Table Of Content00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page i
Jenny Rose is Associate Professor of Religion at Claremont
Graduate University and Visiting Associate Professor of Religion at
Stanford University. She is the author of The Image of Zoroaster: The
Persian Mage Through European Eyes (2000).
‘It is a tall order to explain and summarize well such a polyglot
scripturalandreligioustraditionasZoroastrianism,withits3,000
yearsofhistoryextendingacrosssomuchofAsiaandonintothe
global diaspora. But Jenny Rose’s excellent and highly
informativebookisamostimpressiveresponsetothechallenge.
Rose adopts a refreshingly new approach that is both matter of
factinstyleandthoughtfullyconceived,aswellasbeingderived
from the best new scholarly work of recent decades.’– Alan
Williams,ProfessorofIranianStudies&ComparativeReligions,
University of Manchester
‘Jenny Rose’s lively and engaging account comprises a very
readable,wellinformedsurveyofZoroastrianismanditshistory.
The book is a pleasure to read throughout, and the author’s
writingstyleismarkedlybeautiful,placingherverymuchwithin
MaryBoyce’sliterarytradition.Rosehasreadwidelyroundthe
subject,engagingwithimportantprimaryandsecondarysources
and rendering her thorough treatment of Zoroastrianism fully
up-to-date. I particularly welcomed her valuable discussion of
Zoroastrianism in Central Asia. All in all, the book is a fine
exampleofconsideredsynthesisandcompression.Thisisabook
one wants to read from beginning to end without putting it
down.Itwillfindawarmwelcomefromstudentsofthesubject
and their teachers.’ – Almut Hintze, Zartoshty Professor of
Zoroastrianism, SOAS, University of London
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page ii
I.B.TAURISINTRODUCTIONSTORELIGION
In recent years there has been a surge of interest in religion and in the
motivations behind religious belief and commitment. Avoiding over-
simplification, jargon or unhelpful stereotypes, I.B.Tauris Introductions to
Religionembracestheopportunitytoexplorereligioustraditioninasensitive,
objective and nuanced manner. A specially commissioned series for
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expertsinthefield,oftheworld’smajorreligiousfaiths,andofthechallenges
posedtoallthereligionsbyprogress,globalizationanddiaspora.Coveringthe
fundamentalsofhistory,theology,ritualandworship,thesebooksplacean
emphasis above all on the modern world, and on the lived faiths of
contemporarybelievers.Theyexplore,inawaythatwillengagefollowersand
non-believersalike,thefascinatingandsometimesdifficultcontradictionsor
reconcilingancienttraditionwithheadlongculturalandtechnologicalchange.
‘I.B.TaurisIntroductionstoReligionoffersstudentsofreligionsomething
fresh,intelligentandaccessible.Withoutdumbingdowntheissues,or
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theyneedtograspthefundamentalsofeachtradition.Tobereligious
is in the end to be human. The I.B.Tauris series looks to be an ideal
starting point for anyone interested in this vital and often elusive
componentofalloursocietiesandcultures.’–JohnM.Hull,Emeritus
ProfessorofReligiousEducation,UniversityofBirmingham
‘TheI.B.TaurisIntroductionstoReligionseriespromisestobejustwhat
busy teachers and students need: a batch of high-quality, highly
accessiblebooksbyleadingscholarsthatarethoroughlygearedtowards
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understandingoftheroleofreligionintheworldis,morethanever,an
urgentnecessity.Thisattractive-lookingserieswillcontributetowards
that vital task.’ – Christopher Partridge, Professor of Religious
Studies,LancasterUniversity
‘The I.B.Tauris series promises to offer more than the usual kind of
humdrumintroduction.Thevolumeswillseektoexplainandnotmerely
to describe religions, will consider religions as ways of life and not
merelyassetsofbeliefsandpractices,andwillexploredifferencesas
wellassimilaritiesamongspecificcommunitiesofadherentsworldwide.
