پژوهش نامه فرهنگ و زبان های باستانی
سال سوم شماره 2 (پیاپی 5، پاییز و زمستان 1401)

Data for this research was collected in a library method, in order to investigate the rules of order and principles of literary in the poems of the Manichaeans in both parthian and sogdian languages. The poems of the Manichaeans are hymns with religious, mystical and mythological themes that the Manichaeans sang in their rituals and religious rituals. There is no doubt that Mani and the missionaries of the Manichaean religion used the oral tradition and the art of poetry to reflect their teachings in order to better and more easily impress their audience. These missionaries traveled to different cities and wrote these hymns in different languages. In this article, we intend to show the existence of the rules of order and literary devices such as simile, metaphor, contrast, etc. by citing examples. Based on this, we will introduce the examples first; then we analyze them from the point of view of rhetoric and poetic system in both parthian and sogdian languages and reach the results obtained. It should be noted that whenever in this article we talk about Huvidagmān, the authors mean parthian and sogdian pieces.

The battles of the Achaemenid Empire against the European Greeks, alongside the battles of Thermopylae and Marathon, are among the most famous military events in world history.Nowadays, the description of this great Persian campaign is only available to researchers through Greek writings, and therefore, the Eastern perspective on what happened in this event has been left out. Based on Herodotus' reports in his seventh, eighth, and ninth books, and following it, Diodorus in his eleventh book, the Persian army of the Achaemenid Empire was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Salamis after several victories, and with their voluntary withdrawal from the captured city of Athens, the Achaemenids returned to Asia. This was followed by the initial victories of Mardonius and his ultimate failure, which led the military borders of this empire back to its previous European satrapies.This article analyzes another report that depicts a vivid narrative in an Arsacid palace, according to which, Xerxes himself called his final victories in these battles, contrary to the claims of the Greeks.This article concludes that firstly, memories and details related to the events of the Achaemenid era were preserved in the historiography of the Arsacid era, and secondly, based on the ancient Eastern perspective, Greek narratives related to the subject of the Achaemenid campaign in Europe can be seriously criticized.In sum, this article states that the forces of Xerxes and Mardonius were not defeated by the Greek forces. However, due to the damage caused by two storms, their military power was weakened, and as a result, they failed to achieve all their goals. Furthermore, this research suggests that the Battle of Plataea did not unfold as described by Herodotus and Diodorus regarding the role of the Greeks in its outcome.In conclusion, Xerxes' military operations weakened and brought severe calamity to Northern Greece's foundation.

The myth of "Arash Kamangir" (Arash the Archer) is an ancient Iranian myth that predates Zoroastrianism. Arash Kamangir plays a significant role in heroic Persian prose and poetry prior to the emergence of Rostam, one of the main characters in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. This research aims to demonstrate that the myth of Arash is closely related to the myths of "sun, fertility, and wind". It further argues that Rostam is a transformation of Arash, which explains why the Shahnameh does not mention Arash. Rostam appears to embody the characteristics of Arash, Zu, and Manuchehr. Like Arash, Rostam saves Iran from drought (Afrasiab) and, similar to Zu and Manuchehr, he assists Iranians. Additionally, Rostam, like Arash and Manuchehr, is mortal. The name of Rostam's horse, Rakhsh, and his son, Sohrab, are reminiscent of sunrays. The names Rudabeh, Rostam's wife, and Rostam himself, as well as Zu's role in creating rivers and irrigation, further suggest the transformation of the character of Arash into Rostam.

A noteworthy point in Sassanid history is the appearance of the full Pahlavi name of Iran on the back of some coins. This name, which was written in the place of insertion of the mints, i.e. on the right side of the back of the coin, is associated with the written word 'yl'n and the phoneme eran, which means Iran. This is despite the fact that for the word Iran, other abbreviations with the letters AYLA, AYL, AY were also used in coins. Since there were cities in the Sassanid era whose names were compound and were formed by combining the name of Iran, therefore, according to the rule, coin engravers should have used the mentioned abbreviations to insert the names of these cities at the mint. However, we can see that the full name of Iran was sometimes used for some kings on the back of the coins, and based on historical sources, the kings in question did not dominate any of the cities whit the name of Iran. So, really the complete sign of Iran, which was inserted in the mints, represented what place? We know that this full name was also used in some gold coinages, which were ceremonial and exclusive to the capital. In this article, we will try to clarify the Sasanians purpose to use this name on the coins. To achieve this goal, data has been collected from historical documents and analyzed in a descriptive-analytical method.

One of the valuable manuscripts that is kept in Harandi Kerman Library affiliated to Astan Qods Razavi Library is the Khorde Avestā, number 36, with 102 leaves, which was written by Mullā Marzbān, son of Zohrāb, son of Mullā Goštāsb, son of Bahman, son of Farāmarz, son of Esfandiār, son of Rostam, son of Ardešīr, son of Karīm- dād e Sīstānī, in 1227 Yazdgirdī / 1273 AH. written in Persian alphabet and there is not translation into Persian. In the final pages of the book, there is a colophon in Persian script from the author. Writer is a well-known man in Kerman and from the family of famous astronomers of the Qajar period.Khorde Avestā is a collection of short prayers and supplications that religious believers recite every day at special times. This book includes texts such as Ordī - Behešt Yašt, Varharām Yašt, Ātaš Niāyeš, Āfarīngān Gahanbār, and Patet. The importance of this version is that it is perhaps one of the oldest Avesta texts written in Persian script, and the scribe, by introducing eight generations of his ancestors, clarifies that he was a generation of Zoroastrians from Sistan who later migrated to Kerman. This article aims to introduce and identify this version and the author's family.

