Bibliographia Iranica

A predominantly bibliographic blog for Iranian Studies

Category: Articles

  • Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift

    Wiechmann, Yannick A. 2025. Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift: Lokale Schreibtraditionen und sakrale Sinnstiftung? Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 116: 217-241.

    This paper deals with aspects of semography in the Old Persian script. The so-called ideograms or logograms were quite neglected in former studies on Old Persian. From a graphematic perspective, this study opts to call these signs semograms for a broader view beyond mere logography. Further, it is asked whether we can observe dia-chronic or diatopic developments in the usage of these signs. While most semograms were probably developed in the time of Darius I, most of them went out of use after his reign, but were reactivated beginning with Darius II with a peak in the time of Artaxerxes II. Although semograms are totally absent in Old Persian inscriptions in some places)Bīsutūn, Elvend and Naqš-i Rostam), the sign for “King” was used in many places. The other signs, though, are rather limited to Susa and Hagmatāna. Finally, it is asked why semograms do exist at all. While it seems not convincing to explain their existence with the economy of writing, they fit quite well in the royal ideology and may provide sacrality. In the context of the old, traditional and sacral writing systems of the Achaemenid Empire)especially Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs), they provided an important feature to the Old Persian script which it originally lacked and which could become quite obvious when trilingual and quadrilingual inscriptions were designed.

  • WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages

    Neda Mohtashami, Yusef Saadat & Kianoosh Rezania. 2025. Eschatologia Iranica III: WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages: A CMT-based Case Study. Metaphor Papers 19.

    This article explores the metaphorical usage of way-nouns in selected Iranian languages, emphasizing their role in conceptualizing conduct of life and shaping normative ideals through the lens of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). By examining linguistic and cultural elements across Avestan, Old and Middle Persian sources, the study traces the evolution of terms denoting physical routes, which have been abstracted to symbolize moral and spiritual guidance. Central to this analysis is the conceptual metaphor conduct of life is motion on/to a way, which frames ethical and ritual life as a journey along a purposeful route. This metaphor underscores the normative dimensions of human conduct, portraying adherence to divine directives and alignment with Order/Truth (Aṣ̌a) as fundamental components of an ideal moral and/or ritual trajectory.

  • Sasanian by way of the Caliphate

    Sasanian by way of the Caliphate

    Ottewill-Soulsby, Sam. 2025. The circle of the world: The global diplomacy of Caliph al-Manṣūr. Bulletin of SOAS 88(3). 523–538.

    Between 757 and 768, the second ʿAbbāsid caliph, al-Manṣūr, engaged in an unprecedented set of foreign relations which stretched across Afro-Eurasia, from Tang China to Carolingian Francia. The unique scale of this activity has previously gone unnoticed because much of the evidence comes from the caliph’s diplomatic partners. Al-Manṣūr’s dealings with these polities tend to be taken on a case-by-case basis, resulting in often-unconvincing explanations of his motives. By instead taking all of this activity together as a whole, we can see a deliberate policy of “prestige diplomacy”, in which the caliph sought to legitimize his regime to a domestic audience by bringing envoys and gifts to his court, following Sasanian models of universal kingship.

    Abstract

    Ellis, Caitlin & Sam Ottewill-Soulsby. 2026. The caliph and the falcons: A ninth-century history from Iceland to Iraq. Early Medieval Europe, Early View.

    In the late ninth and early tenth centuries, an extraordinary number of falcons were given to the ʿAbbāsid caliphs in Baghdad, many of which were white. Gifts from competing dynasties in the northern provinces of the Caliphate, at least some of these birds were almost certainly gyrfalcons from near the Arctic Circle. This article argues that they came from Scandinavia and that their appearance in Baghdad can be linked to Norse settlement in Iceland. The journey of these gyrfalcons demonstrates the importance of access to northern goods for caliphal politics and the impact of scarce animal resources on early medieval trade.

    Abstract

  • The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin

    Malekzadeh, Mehrdad, Reza Naseri, Elena Fausti, Andrea Cesaretti & Roberto Dan. 2026. The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran): local identities and imperial connections on the northern Iranian plateau. Antiquity. Published online 2026:1-9. doi:10.15184/aqy.2026.10317.