Strongly recommended.’ – RobertA.Segal,ProfessorofReligious
Studies,UniversityofAberdeen
Pleaseseethebackofthebookforthefullserieslist
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page iii
i.b.tauris introductions to religion
Zoroastrianism
An Introduction
by
Jenny Rose
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 10/8/10 10:17 Page iv
Publishedin2011byI.B.Tauris&CoLtd
6SalemRoad,LondonW24BU
175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010
www.ibtauris.com
DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadaExclusivelybyPalgraveMacmillan
175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010
Copyright©2011JennyRose
TherightofJennyRosetobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhas
beenassertedbytheauthorinaccordancewiththeCopyright,Designsand
PatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Thisbook,oranypartthereof,maynotbereproduced,stored
inorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyany
means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutthe
priorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
I.B.TaurisIntroductionstoReligion
ISBN:9781848850873(HB)
ISBN:9781848850880(PB)
AfullCIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
AfullCIPrecordisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:available
DesignedandTypesetby4wordLtd,Bristol,UK
PrintedandboundinIndiabyThomsonPressIndiaLtd
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page v
Tothememoryofmygrandmother,ShereenKhorshidBoga,and
ofDrKatyDalal,keeperoftheFrenchmanfamilyhistory
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page vi
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page vii
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Maps xiii
Zoroastrianism:AnIntroduction xvii
ChapterI: Zoroastrians Present and Past 1
ChapterII: The Ancient Persians: Truth-Tellers and 31
Paradise-Builders
ChapterIII: A Zoroastrian Presence from Seleucia 65
to Sistan: The Parthian Period
ChapterIV: Eranshahr: The Sasanian Center of the World 99
ChapterV: The Zoroastrians of Central Asia 135
ChapterVI: Gabr-Mahalle: Zoroastrians in Islamic Iran 159
ChapterVII: Parsipanu: Zoroastrianism in India 189
ChapterVIII: Zoroastrians Present: Revisited 217
ChapterIX: Zarathushtra Present and Past 233
Appendix 1: Textual Timeline 243
Appendix 2: The Five Gathas 245
Appendix 3: Outline of the Yasna 247
Appendix 4: A Selective Historical Timeline 249
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page viii
viii Zoroastrianism:AnIntroduction
Glossary of Names and Terms 251
Illustration, Map and Picture Credits 257
Notes 261
Select Resources 287
Index 291
00c Zoroastrianism i-xxiv 4/8/10 09:43 Page ix
Acknowledgements
The study of the Zoroastrian religion involves more areas of
specialization than any one person is capable of mastering in a
lifetime. These fields include art history, archeology, anthropology,
numismatics, philology, sociology, Classical studies, and Central
Asian and Chinese studies. I have, therefore, called extensively – and
shamelessly–upontheexpertiseofcolleaguesfromvariousacademic
disciplines, and of Zoroastrians from around the world, to help fill
the gaps in my knowledge.
I would, therefore, like to offer my grateful thanks to the
following (listed alphabetically), who either read and commented
upon draft chapters, or who answered my onslaught of questions,
and some brave souls who did both: Poras Balsara, Carlo Cereti,
Jamsheed Choksy, Vesta Curtis, Touraj Daryaee, Malcolm Deboo,
AlbertDien,ShorenaKurtsikidze,ChristianLuczanits,JessePalsetia,
Martin Schwartz, Nicholas Sims-Williams, Oktor Skjaervø, Michael
Stausberg, Matt Stolper, David Stronach, Jamshid Varza, Phiroze
Vasunia and Yuhan Vevaina. Almut Hintze deserves a medal for
readingthefinaltextwithherkeen-but-kindlyeyefordetail.Special
thanks go to Poras and Burzin Balsara, Manijeh and Behram Deboo,
Neekaan Oshidary, Dr. Mobed Rostam Vahidi, Parviz and Susan
Varjavand, Jamshid Varza and Anahita Sidhwa for sharing their
personalexperiencesandreflections,andtothehospitableZardoshtis
of Taft and Mazra-ye Kalantar in Iran for welcoming me into their
homes and their Darb-i Mihrs in the spring of 2009.
My thanks to Poras Balsara, Frantz Grenet, Hajime Inagaki,
Barbara Kaim, Judith Lerner and Keyvan Safdari for providing some
greatimages,andtoCGUgraduatestudent,LucasSchulte,forsome
sterling editing. I am also indebted to my husband, Bruce Benedict,
for applying his journalistic skills to the final text, his photo-editing
