La bibliothèque numérique kurde (BNK)
Retour au resultats
Imprimer cette page

The Cambridge History of Iran - III


Auteur :
Éditeur : Cambridge University Press Date & Lieu : 2000, Cambridge
Préface : Pages : 864
Traduction : ISBN : 13 978-0-520092
Langue : AnglaisFormat : 305x435mm
Code FIKP : Liv. En.Thème : Histoire

Présentation
Table des Matières Introduction Identité PDF
The Cambridge History of Iran - III


The Cambridge History of Iran - III

Ehsan Yarshater

Cambridge University Press


This volume encompasses a time span of about one thousand years, from the emergence of the Seleucid empire in 312 B.C. to the collapse of the Sasanian empire in A.D. 651. The period saw the rise and fall of three mighty dynasties, the Seleucids, the Arsacids, and the Sasanians, as well as the formation of a number of states and empires to the east, notably the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Kushan empire. In the religious sphere the millennium witnessed the expansion of gnostic tendencies in western Iran and Mesopotamia, culminating in the appearance and spread of Manichaeism; the consolidation of Zoroastrianism under the Sasanians as an authoritarian state Church; and the birth and suppression of the egalitarian movement of the Mazdakites. In more general terms, the era saw the ascendency and demise of Hellenism in Iran; the development of a distinct Iranian art-style with wide impact; the evolution of a national saga; the development of local systems of writing in the major provinces; and finally, the shaping of an administrative system and court procedures which were to play an important role in the 'Abbasid caliphate and its eastern vassal states.

.....



EDITORIAL NOTE

Efforts have been made to achieve a measure of consistency in the transcription of Iranian words and proper names. However, ambiguities in the spelling and pronunciation of Middle-Iranian words make complete consistency neither possible nor desirable. In some cases different spellings represent different readings or opinions (e.g. Kartir/Kerdir/Kirter); in others variant forms are sufficiently current to warrant noninterference (e.g. Hormazd/Hormizd); yet in others different spellings are dictated by the period or the context (e.g. Ahura Mazda/Ohrmazd/Hormizd, Artaxser/Ardashir, Stakhr/Istakhr, xwarmahlx"arra\farralj). Therefore a number of alternative spellings have been allowed. In a few cases the difference stems from the use of classical or anglicized forms (e.g. Chorasmia/Khwarazm, Chosroes/Khusrau, Bushahr/Bushire). Itis also worth adding a note on the transliteration of Russian (which turns up primarily in the citration of sources). With manuscripts coming in over a number of years, and from scholars in various disciplines, writing their original contributions in several different languages, it seemed neither prudent nor practicable to impose a single system of transliteration.

Each Part of the Volume is preceded by a short editorial note to place the chapters of that Part in perspective. Cross references are used in the footnotes to indicate or coordinate discussions of the same subject in different contexts, or to point out divergent views [normally in square brackets].

The bibliography to each chapter serves both to provide the details of the works referred to in the footnotes and to bring together a comprehensive selection of publications for the benefit of researchers.

A general review and synthesis of the topics treated in the volume is attempted in the Introduction.

Invitations to contributors began to go out more than ten years ago. Whereas some chapters were received as late as 1980 a few were written in the early seventies and the majority in the middle seventies. Although the authors have been able to check the proofs in the period 1977-80 and bring the bibliographies generally up to date and even make use of recent publications, the reader should bear in mind that the occasional absence of some recent works in the bibliographies cannot reflect on the diligence of the authors but is attributable to the long process that was inevitably involved in the preparation of a volume of this kind.

The Editor wishes to acknowledge with thanks the assistance he has received from a number of colleagues. Sir Harold Bailey has generously helped with much useful information and bibliographical data; Edith Porada kindly prepared for publication the chapter on Parthian art by the late Daniel Schlumberger, and Trudy S. Kawami compiled the bibliography for it; Ilya Gershevitch revised the translation of the late Jean de Menasce's chapter on Zoroastrian literature and Philip Gignoux drafted the bibliography; Mary Boyce reviewed the chapters on the National History and Mazdakism and made valuable suggestions. Peter Burbidge of the Cambridge University Press provided the muchneeded drive for the completion of the volume.

The Editor is especially grateful to his friend Hubert Darke, the Editorial Secretary, who supervised the preparation of the illustrations and maps, checked a great many bibliographical items, and helped with the correction of proofs with characteristic care and exemplary dedication; in fact his unfailing readiness to assist in all aspects of the editorial function proved essential. The Editor is further indebted to his friends Ilya Gershevitch, Mary Boyce and Prudence Harper for reading the Introduction and offering helpful criticism.

Cordial thanks are due to all the contributors to the volume for their forbearance with the long process of editing and publication.

E.Y.
Columbia University
January 1982



Introduction

This volume encompasses a time span of about one thousand years, from the emergence of the Seleucid empire in 312 B.C. to the collapse of the Sasanian empire in A.D. 651. The period saw the rise and fall of three mighty dynasties, the Seleucids, the Arsacids, and the Sasanians, as well as the formation of a number of states and empires to the east, notably the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Kushan empire. In the religious sphere the millennium witnessed the expansion of gnostic tendencies in western Iran and Mesopotamia, culminating in the appearance and spread of Manichaeism; the consolidation of Zoroastrianism under the Sasanians as an authoritarian state Church; and the birth and suppression of the egalitarian movement of the Mazdakites. In more general terms, the era saw the ascendency and demise of Hellenism in Iran; the development of a distinct Iranian art-style with wide impact; the evolution of a national saga; the development of local systems of writing in the major provinces; and finally, the shaping of an administrative system and court procedures which were to play an important role in the 'Abbasid caliphate and its eastern vassal states.

The History of the Period

Seleucus, one of Alexander's generals, seized Babylon in 312 B.C. and forged a large empire which included most of western Asia. The eastern provinces of the empire, however, where the Parthians, Bactrians, Sogdians and Chorasmians lived, did not remain long in the possession of the Seleucids, slipping away from their hold when the satrapies of Bactria and Parthia aspired to sovereignty. The defection in 246 B.C.  of Diodotus, satrap of Bactria, marked the beginning of a new dynasty, the Greco-Bactrian, which gradually expanded southward, occupying the Kabul valley, the Peshawar region, and Taxila in the Punjab. Eventually this led to the formation of other dynasties with a southward bent - the Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian. They controlled Afghanistan, northwestern India, and sometimes beyond, before the Kushans, leading some powerful Saka tribes, supplanted them in the 1st century A.D.1

 

.....

1 The date and the ethnic identity of the Kushan kings is controversial; see pp. 197ff. for a full discussion. (Chapter and page numbers mentioned in these notes without specifications refer to chapters and pages in the present volume; page numbers in brackets refer to the bibliography.)




Fondation-Institut kurde de Paris © 2024
BIBLIOTHEQUE
Informations pratiques
Informations légales
PROJET
Historique
Partenaires
LISTE
Thèmes
Auteurs
Éditeurs
Langues
Revues