tour 3 of 11
Iran before Islam: The Sasanians
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is named after the Prophet
Zarathustra (Zoroaster in Greek), who lived around 1000 BC. It had
been the most important religion in the region of Iran for
centuries and became the official state religion under Shapur II
(309-379). This remained the case throughout the Sasanian
period.
According to
Zarathustra, the universe was created by Ahura Mazda, who also
maintains order in the spirit world. He represents Good in the
battle against Evil (personified as Angra Mainyu) and he is
assisted by six Holy Immortals (Spenta Mainyu). Amongst other
things, they make sure that only the rightful kings of Iran come
into possession of the God-given Glory, the
khvarenah.
The
Sasanian kings always wore a distinctive crown, often bearing the
symbol of their favourite
yazata or divine being.
As the coin inscriptions mention the personal name of the king, it
is possible to identify different kings on rock-reliefs and small
objects by their
crown.
Ardashir I (224-241)
wore several different combinations of headgear during his reign: a
tall bejewelled hat; a
diadem or headband; and
a cap with a diadem and
silk-covered ball of hair. All these types have on the back the
Zoroastrian fire altar and throne. The rock relief pictured here,
from Naqsh-i Rustam near Persepolis, southern Iran, shows Ardashir
on the left receiving his diadem from Ahura Mazda. The horses
trample on the bodies of two defeated enemies: one is the Parthian
king Ardavan and the other is Angra
Mainyu.
Ardashir was
particularly associated with Anahita, the
yazata of Fertility and
all Waters. Other important
yazatas include Mithra,
who controls the sun, moon and seasons, and Verethragna or Bahram,
the victorious warrior god.