subjects, hence we had to summarize them in a combination of methods, documentation and further questions for the future researches.
Keywords: Extensive Sampling, Tappe - Borj, Nishapur Plain, Documentation, Basic
Information

Iran: the Land that gave birth to more Religions than any other Land; the First Nation whose Religions spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific

ΑΝΑΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ ΑΝΕΝΕΡΓΟ ΜΠΛΟΓΚ “ΟΙ ΡΩΜΙΟΙ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΗΣ”
Το κείμενο του κ. Νίκου Μπαϋρακτάρη είχε αρχικά δημοσιευθεί την 22η Ιουλίου 2019.

Στο κείμενό του αυτό ο κ. Μπαϋρακτάρης αναφέρεται στις εκετενείς συζητήσεις μας αναφορικά με τον Ζωροαστρισμό των αχαιμενιδικών χρόνων, τον Ζενδισμό των αρσακιδικών χρόνων, τον (αποκλειστικά εκ του Καρτίρ συσταθέντα) Μαζδεϊσμό των σασανιδικών χρόνων και τις άλλες ιρανικές θρησκείες.

Σχετικά με το θέμα ότι οι όροι Ιράν και Περσία (Ιρανοί και Πέρσες) δεν ταυτίζονται αλλά διαφέρουν έντονα, πιο πρόσφατα δημοσιευμένο στα αγγλικά είναι αυτό: https://www.academia.edu/43365931/Iran_is_not_Persia_and_Persia_is_not_Iran
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First republished on 7th September 2021 here:
https://profmegalommatistextsingreek.wordpress.com/2021/09/07/ιράν-η-χώρα-που-γέννησε-περισσότερες-θ/