    Rescue excavations at Mersin (Semnan, Iran) reveal a tightly patterned Achaemenid-period cemetery. Thirty-four graves, excavated between 2014 and 2024, combine local mortuary traditions with imperial-era objects, demonstrating how provincial communities selectively adopted imperial markers to negotiate identity and refining narratives for the empire’s north-eastern interior.

  • Iran and the Caucasus 30 (1)

    Iran and the Caucasus 30 (1)

    Volume 30, issue 1, of Iran and the Caucasus has now been published.

    As always, we are grateful to the staff at Yale Classics Library (@yaleclassicslib.bsky.social) for sharing this publication information with us.

  • Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs

    Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs

    Asefi, Nima & Shervin Farridnejad. 2026. Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs dating to the reigns of Xusrō II and Ohrmazd IV. Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology 4(6). 1–24.

    In 2024, images of three previously unknown Middle Persian documents on leather became available, reportedly originating from an undisclosed location in Fārs province, Iran. All three documents are formal letters. In this article, we propose that the documents originate from the same site, Tang-e Bolāġī, as seven other documents which became known beginning in 2023. Based on an analysis of the opening sections of these three new documents, we argue that two date to the reign of Xusrō II (r. 590–628 CE), while the third is attributable to the reign of his father, Ohrmazd IV (r. 579–590 CE). We furthermore consider the evidence for the titulature of the Sasanian kings at the end of the 6th and beginning of the 7th centuries CE.

    Abstract

  • Herodotus on the Expedition of Datis and Artaphrenes

    Degen, Julian. 2025. Herodotus on the Expedition of Datis and Artaphrenes: Athenian Imperialism Mirrored in the First Persian War. The Classical Quarterly, FirstView. 1–14.

    By accepting a later dating for the composition of the Histories, this article argues that Herodotus mirrors Athenian imperialism in his account of the First Persian War to convey a political message to contemporary recipients. In doing so, he departs from the prevailing tradition of the expedition of Datis and Artaphrenes by creating a narrative that manipulates Persian methods of conquest, presenting them in a manner that appears emblematic of Athenian imperialism. In this way, the Herodotean Persians do not adhere to their expected cultural script, but act out the Athenian script. This reading offers a new understanding of Herodotus’ account of the Persian campaign as conveying a message to the Athenians who began to recognize that their former policies toward their allies were transgressive imperialism. As a result, his account of the First Persian War is a sophisticated meditation on the effects of imperialism rather than a straightforward depiction of historical events.

  • Khotanese dīñ- “overthink”

    Khotanese dīñ- “overthink”

    Hitch, Doug & Mehrdad Derafshi. 2025. Khotanese dīñ- “overthink” and Avestan daēnā- “view, vision.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 1–10.

    Two new folios from the Old Khotanese epic Buddhist poem the Book of Zambasta have recently come to light. One folio contains the word dīñu which is thrice attested elsewhere in both Old (dīñi, dīña) and Late Khotanese (dīñä) and has been puzzling. The new attestation provides context which helps to establish the approximate meaning of the word. It also provides a new shape (-u) which establishes the morphology. Most shapes (-u, –i, –ä) attest a second singular imperative middle of dīñ– “to overthink”. This finding improves the translation of several passages. dīñ– appears to be a denominal verb from *dīnā– “thought”, cognate to Avestan daēnā– “view, vision” and related to Vedic dhī– “think, reflect”. The semantic development appears to be “see” → “think” → “overthink”.

    Abstract
  • Achaemenid royal women in Egypt

    Achaemenid royal women in Egypt

    Kaczanowicz, Marta. 2025. Invisible figures: Achaemenid royal women in Egypt. Old World: Journal of Ancient Africa and Eurasia. Brill 5(2). 1–19.

    This contribution aims to reexamine the frequently stated assertion that Achaemenid royal women were not involved in Egypt and its affairs during the periods of Persian rule on the Nile. The evidence is considered against the Persian concept of queenship rather than focusing solely on the Egyptian perspective on the role of royal women within the ideology of power. It is proposed that, instead of reflecting a lack of interest by the Achaemenids in cultivating Egyptian traditions in this regard, the existing corpus of sources, small though it may be, is a result of a combination of selective preservation of evidence and contemporary perceptions of the position and prerogatives of the royal women in the Persian court.

    Abstract
  • Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II

    Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II

    Baca-Winters, Keenan. 2025. A most vicious game: Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II. Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History 3(2). 25–53.

    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