Iran: An Ancient Empire

Undergraduate / Graduate

An examination of the emergence and evolution of the Iranian Empire in late antiquity, the most enduring territorially extensive political system in ancient West Asian history. Its name, Ērānšahr, signaled the centrality of Zoroastrianism to its conception and organization. The course will therefore focus on the role of the religion, as a complex of ideas and institutions, in the shaping of Iran's society, culture, political economy, and imperial infrastructure. It will also consider the development of Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Manichaeism within the empire's confines. The course will pay special attention to the legacy of Iran in the medieval and modern Middle East, arguably equivalent to Rome's in the West.