What kind of contact and relationship did ancient Iran have with the South Arabian states like Himyar and Saba?

I was just reading a book of pre-modern Arabic women's poetry today, and one was a pre-Islamic one, of a woman's message to her love essentially saying "the foreign man hasn't touched me, I'm still yours". The accompanying note says that an Iranian prince kidnapped the poet as she was enroute to Yemen to get married. The story around the poem struck me as unlikely, but it makes me wonder about the truth of relations between the two regions. I can try and look up the poem when I'm home this evening (if that would help at all), I read it very briefly this morning.

Second question: I notice you say Persia Past and Iranian Present - I'm sure this was deliberate. What distinguishes Persia from Iran? And from the Iranian perspective, is it considered the history of Iran or the history of Fars?

Hi, thanks a lot for doing this AMA! Pre-Islamic Iranian sources all the way from the Gathas and Yashts to the Achaemenid inscriptions to Pahlavi writings differ in key respects (genre, literary style, social context) from the narrative histories of the Classical and Hellenic world. Do you find there is a bias in how many classicists evaluate Iranian sources (if they at all choose to engage with them), many of which were composed in an oral context, based on preconceived notions of what a "proper" primary source is supposed to look like? What, if anything, do you think can be done to increase and improve engagement with pre-Islamic Iranian sources in academia?

(Personally, I have found that a lot of scholars of the classics are excessively dismissive of influence of Iranian culture and ideas on the Classical and Hellenic world due to unreasonable expectations on the contents of Iranian sources, but I'm an amateur, so my perspective is a bit constrained).

This might be sorta outta your scope, but due to the title (and Iranian present) I'm just gonna go ahead:

How is the Persian pre-islamic past used and understood in the modern Islamic Republic? Do they teach it in schools as jahiliya? As a proud history? Do politicians and the state use it in nation-building?

How does this gribe with the different minorities within the country? Is it seen as a shared past, or something specifically for the farsi that excludes others?

Big question I know! But as I'm a historian studying the contemporary middle east, I find the use and conceptualization of the past fascinating

Persia has been characterized as an exotic, sometimes fantastic land in European translations of the 1,001 Nights and novels like William Beckford's Vathek; but how did Persia view Europe? Was the west seen as strange and exotic, decadent or barbaric?

What were Medes? Persians, an Iranic branch related to Persians?

I saw that there were a lot of argument against the historicity of a Mede Empire, but what was the political structure of Medes before the establishment of the Achemenid Empire : a broad coalition of chiefdoms or petty-kingdoms, a more or less unified confederation, or were they barely different from Persians even at this point?

Why did Herodotus mentioned a Mede Empire if it didn't actually existed as such, especially giving that he accounted for fairly recent events?

Thanks you for doing this AMA!

When I was studying Achaemenid Persia it felt like there was a fairly big gap between classical, Greece focused academia's understanding of Persia and the perspectives of Achaemenid historians. Do you think that gap is closing at all, that classicists/Greek historians are becoming better acquainted with Achaemenid-focused perspectives?

As far as I'm aware, Zoroastrianism is a religion based upon dualism, of a contrast between light and dark. Was this belief ever used as justification for war, i.e. foreign gods are an aspect of dark and consequently must be destroyed?

Thank you for doing this AMA!

Hello!

I’m Kurdish, and I’ve always wondered about the origins of the Kurds.

Some say our ancestors were the Medes, others say it were the Carduchoi.

Then you have others who say that the Kurds were first ethnically Persian and then later on split off from the Persian ethnic group.

Modern Iranian nationalism often asserts that the Cyrus Cylinder includes the first declaration of human rights, which is apparently erroneous. What does it actually say, and how did this come to be interpreted as a human rights declaration?

When I think of Ancient Greece, I tend to think of it as "European", and it's neighboring powers of Persia and Egypt as "Non-European". But after reading some posts on AH it seems like they were far more interconnected than I thought, and that the idea of Ancient Greece being "European" and Persia being "not European" is a modern narrative that tries to trace "Western Civilization" to the ancients. Would it make more sense, then, to think of the entire Greece/Near East/Egypt region as a "Eastern Mediterranean" region, rather than dividing it up into "Europe/Asia/Africa" regions?

Hi Lloyd. Thanks for taking part in this AMA.

My question is about the view of the Sassanid Shahs towards their eastern domains. It seems that in comparison to the Sassanid relationship with the Romans not as much is understood about the Empire's political and economic interactions with central Asia and India. How did the Persian kings see these peoples and what records do we have to show what such relations were like.

Hi professor,

In your book King and Court in Ancient Persia, 559-331 BCE, you seem to disagree strongly with those of the 'Achaemenid Workshop' (e.g. Briant, Sancisi-Weerdenburg) who question the idea of a harem in context of Greek ideas of Persian decadence. Although your argument of a private space at Persepolis being the 'location' of a harem is quite convincing, the functions of different spaces and areas at Persepolis is still up to interpretation. Has there been any further textual or archaeological developments in the past five years that has attested to the idea of a Persian harem?

What was Persian philosophy like? What important discussions where being had in the earliest centuries on how did the Greek influence change those topics? How did they view Greek philosophy in the pre/post Socratic era?

Hi Professor, I would be interested in understanding more on the transition between the Parthian and Sassanid periods. What's the best way to think of it - was it a 'revolution' or civil war, did Persian religion/military/culture remain constant across the transition or did it have societal effects? Is there a parallel in Roman history that would make it easier to understand? Also, how much native literature remains on that topic, cf. the loads of info we have from multiple Roman authors who found their own civil wars a rich subject. Cheers!

Hi Professor! Could you ELI5 the dynasties of pre-Islamic Iran? I know there was the Archaemenid Empire which became the Sassanid Empire which then became the Selucid Empire which was then conquered by the Romans which was then retook by Parthia.

How did Parthia come into existence? And what came before the Archaemenids? This sub's booklist mentions the Elamites, were they the Archaemenid predecessors or something else entirely? And what came after Parthia?

Do games like Prince of Persia etc help or hinder the western worlds perspective of Ancient Persia?

Bit of a rudimentary question but I think it’s interesting to look at how history from that part of the world is portrayed in the western world.

When the ancient Iranians first migrated into Iran from Central Asia, what happened to the original inhabitants? Were they absorbed into Iranian society?

What are the exact definitions of and distinctions between Persians, Iranians and indo-Iranians as people’s and concepts?

For example, Did the (indo-Iranian speaking) nomadic Alans and settled Persians in the Middle Ages see themselves as related?

Thanks!

Oh, I have another question if you have the time. Have you read Richard E. Payne's "A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity"? If so, what do you think of its take on the perspectives on and treatment of religious minorities? I thought it was interesting with a fresh take on the subject, but I found some parts (like his take on Kerdir's inscriptions) to be so exculpatory toward the Sasanians as to border on apologetics.

Hi Professor! What books and resources do you recommend to learn about the political and military history of of Persia and pre-Islamic Iran?

do you think there was any one major innovation that the persian empire did compared to the babylonians and assyrians that allowed them to expand and be so successful? say administrative efficiency or relative cultural tolerance.

Do we have any knowledge of how the Persian empire was perceived in the Middle Ages? Alexander was one of the Nine Worthies, but what about his archetypical foe?

Persia seems to be a very mountainous region. Why were they conquered so many times by mounted nomads (Persians, Parthians, Mongols)?

Thank you so much for doing this AMA! I've been stalking your Twitter (which is great, and everyone should follow!) and while I know it is a little far afield from what you're intending to focus on today, I couldn't help but ask if you could offer a little more about this gown you shared last week, which I thought was just absolutely striking! Was this part of a larger Byzantine-influenced fashion trend in the early 20th century? I know your most recent book is on modern perception of the ancient world, so even if you might not know too much more on this dress in particular, I'd really love to hear a little more on how it at least fits into the broader picture of revivalism in that period!

You mention the important of viewpoint, so I have a somewhat more historiography question for you, namely how has the viewpoint in (implicit to my question being Western, English-language) how historians have approached Persian history changed over the 20th century? What was the state of things, and how it was understood, c. 1900 and what kind of shift do we see to that for something written post-2000? Were there any really important, paradigm shifts in the interim, or has change been mostly more gradual?

I've always wondered about the elemental worship of Zoroastrianism. In what manner were many Fire Temples and Water Cellars closed? How were those that remain preserved? Were there similar ritualistic structures to keep the Earth and the Air clean?

I suppose Fire Temples are the most spectacular today. What evidence is there of fires being kept alive through the centuries?

Thank you so much for doing this AMA! I've been wondering about how traditional Western tropes in portrayals of Persian empires influence histories on the Seleucid Empire. From the Greek historians to those of the modern day, Persia (esp. Achaemenid Persia) has more often than not been portrayed as opulent and tyrannical. Seeing as how the Seleucids inherited both much of the Achaemenids' territory and many of its institutions, to what extent has the Seleucid Empire been portrayed with similar stereotypes to the Achaemenids throughout the ages?

Thanks for doing such a fascinating AMA!

Persia, and Iran in particular, have always been in a hugely influential trading area. Trading east to west especially. Was there much trade flowing North? And what kind of influence on Iranian culture came from all the trade happening?

I made a question about the perceptions of subsequent "Persian" empires on previous "Persian" empires:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/b9yrp0/im_a_well_off_relatively_well_learned_person_in/.

Is there a good source on the subject or a good place for me to start on the subject? Or if this question has already been answered in here, could you provide me with a link to the response? I noticed a similar question by Arab-Jesus for example, but it didnt seem just quite the exact thing I was asking.

This isn't a history question, per se, but I was wondering if you've read Ramadan from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which reflects a little bit on the split between the mythic Baghdad of stories and present day (well in the early 90s) Iraq. It seems like an interesting parallel to your own work and I was wondering if you had thoughts or comments on it.

Thanks very much for doing this. I wonder if you've read either Sarah Savant's The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran or Alison Vacca's Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam, both of which deal with the ways that Sasanian memory had to be contended with in the early days of Islam, and more generally if you have any thoughts on memory studies and the search for traditionskerne in later texts. As I understand, this is something that's gaining traction, and I'm curious about your take on the the whole thing.

In a class I took this past fall about Central Asia, we touched briefly on how New Persian first became prominent in Central Asia, not in the geographic area that now is Iran. I was curious if you had any more information about both how this happened, and especially on how the Persian language would eventually become the predominant language in Iran.

Hello professor, my only exposure to ancient near eastern history has been through Dan Carlin’s hardcore history podcast “king of kings”, so excuse my ignorance, there’s mention of cyrus’s Persian empires success being due to his tolerance of other religious customs and local ones as opposed to the assyrians and Babylonian states policy of establishing cultural hegemony, is their any merit to this? Seeing as you’ve mentioned Cyrus was as brutal as his contemporaries?

I know this may be bit off from what you asked for the AMA, but I'll ask it anyway. Alexander the Great had plans to conquer Arabia after he completed his campaigns in Persia and India. How different do you think the world would be if he had fulfilled everything he planned to do?

Hope its still open

I find the case of Afghanistan very interesting. Its the guy between two large civilisations. It has been under cultural and political influence of Persia more often than that of India.

Can you recommend me any sources(not necessarily academic) that deal with Persian and India influence of Afghanistan, and their intersection?

Thanks

Don't know how to put it. Since we inherited our historical narrative from the Greeks, Persia was for us is the classic "Orient", the East, Asia, the Other. But of course we know they were white people, "Iran" comes from "Aryan". So why do their customs, such as the more absolute power of kings, less freedom for subjects, seem so alien for us? And especially why does their artwork, weapons, all that visual stuff, seem so alien and strange, indeed "oriental" and "Asian" to me, if they were the descendants of the same Aryan invaders, as we Europeans are? It is hard to define exactly where that difference in artwork or weapons lies. I would say, European stuff is more straight lines and the stereotypical "Oriental" stuff is curved? Not sure. Maybe only true for swords. Or things are more decorated? Somehow there is nothing I have ever seen from cataphract armor to Sassanid cups that would make me think "yes, same kind of white people made it as those who made Roman shields". Really strange.

The Romans are famous for their feats of wartime engineering, such as the Walls of Hadrian. The Persians though also seemed to have massive walls, like the Gorgon Wall and Derbent Wall. How effective were the Persian fortifications, and how did their engineering compare with Roman engineering capabilities?

Can you tell me more about the Hephthalite–Persian Wars? The Wikipedia page is woefully underdetailed.

How did Zorastrianism get so thoroughly replaced by Islam? Did Zorastrianism have any impact on the worship of Islam in Persia? Was there ever a Zorastrian church hierarchy like in the catholic church?

Hello Professor,

I wonder if there was an invasion of nomadic peoples to Sassanid Empire at the meantime of Great Migrations Era in Europe. I have heard of Hephtalites invading India sometime around 5th century AD, but I have never heard of a nomadic incursion into Iranian Plateau around that time. Was that because of the natural barriers of Iran protecting it from the nomads of today's Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan? Or Sassanids gave tribute in some way or another as Eastern Rome did with Attila?

Hello, thanks for doing this AMA, I am enjoying reading the questions and answers!

I have a question that deals with both Persian past and Iranian present, in your opinion, which Persian ruler of ancient era has had the most profound effect on modern times and in what way?

Assuming it's not too late to ask, what was life in ancient Iran like? How did the people live their day-to-day lives? What kinds of occupations were there? What kinds of social structures or support networks existed in the cities? How did people feel about their governments or ruling officials? What did they think about their place in the world and the peoples who lived near them? Did they think of themselves as part of a greater Iranian culture or ethnicity?

Sorry if that's a lot! I guess I'm just really curious.

This might be a completely different question, but how do you view the notion of Iranian exceptionalism?

There is a persistent view among Iranians that their culture is unique in its richness, its longevity and the fact that nearly every non-Iranian people with whom it has interacted were awed and swayed by its culture, including the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and the Turks. Sometimes even noting that every empire that conquered Iran, was eventually conquered by Iranian culture and identity.

In addition, they note that the resilience of its culture and geopolitical prowess is unmatched, as the territory of Iran has witnessed the periodic rise of several great empires that shook up the world with its boldness, inguinety and quest for peer recognition, all the while overcoming near catastrophical events and invasions that paralyzed the entire nation in the short and medium term.

Also, as I have been thinking about this lately, to what extent is the current Islamic Republic a continuation of this chronic Iranian urge for outward expansion, geopolitical prowess and external recognition? To me, the current Islamic Republic contains a lot of intrinsic similarities with the Sassanids, if one would overlook the obvious change in religious identity. If I am correct, the Sassanids, like the Islamists in Iran, fiercely opposed the existing regime of that time (Parthians vs the Pahlavis) for its promotion and adoption of Western culture (Hellenism), both had a powerful religious class (magis vs ulema) that actively interfered in domestic politics as well as the fact that both the Sassanids and the current regime made it their top priority to challenge the regional power balance, in which case the Roman Empire and now the United States.

Would you agree with these striking similarities?

You mentioned that the population of Opis was massacred. The Nabonidus Chronicle tells us that the inhabitants of Akkad revolted, but that "he" massacred the inhabitants. And most translators of the chronicle disagree on whether it was Nabonidus or Cyrus that committed the massacre, and also who was killed, the inhabitants of Opis or Babylonian army.

Considering that Nabonidus was a very unpopular king, among the commoners and priests due to the way he seized power as well as neglecting the chief god Marduk and elevating the moon good Sin. Do you not think it's highly plausible that it was Nabonidus that massacred his people? Since the Chronicle is composed by the priests of Marduk who were against him. Even at the end of the chronicle, it even mentions that there was peace in the city of Babylon as Cyrus entered, the inhabitants were joyful, Cyrus appointed local governors and also performed the rites of Marduk. So it also worked as a propaganda tool for Cyrus, and against Nabonidus as the priests seems to have wanted to vilify Nabonidus.

Also consider the Verse Account of Nabonidus, which also shows Nabonidus as the enemy of the priests of Marduk and Cyrus is presented as the liberator of Babylon. And that the Cyrus cylinder is most likely authored by the same priests as well, as it gives similar accounts to the other inscriptions I've mentioned.

Did the Achaemenid Persians have favoritism with other Iraniac peoples in terms of employment in Royal and other satrap bureaucracies?

Hello. I have a question about Iran’s role with nazi Germany in WWII. How was their relationship and what were the repercussions when both the soviets and England came to Iran for the Tripartite Treaty off Alliance? My (Tehrani) father says this treaty really was a cover for England and Soviet Russia to take oil from Iran without giving anything back. Thank you.