The Institution of Nursery (Dayegan) during Sasanid Era

During Sasanid Era the Princesses of the royal family, particularty the crown prince, were supposed to learn and master various kingly arts and techniques like horse riding, archery, hunting, javelin throwing,and some other ways associated with royalty. Also the princesses were taught being just, giving, faithful, chivalrous and self deciplined. Sometimes they were taught in the way that it can be called “the institution of nursery”. There are many references to the nurses/teachers in the Armanian and also Georgian literature regarding Ashkanian and Sasanids. In this system of education the princesses, especaially the crown prince, learnt the kingly manners and ways by someone related to the royalty in one way or the other. The nurse/teacher saw it as his duty to support the prince whom he has educated. In the historical text the the word nurse (dayeh) and nursery system (dayegan) means a woman who feeds milk to the babies and also it may mean a caretaker who may be a woman or a man. Various historical reports indicate that the institution of nursery (dayegan) or educating the princesses of the royal family was wellknown for about five centutries. It also was practiced among the people related to Sasanides in that era.The present research tries to explain educating the princesses or so called the “dayegan institution” during Sasanids utilizing historical documents.