Bibliographia Iranica

A predominantly bibliographic blog for Iranian Studies

  • Women of the Empire

    Women of the Empire

    Safaee, Yazdan. 2026. Women of the empire: Life and labor in the Achaemenid Persepolis Archives (Ancient Iran Series 20). Leiden: Brill.

    This book offers a comprehensive examination of the status and roles of women within the socio-economic framework of the Achaemenid Empire. Drawing primarily on the Persepolis Fortification and Treasury Archives, it foregrounds the documentary evidence as a lens through which the lives, labor, and agency of women—both within royal institutions and beyond—can be critically assessed. Women of the Empire explores a range of thematic issues across its chapters, highlighting the diverse contexts in which women appear in administrative records and reconstructing their participation in the imperial economy.

    Congratulations to our colleague Yazdan on this outstanding achievement.

  • Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia (vol. 31)

    The volume 31 of the journal Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia contains several contributions that engage directly with an Iranian context.

  • Ancient Jewish Memories of Achaemenid Persia

    Joachimsen, Kristin & Jason S. Mokhtarian (eds.). 2025. Ancient Jewish Memories of Achaemenid Persia (The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 25).

    Several contributions in the special issue of The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, titled Ancient Jewish Memories of Achaemenid Persia, engage directly with the Persian context. The volume is available in open access.

  • Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift

    Wiechmann, Yannick A. 2025. Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift: Lokale Schreibtraditionen und sakrale Sinnstiftung? Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 116: 217-241.

    This paper deals with aspects of semography in the Old Persian script. The so-called ideograms or logograms were quite neglected in former studies on Old Persian. From a graphematic perspective, this study opts to call these signs semograms for a broader view beyond mere logography. Further, it is asked whether we can observe dia-chronic or diatopic developments in the usage of these signs. While most semograms were probably developed in the time of Darius I, most of them went out of use after his reign, but were reactivated beginning with Darius II with a peak in the time of Artaxerxes II. Although semograms are totally absent in Old Persian inscriptions in some places)Bīsutūn, Elvend and Naqš-i Rostam), the sign for “King” was used in many places. The other signs, though, are rather limited to Susa and Hagmatāna. Finally, it is asked why semograms do exist at all. While it seems not convincing to explain their existence with the economy of writing, they fit quite well in the royal ideology and may provide sacrality. In the context of the old, traditional and sacral writing systems of the Achaemenid Empire)especially Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs), they provided an important feature to the Old Persian script which it originally lacked and which could become quite obvious when trilingual and quadrilingual inscriptions were designed.

  • WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages

    Neda Mohtashami, Yusef Saadat & Kianoosh Rezania. 2025. Eschatologia Iranica III: WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages: A CMT-based Case Study. Metaphor Papers 19.

    This article explores the metaphorical usage of way-nouns in selected Iranian languages, emphasizing their role in conceptualizing conduct of life and shaping normative ideals through the lens of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). By examining linguistic and cultural elements across Avestan, Old and Middle Persian sources, the study traces the evolution of terms denoting physical routes, which have been abstracted to symbolize moral and spiritual guidance. Central to this analysis is the conceptual metaphor conduct of life is motion on/to a way, which frames ethical and ritual life as a journey along a purposeful route. This metaphor underscores the normative dimensions of human conduct, portraying adherence to divine directives and alignment with Order/Truth (Aṣ̌a) as fundamental components of an ideal moral and/or ritual trajectory.

  • Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum

    Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum

    Alizadeh, Abbas. 2026. Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum: From Prehistory to the Achaemenid Period (ISACMP 3). Chigago: University of Chigago Press.

    Discover the splendor of ancient Iran through a stunning selection of artifacts from the Robert and Deborah Aliber Persian Gallery at the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) Museum. Featuring a wide array of objects—from finely worked metal and ceramics to monumental stone carvings—this volume reveals the artistic achievements and cultural depth of a region that flourished for millennia. Most of the objects were excavated between 1931 and 1972 during ISAC’s expeditions, which investigated sites ranging from the prehistoric settlements of Chogha Mish, Tall-e Bakun A and B, and Tall-e Geser to Surkh Dum-i-Luri in Luristan and the imperial center of Persepolis. Together, they form the largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Iranian material in the United States. At once visually striking and academically rigorous, this volume highlights the richness of ancient Iran’s many traditions and the enduring impact of its artistic and cultural achievements.

  • Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age

    Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age

    Grigoriev, Stanislav. 2026. Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age. Bicester: Archaeopress.

