Volume 1 (2023)
Number of Articles: 9
Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023
Abstract
This special issue comprises six articles that explore various aspects of nature as reflected in ancient Iranian sources. Read MoreA Cheetah in a Camphor Tree Grove: Etymological Notes on Indo-Iranian Words for Camphor
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 1-10
Abstract
This paper focuses on the etymology of Indo-Iranian words for camphor, particularly on Skt. karpūra-, briefly referring also to Gr. κέρβερος ‘Cerberus’. I argue that this form (of non-Indo-European origin) was modified due to secondary re-etymologization ... Read MoreThe Iranian Dragon-slaying Myth: Dragons, the Avestan Saošiiant, and Possible Connections to the Iranian Water Goddess Anāhitā
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 11-25
Abstract
The myth of an archetypal hero, either divine or human, slaying a dragon-serpent who is most often blocking access to a body of water is very ancient. Various water-related rituals and their attendant myths arose out of the vital dependence of the prehistoric Indo-European peoples on rivers to maintain ... Read MoreEastern Mountains: Central Zagros Perspective on the Akkadian Glyptics
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 27-42
Abstract
The Mesopotamian cities in the Early Bronze Age were centers of technological innovation and had lasting influence on the history of mankind. A decisive factor in the urban culture of Mesopotamia was the trade network for the imports of metals and stones. The outstanding importance of the Central Zagros ... Read MoreFrom Persepolis to Persepolis: Bestiary’s Evolution after Sealings from the Achaemenid to the Sasanian Period
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 43-59
Abstract
This article presents a comparative study of bestiaries in Achaemenid and Sasanian glyptics, based on seal impressions from archival corpora. A systematic comparison of animal representations is carried out within the framework of zoo-iconography. This method makes it possible to formally determine the ... Read MoreObservation of the Role of Climate and Geography in the War Planning of the Sasanian Spāh (Army)
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 61-70
Abstract
The Sasanian spāh (army) is well known for its application of war doctrines and tactics, military architecture and logistics; however, there have been no academic analyses as to the role of geography, climate and the weaponization of the elements in warfare. This article examines (1) the spāh’s ... Read MoreKhosrow and the Old Woman: Two Historical Stories with Two Side Stories on Animal Rights
Volume 1, 1; Special Issue: Nature in Ancient Iranian Arts and Texts; edited by Helen Giunashvili and Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi , November 2023, , Pages 71-87
Abstract
Khosrow Anōšīravān is a renowned Iranian king, widely admired among Iranians, particularly for his good governance and tax reforms. His remembrances have been perpetuated in historical sources as well as in Persian literature. Persian stories about Khosrow Anōšīravān can be divided ... Read MoreAncient Georgia and pre-Islamic Iran: Issues of Cultural Relations in the Light of Glyptic Data
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Published on 24 July 2023
Abstract
In addition to the many realms of fine arts, the issues of Georgian-Iranian cultural interactions of pre-Islamic periods that merit our particular interest were adequately expressed in such a minor form of arts as glyptic, beginning from the Achaemenian days up to the Sasanian period. Glyptic artifacts, ... Read MoreOne Person, Several Names: Median or Old Persian?
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Published on 02 December 2023