New Historical and Literary Evidence about the Parthian Origins of Weiss and Ramin Story

There have been many discussions about the origins of the story of Weiss and Ramin for a long time. Some researchers do not believe that this story belongs to a specific time and place and refer to it as "fictional". Others have given it a historical identity and attributed its origin to the Sassanid, Parthian, or other historical periods. Based on Minorski's research, the attribution of this story to the Parthian era is more likely than other periods. In the current research, an attempt has been made to present new evidence and references about the Parthian origin of the story by analyzing historical and literary sources from a new perspective, in addition to Minoruski’s evidence. Furthermore, more evidence has been provided in support of some of his views. The method used in this research is to avoid generalization and try to get clear details related to the Parthian origins of the story. First, the background, various hypotheses, and theories about the origins of this story are mentioned; then, by studying the history and sources related to the Parthian era, it is shown that the events of this era are reflected in Weiss and Ramin. In this regard, new evidence from the Parthian period in connection with the geographical territory, narrative, epic and oral traditions, rituals, entertainment and games, the importance of horses, riding and shooting, the structure of the army, and the like are examined and analyzed.