    This book challenges the steppe-origin theory of Indo-Aryans, arguing their homeland was in NW Iran. Using linguistic, genetic, and archaeological data, it traces migrations from Iran to Central Asia, India, and beyond during the 3rd millennium BC, shaping Indo-Aryan dialects.

    This volume is devoted to the origins and early history of the Indo-Aryans. According to the generally accepted theory, they originated in the Eurasian steppe, from where they subsequently migrated to the Indian subcontinent and the Iranian plateau. However, evidence to support these developments is lacking. The author has collected linguistic, palaeogenetic and archaeological data to reconstruct the processes that occurred in the Eneolithic and Bronze Age over large areas of Eurasia, demonstrating that the ancestral homeland of the Indo-Iranians was in Northwestern Iran. From there some migrated to Southeastern Iran, which led to the emergence of Indo-Aryan dialects around the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. From the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, the migration of Indo-Aryan tribes to the north-east of Iran and Central Asia began, which later culminated with migration to India, as well as to the Near East, Eastern Europe, the Southern Urals and, occasionally, to Southern Siberia.

  • The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC)

    The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC)

    Álvarez-Mon, Javier. 2026. The birth of Persian art (c. 550–486 BC). London: Routledge.

    The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC) offers a bold reappraisal of one of the most formative periods in ancient art history, revealing how artistic innovation helped forge one of antiquity’s most influential empires.

    This volume shows how Persian art evolved from local traditions into a sophisticated imperial visual language, highlighting the revolutionary developments at Pasargadae, the influence of broader cultural landscapes, and the impact of Elamite heritage. Richly illustrated, it foregrounds the often-overlooked value of the artistic record as a historical source, providing insights into the role of visual culture not merely as a reflection of imperial ideology but as an active medium through which cultural integration, negotiation, and innovation took place. From Persian mountain valleys to remote Egyptian desert oases, and to Greek-culture infused western Anatolian cities, The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC) revolutionizes perceptions and understandings of Persian art and the Persian people like never before, offering a fresh lens through which to view the formative period of the Persian empire.

    Written for scholars and students of ancient art history, archaeology, and Near Eastern studies, it will also appeal to museum curators and art historians focusing on ancient Iran, Mesopotamia, and the broader Mediterranean.

  • A bitter Norouz!

    A bitter Norouz!

    Today we celebrate renewal. We welcome a new season, we hope for joy, we reaffirm friendships, we eat together, we celebrate love and life. This year, as we face war and destruction, we also reflect on the bombs that fall, the bullets that fly, and the lives that are senselessly lost. We hear the last sighs of our loved ones and feel the wounds they leave behind in our hearts. This is a bitter Norouz, but Norouz nonetheless.

    Continue reading this post on Arash’s personal blog: This is a bitter Norouz!

  • Sasanian by way of the Caliphate

    Sasanian by way of the Caliphate

    Ottewill-Soulsby, Sam. 2025. The circle of the world: The global diplomacy of Caliph al-Manṣūr. Bulletin of SOAS 88(3). 523–538.

    Between 757 and 768, the second ʿAbbāsid caliph, al-Manṣūr, engaged in an unprecedented set of foreign relations which stretched across Afro-Eurasia, from Tang China to Carolingian Francia. The unique scale of this activity has previously gone unnoticed because much of the evidence comes from the caliph’s diplomatic partners. Al-Manṣūr’s dealings with these polities tend to be taken on a case-by-case basis, resulting in often-unconvincing explanations of his motives. By instead taking all of this activity together as a whole, we can see a deliberate policy of “prestige diplomacy”, in which the caliph sought to legitimize his regime to a domestic audience by bringing envoys and gifts to his court, following Sasanian models of universal kingship.

    Abstract

    Ellis, Caitlin & Sam Ottewill-Soulsby. 2026. The caliph and the falcons: A ninth-century history from Iceland to Iraq. Early Medieval Europe, Early View.

    In the late ninth and early tenth centuries, an extraordinary number of falcons were given to the ʿAbbāsid caliphs in Baghdad, many of which were white. Gifts from competing dynasties in the northern provinces of the Caliphate, at least some of these birds were almost certainly gyrfalcons from near the Arctic Circle. This article argues that they came from Scandinavia and that their appearance in Baghdad can be linked to Norse settlement in Iceland. The journey of these gyrfalcons demonstrates the importance of access to northern goods for caliphal politics and the impact of scarce animal resources on early medieval trade.

    Abstract