Dasātīr is counted among the essential books of the School of Āzarkeyvān. The subjects it covers and the language it employs have secured it the title of Āzarkeyvānian’ Sacred Scripture. The present article demonstrates that Dasātīr utilizes a particular mode for arranging and articulating its content. More specifically, the text is structured as follows: each of the sixteen parts of Dasātīr opens with two similar clauses, inspired by Quranic doctrines. The first clause draws inspiration from the Istiʽādha expression (seeking refuge with Allah) that Muslims utter before reciting the Quran. The second clause is designed with the Islamic phrase "Bismillah i Rahman i Rahim” (in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) in mind. However, what distinguishes every letter is its third clause which differs from the third clauses of the previous and following sections. While adding little substantive content to the earlier chapters, these two recurrent clauses help differentiate various parts of the letter, categorizing different themes. Therefore, rather than substantively contributing to Dasātīr, these clauses compose a specific configuration throughout the book. In the second part, the article suggests that the letter of MahĀbād is not only the lengthiest letter of Dasātīr in terms of the number of clauses, but also the most important and prominent among them. Furthermore, recurrent references and textual evidence indicate that other letters of Dasātīr also conform to the letter of MahĀbād. In what follows, the article demonstrates that the letters of Golshāh, Siāmak, Tahmures, Fereydun, Manuchihr, and KayKhosraw are similar in remarkable ways. As a result, we can corroborate their periodization into the Dasātīr sub-age. Finally, through comparison, the article substantiates the dissonance between the first Sāsān's and Dasātīr’s other letters. It then sets forth the hypothesis that perhaps the contents of the said letter are derivative and non-original.

In some Middle Persian texts, there is a story about Gayōmart which is not mentioned in older texts such as the Avestan texts, and also it is difficult to find evidence of it in Persian and Arabic epics. This story refers to the killing of a demon named Arzūr by Gayōmart, the work which is counted among the most important works of Gayōmart on the day of Khordād of the month of Farvardīn (the sixth day of month Farvardīn). In addition, in Avesta, Arzūr is the name of a mountain where the demons gather and in Pahlavi texts such as Bundahišn, Šāyist Nē-šāyist and Pahlavi Rivāyat, it has been mentioned as the gate of hell and the passage of Ahreman and demons. In this article, an attempt is made to explain the relationship between mount Arzūr, the door of hell and the demon Arzūr, by searching for the name Arzūr in Avestan and Middle Persian texts, and also in the Šāh-nāma and Ātār al-Bāqīah. As far as the author is concerned, Šāh-nāma story can be reconstructed with respect to Pahlavi sources and Bīrūnī’s account like this: Gayōmart killed Kharzūr/Arzūr’s demon; After that, Ahreman sent Kharzūrān (= son of Kharzūr) to fight with Gayōmart and in this battle, Siamak was killed. Finally, Siāmak’s son took revenge on Kharzūrān and killed him.

The use of jenās-e-eshteqāq in Vedic texts, ancient Iranian texts, and Middle Western Iranian texts is one of the literary devises. jenās-e-eshteqāq refers to two or more words with the same root. jenās-e-shebh-e-eshteqāq refers to two or more words that seem to have the same root because they have letters in common, while they do not have the same root. Different types of jenās-e-eshteqāq in ancient and middle Iranian texts can be classified according to the construction method. Using a single word with two different prefixes, using a single word once with a prefix and once without a prefix, using two words of the same root with two different prefixes, using two words of the same root once with a prefix and once without a prefix, and also using words with two parts together with a word that is co-rooted with one of those parts is one of these types. other types of jenās-e-eshteqāq are also used in these texts. jenās-e-shebh-e-eshteqāq is also used in these texts. In cases where jenās-e-shebh-e-eshteqāq are used in these texts, the author or poet may have imagined that the words he used are really co-rooted and he used jenās-e-shebh-e-eshteqāq in his opinion. jenās-e-eshteqāq and jenās-e-shebh-e-eshteqāq have continued and been sequenced in ancient, middle, and modern Iranian literature (farsi dari).

World history in Iranian mythology has the three main stages which are Bundahišn, Gumēzišn, Wizārišn. The first is beginning of the creation in which the two principal, Good and Evil, are set apart from each other yet. The second is the stage of mixture and fight of the two, and the last is the stage of separation of them through thorough failure of Evil forces. Anyone of the main events of these three could not and should not be studied without pay attention to the other two, because they are the three main parts of the same thing. This matter is more obvious in connection with the first and third. Renovation is consisted of the happenings that they will be done in Wizārišn stage. Now, we have investigated renovation with consideration to and connection with the events about Bundahišn mentioned in some Middle Persian texts, seeing west Mithraism documents, and we have reached to this result that Zoroastrian eschatology has been identified with and on the basis of Mithraic beliefs. Ancient Iranians believed to Mithraism before Zoroaster coming; many of teachings and beliefs of that religion have been preserved in Avesta and Middle Persian texts and in west Mithraism too.We have gathered data from related books and articles, and we have used to comparative-analytical method for data analysis.