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Gods in Real Places: the Persian Empires

Exploring how Persian deities and spirits were anchored to mountains, rivers, springs, and temples, showing the overlap of the sacred and the landscape.

Chapters

• 0:07 Mountains as Divine Pillars
• 1:52 Rivers and Springs: Living Waters
• 3:37 Temples and Sacred Spaces
• 5:04 Spirit World in Statecraft

On-screen text

• 0:07 Mountains as Divine Pillars
• 0:14 Mountains as Divine Pillars
• 0:31 Ahura Mazda receives tribute at Persepolis Historical record · Persepolis relief, British Museum
• 0:49 Zahhak's defeat on Damavand Tradition / scripture · Avesta, Yasht 19
• 1:07 Mount Ithera as cosmic axis The Institute's interpretation · J. Curtis, “Mountains in Achaemenid Religion”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 2020
• 1:25 Mount Zangir as sacred peak The Institute's interpretation · R. D. Barnett, “Geography of Persian Sacred Mountains”, 2018
• 1:43 Sacred garden on Mount Pars Tradition / scripture · Strabo, Geography 11.2.1
• 1:52 Rivers and Springs: Living Waters
• 1:59 Rivers and Springs: Living Waters
• 2:16 Libations on the Araxes River Historical record · Herodotus, Histories 5.94
• 2:34 Karun River prayer Historical record · Xenophon, Anabasis 5.1.12
• 2:52 Healing spring of Anahita Historical record · Pliny, Natural History 6.31
• 3:10 Dedication to Anahita at Kangavar Historical record · Kangavar Temple inscription, 1st c CE
• 3:28 Early fire altars at Shahr‑e Sukhteh Historical record · Archaeological report, Shahr‑e Sukhteh (Burnt City), 2600 BCE
• 3:37 Temples and Sacred Spaces
• 3:44 Temples and Sacred Spaces
• 4:01 Winged faravahar at Taq‑e Bostan Historical record · Taq‑e Bostan relief, Sassanian era, 5th c CE
• 4:19 Mithras slays the bull Historical record · Mithraeum at Dura‑Europos, 3rd c CE
• 4:37 Dual invocation at Susa Historical record · Elamite tablet, Louvre Museum, 7th c BCE
• 4:55 Eternal fire of Ahura Mazda Historical record · Avesta, Yasna 31.1
• 5:04 Spirit World in Statecraft
• 5:11 Spirit World in Statecraft
• 5:28 Mount Ithera as cosmic axis The Institute's interpretation · J. Curtis, “Mountains in Achaemenid Religion”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 2020
• 5:46 Winged faravahar at Taq‑e Bostan Historical record · Taq‑e Bostan relief, Sassanian era, 5th c CE
• 6:04 Eternal fire of Ahura Mazda Historical record · Avesta, Yasna 31.1
• 6:22 Zahhak's defeat on Damavand Tradition / scripture · Avesta, Yasht 19

Sources

Historical record: Persepolis relief, British Museum · Herodotus, Histories 5.94 · Xenophon, Anabasis 5.1.12 · Pliny, Natural History 6.31 · Kangavar Temple inscription, 1st c CE · Archaeological report, Shahr‑e Sukhteh (Burnt City), 2600 BCE · Taq‑e Bostan relief, Sassanian era, 5th c CE · Mithraeum at Dura‑Europos, 3rd c CE · Elamite tablet, Louvre Museum, 7th c BCE · Avesta, Yasna 31.1

Tradition / scripture: Avesta, Yasht 19 · Strabo, Geography 11.2.1

The Institute's interpretation: J. Curtis, “Mountains in Achaemenid Religion”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 2020 · R. D. Barnett, “Geography of Persian Sacred Mountains”, 2018

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 196 s of CPU.