This work presents a synthetical and student-friendly introduction to Sasanian studies.

This collection of essays presents a synthesis of current research on the Oxus Civilization, which rose and developed at the turn of the 3rd to 2nd millennia BC in Central Asia. First discovered in the 1970s, the Oxus Civilization, or the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), has engendered many different interpretations, which are explored in this volume by an international group of archaeologists and researchers. Contributors cover all aspects of this fascinating Bronze Age culture: architecture; material culture; grave goods; religion; migrations; and trade and interactions with neighboring civilizations, from Mesopotamia to the Indus, and the Gulf to the northern steppes. Chapters also examine the Oxus Civilization’s roots in previous local cultures, explore its environmental and chronological context, or the possibly coveted metal sources, and look into the reasons for its decline. The World of the Oxus Civilization offers a broad and fascinating examination of this society, and provides an invaluable updated resource for anyone working on the culture, history, and archaeology of this region and on the multiple interactions at work at that time in the ancient Near East.

One of the most influential civilizations in antiquity was that of the Iranian world. The disparate peoples of ancient Iran were remarkable in that their imperial histories proved to be of enduring significance not only for the region from the Oxus to the Euphrates, but also for the Eurasian sphere, and briefly even for that of north Africa. Iran is often encountered through the prism of the classical and biblical worlds, where Cyrus and Darius the Great loom large as rulers of many lands and peoples. However, as Touraj Daryaee shows, neither these great kings, nor Xerxes' military expeditions to Greece, nor Sasanian encounters with the Romans centuries later, are the sum total of ancient Iran. Rather than focusing on the traditional Persian triple empires - Achaemenids, Arsacids/Parthians, and Sasanians (550 BCE-330 CE) - the author explores the much larger expanse of tribes and traditions that culminated in the formation of these great empires of antiquity. The result is a survey that fully reveals ancient Iran to student and non-specialist alike.

A narrative history of Central Asia after the Greek dynasties and before IslamCentral Asia is commonly imagined as the marginal land on the periphery of Chinese and Middle Eastern civilisations. At best, it is understood as a series of disconnected areas that served as stop-overs along the Silk Road. However, in the mediaeval period, this region rose to prominence and importance as one of the centres of Persian-Islamic culture, from the Seljuks to the Mongols and Timur. Khodadad Rezakhani tells the back story of this rise to prominence, the story of the famed Kushans and mysterious aAsian Huns, and their role in shaping both the Sasanian Empire and the rest of the Middle East.Contextualises Persian history in relation to the history of Central Asia Extends the concept of late antiquity further east than is usually done Surveys the history of Iran and Central Asia between 200 and 800 bc and contextualises the rise of Islam in both regions "e;

This book offers a study into the perceptions of ancient and medieval Iran in the Byzantine Empire, as well as the effects of Persian culture upon Byzantine intellectualism, society, and culture. Byzantine Ideas of Persia, 650-1461 focuses on the place of ancient Persia in Byzantine cultural memory, both in the "religious" and the "secular" sense. By analysing a wide range of historical sources – from church literature to belles-lettres – this book provides an examination of the place of ancient Persia in Byzantine cultural memory, as well as the place and function of Persian motifs in the Byzantine mentality. Additionally, the author uses these sources to analyse thoroughly the knowledge Byzantines had about contemporary Iranian culture, the presence of ethnic Iranians and the circulation and usage of the Persian language in Byzantium. Finally, this book discusses the importance and influence of Iranian science on Byzantine scholars. This book will appeal to scholars and students interested in Byzantine and Iranian History, particularly in reference to the cross-cultural and social influence of the two societies during the Middle Ages.

The texts of the present Compendium, seemingly the most comprehensive collection of Shi‘i pilgrimage prayers addressed to the Fourteen Infallibles (AS), have been edited by collating reliable sources. Each prayer is preceded by traditions on the merits of visiting the shrine of the Infallible to be followed by the narrations and sources of the prayer. The classification of the prayers is regional, i.e. they are arranged according to the burial places of the Infallibles (AS). Further, mention has been made of the devotional acts to be performed at each shrine. The contents of the volumes include the following: volume one (Medina) includes the pilgrimage prayers devoted to the Noble Prophet (SAW), Fatimat al-Zahra’ (SA), the Imams (AS) and saints buried at the Baqi‘ Cemetery, and the martyrs of the Uhud Battle; vol. 2: the prayers devoted to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (AS; Najaf) and those said at the Mosque of Kufa; vol. 3: those devoted to Imam al-Íusayn (AS) and Hadrat Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas (as) and other martyrs buried in Karbala’; vol. 4: those devoted to the Kazimayn, i.e. Imam Musa (AS) and Imam Muhammad Taqi (AS), and the ‘Askariyayn, i.e. Imam ‘Ali al-Naqi (AS) and Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (AS), and those of Imam al-Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam (AS; Samarra’ and Kazimayn); vol. 5: those devoted to Imam al-Rida (AS; Mashhad); vol. 6: Ziyarat al-Jami‘a, i.e. general prayers and also those devoted to the descendants of the Imams, e.g. Hadrat Ma‘suma (AS).