Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History

Abstract

Abstract One of the most intriguing episodes in the history of ancient Armenia and Achaemenid Persia is associated with Arakha, son of H/Ḫaldita, who seized control of Babylon and proclaimed himself king under the name Nebuchadnezzar IV. Unfortunately, our only primary source regarding Arakha’s revolt is the Behistun inscription, which has resulted in various scholarly interpretations―many of which lack coherence or, at times, even contradict the information provided by the primary sources. This article proposes a new hypothesis concerning Arakha’s identity, which will be examined in correlation with other source-based references.

Abstract This study examines glyptic materials from the Nastagisi cemetery in Eastern Georgia, including two stone scaraboids and a transparent greenish glass intaglio. Although, these finds provide important evidence for cultural and artistic interactions between Georgia and the wider Achaemenid and post-Achaemenid world. The stone scaraboids, based on stylistic parallels, are likely imports and are attributed to the Bern group of the Graeco-Persian glyptic tradition, whereas the origin of the glass intaglio remains uncertain, suggesting local production influenced by Graeco-Persian art. The presence of these glyptic materials in the later graves dated to the second-first centuries BCE, also illustrates long circulation and continued prestige of Achaemenid-derived glyptic traditions in the South Caucasus. Overall, the Nastagisi materials demonstrate both the persistence of Graeco-Persian artistic traditions and their adaptation within a local Georgian context.

Abstract This paper examines the complex relationship between Xusrō II and the Christians of Ērānšahr (the Sāsānian Kingdom). By the time he assumed power, Ērānšahr had a significant population of Christians who belonged to distinct churches. Despite Xusrō II’s efforts to position himself as a patron of Christianity and his engagement with its practices, he faced hostility from certain Christian writers. This tension stemmed from the inherent challenges of balancing the interests and doctrinal differences of various Christian sects within the kingdom. The Church of the East in particular perceived Xusrō II’s decisions, while often pragmatic, as threats to its power and influence. The historical memory of past persecutions and the martyrdom tradition within Ērānšahr further fueled negative portrayals of Xusrō II in Christian texts. Ultimately, the interplay of religious rivalries, political maneuvering, and the weight of historical memory shaped the complicated and often contentious relationship between Xusrō II and the Christians he ruled.

Abstract Iranian identity did not disappear with the Arab invasion in the seventh century AD; rather, it persisted in various political, social, and even traditional and customary symbols and practices. This continuity is particularly prominent in the first five centuries AH. One of the main contexts in which this continuity can be observed is the advice literature. Although the style of writing advice texts, or andarz, is an Iranian tradition and the continuation of this practice during the Islamic centuries signifies the persistence of Iranian traditions and ideas, a precise examination of the literature—especially the earliest andarzes of the Islamic period—based on their main components: 1) the themes of the andarzes, and 2) the exemplary characters, reveals this continuity more clearly. This article, using a thematic analysis approach, not only considers the continuity of the andarz-writing style in the early Islamic centuries but also analyzes two main components in seven Persian andarzes from that period. The findings indicate that not only are many themes of these andarzes repetitions of those found in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) texts, but there is also a significant focus on ancient exemplary figures, particularly political ones.

Abstract Until recently, little was known about the third Sasanian shahanshah, Hormizd I (Hormizd-Ardashir), whose short reign left no royal inscription. Scholars therefore reconstruct his biography through the inscriptipns of other Sassanian rulers and indirect evidences. This article offers an attempt to fill some missing parts of Hormizd I’s life and continues the author’s earlier studies. In previous works, the author identified the “King of the Persians Ardashir”, named by the eleventh-century Georgian historian Leonti Mroveli as the father of Mirian III, the first Christian king of Kartli (Iberia), with Hormizd-Ardashir. According to Leonti Mroveli, Mirian—born from Hormizd’s concubine—ascended the Kartlian throne at the age of seven through an agreement between Georgian and Iranian political elites. Leonti MroveIi describes the mutual benefits of this arrangement: Kartli avoided destructive Iranian raids without losing its religious identity, while Iran secured stability in a strategically crucial region of the Byzantine–Iranian rivalry. Kartli, as Leonti Mroveli notes, could offer the most effective defense of Iran from northern attacks. Although the medieval historian is silent on this point, the author’s earlier studies argue that the agreement also served Hormizd’s personal goal of ensuring that his own son—not his younger brother Narseh, king of Armenia and a likely heir—would succeed to the Sasanian throne. Hormizd’s early death prevented the realization of this plan, but it persisted thanks to the strong military force he left in Kartli and Mirian’s regent Mirvanoz, who governed the kingdom, including its religious sphere, until Mirian came of age. After the Shahanshah Narseh’s death, Mirian, according to Leonti Mroveli, launched a campaign into Iran in an attempt to implement his father’s “Georgian Project” and occupy the imperial throne. This article offers the first detailed analysis of that campaign and its narrative. Though previously dismissed as implausible, the account is shown here to be fully compatible with the historical context and therefore credible, despite the lack of direct corroboration. It reflects both Hormizd’s dynastic strategy and Mirian’s evolving political self-assertion.