The workshop is co-sponsored by the University of Chicago and the University of Tübingen.
Treuk Medeiros de Araujo, Matheus. 2024. Male homoerotic practices in Achaemenid Persia: An overview. Archai 34, e03415.
Descriptions of Ancient Persian male homoeroticism come mainly from Classical sources, which, however, seem to present divergent testimonies regarding this practice. Some authors apparently provide proof for its widespread acceptance, whereas others, particularly later authors, emphasized its prohibition. Considering the many difficulties involved in the reconstruction of Persian history through the eyes of classical Greeks and Romans, this article aims to provide a brief overview of the subject, with some clues to the question of the origin, form, and tolerance of same-sex love in Achaemenid Persia. We agree that homoerotic practices were attested and likely accepted at some level in Achaemenid Persia. However, we believe that the evidence available to us is not enough to obtain a full understanding of this phenomenon. It is also stressed that not every Greek or Roman reference to Persian male homoeroticism should be taken at face value, as some are distorted and fictitious or lack firsthand knowledge. Finally, we briefly address the image of eunuchs as sexual partners of Achaemenid kings.
Ruffing, Kai, Brigitte Truschnegg, Andreas Rudigier, Julian Degen, Sebastian Fink & Kordula Schnegg (eds.). 2024. Navigating the worlds of history. Studies in honor of Robert Rollinger on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
These studies in honor of Robert Rollinger, a scholar who dedicated and dedicates himself to the study of the Ancient Worlds and their Afro-Eurasian entanglements, are published on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Accordingly, the three volumes bring together contributions from friends, colleagues, and students of Robert Rollinger. The themes of these some 80 articles are in line with Rollinger’s research foci. Therefore, there are articles dealing with themes from the field of classical studies and thus the ancient Mediterranean world, the Ancient Near East and Persia as well as Iran. In addition – also in line with Robert Rollinger’s academic activities and his own research interests – there are essays on the history of Austria, in particular on that of Vorarlberg, the honoree’s homeland. Old America is also given thematic consideration. Moreover, the reception of the Ancient Worlds is also addressed.
The work consists of three volumes and is divided into five sections. The first deals with the classical world and its entanglement with the Ancient Near East; the second section focusses on the Ancient Near East. The third section is dedicated to the Iranian world in its imperial longue durée, while the fourth section looks at the global as well as the local history taking into account the perspective of Global and Universal History. Finally, the fifth and last section is dedicated to the dialogue between the ancient world and the present.
Antonetti, Claudia, Bryan De Notariis & Marco Enrico (eds.). 2024. Wine cultures: Gandhāra and beyond (Antichistica 40). Venezia: Venice University Press.
The volume Wine Cultures. Gandhāra and Beyond represents the primary outcome of the MALIWI project (SPIN Ca’ Foscari 2021) directed by Claudia Antonetti. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this work seeks to explore the production techniques, social functions, and cultural significance of intoxicating drinks with particular reference to wine – an extraordinary beverage that has been intertwined with human history for millennia. This volume gathers contributions by scholars interested in studying wine and drinking culture in Gandhāra and neighbouring regions, including Ancient Assyria, Arachosia, and present-day India. The topic is explored from three fundamental perspectives, employing a diverse range of sources, including literary and historical texts, as well as linguistic, iconographic, archaeological, and anthropological evidence.
Abstract
This is the second workshop in a series that began in Spring 2023 with the idea of bringing together scholars around the world who were actively working on, or interested in working on Middle Persian documents and sealings. The workshop is organised by Adam Benkato (UC Berkeley) and Arash Zeini (University of Oxford).
To attend the workshop, which takes place on Zoom, register here. The programme is below.
Karim, Shuan Osman & Saloumeh Gholami (eds.). 2024. Gorani in its historical and linguistic context (Trends in Linguistics. Documentation 41) Berlin: De Gruyter.
Gorani refers to under-documented, endangered varieties spoken in a cluster within the Zagros mountains (Iran/Iraq). These varieties possess conservative features of importance to linguists. However, their study has been plagued by nomenclature and taxonomy issues. Traditional names for these languages have been supplanted first by orientalists’ prescriptions and then by their linguist heirs. Inaccurate terminology has sewn discord between speaker communities, disturbing the sociolinguistic landscape. This volume represents the state of the art of Gorani’s historical and socio-linguistics, documentation, and literature, as well as an effort to aid the “decolonization” of Gorani linguistics.
Niesiołowski-Spano, Łukasz & Kacper Ziemba (eds.). 2024. Contact zones in the Eastern Mediterranean: Judeans and their neighbours in intercultural contexts: places, middlemen, transcultural contacts. –– Sixth to second century BCE. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
Two contributions of this open-access volume investigate aspects of the Achaemenid Persian Empire:
A lecture by Saloumeh Gholami, University of Cambridge, and Mehraban Pouladi, Mōbedān Council (Iran), entitled:
Friday 18 October 5:30pm, AIIT, Cambridge.
This lecture offers an exploration of the complex history of the Zoroastrian community in Ahvaz, a city in the province of Khuzestan in Iran. Because of economic hardship and agricultural decline in Yazd, Zoroastrians started migrating there in the early 20th century. Earlier censuses from the 19th century, such as those by Hataria in 1854 and Houtum-Schindler in 1882, record no Zoroastrian presence in Ahvaz. The earliest mention of Zoroastrians in the city appears in the 1963 census, which was prepared for the National Zoroastrian Congress held in Kerman that same year. The Zoroastrian community in Ahvaz has so far found little, if any scholarly attention due to the dearth of documentation. However, as a result of new archival evidence from the Pouladi Collection, unearthed by the speakers in 2016, new data has emerged that throws light on the reasons for the migration from Yazd to Ahvaz. The new documents provide evidence that Zoroastrian settlements were established in the 1920s along the Karun River through the agricultural enterprise, the Mazdyasnān Company. This lecture examines how the Zoroastrian community of Ahvaz flourished in their new home, contributing to the prosperity of the region, but later, despite its successes, gradually declined. This development raises critical questions regarding the preservation of minority heritage in Iran.
Summary
Kallas, Nathalie (ed.). 2024. Bridging the gap: Disciplines, times, and spaces in dialogue – Volume 2: Sessions 3, 7 and 8 from the Conference Broadening Horizons 6 Held at the Freie Universität Berlin, 24–28 June 2019. Oxford: Archaeopress.
The second volume compiles papers presented in three enlightening sessions: Session 3 – Visual and Textual Forms of Communication; Session 7 – The Future of the Past. Archaeologists and Historians in Cultural Heritage Studies; and Session 8 – Produce, Consume, Repeat. History and Archaeology of Ancient Near Eastern Economies. Within this volume, the 20 papers traverse diverse topics spanning multiple periods, from the 5th millennium BCE to the Roman Empire, and encompass a wide array of geographical regions within the Near East.
Among other interesting contributions, the following papers deal with aspects of ancient Iranian history and culture:
This year’s biannual Conférences d’études iraniennes «Ehsan et Latifeh Yarshater» will be delivered by David Durand-Guédy, Universität Hamburg, on the topic of space at the time of the first Turkic and Mongol dynasties.
This a CeRMI event, organised by Samra Azarnouche and Justine Landau.
For more information, see the flyer and the programme: