Political Thought in Sassanid Texts

The Sassanid era marked a significant turning point in the history of Iran. This period witnessed the establishment of an authoritarian political system that was based on the unity of religion and government, resulting in the formation of a distinct political and intellectual system shaped by a fusion of nationality and religion. The present study aims to examine the key features of Zoroastrian-Sassanid political thought, focusing primarily on essays written during the Sassanid period or early Islamic centuries under the influence of the Zoroastrian-Sassanid tradition, which dealt with political and monarchical themes. The basic characteristics of the political thought in the texts of this era were studied by drawing upon the descriptive-analytical as well as textual method in terms of religiosity and politics, social hierarchy and universal order, and Farre Kiyani (Farvahar) and the monarchial seed. The main texts under study include Kar-Namag i Ardashir i Pabagan, Ardashir’s covenant, Letter of Tansar, and Kar-Namag i Anushirvan. The results of the study show that the Zoroastrian-Sassanid political thought is derived from an intellectual system in which humans and the human society are inextricably connected to the universe and universal order. For this reason, the political system is obligated to apply religion and its rulings as the supreme manifestation of the order and laws of the universe. In conformity to the universal order, it is inevitable for the human society to involve hierarchies and piety. The society is symbolized by the king. The king must represent the beliefs and values of Mazdayasna both in terms of lineage and in terms of act and character