The Sistani Cycle of Epics and Iran's National History

On the Margins of Historiography
Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-90-04-28199-8
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 7, 236 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 525 g

Reihe: Studies in Persian Cultural History

This work examines the entire corpus of the Sistani Cycle of Epics, both parts included in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and those appearing in separate manuscripts. It argues that the so-called “epic literature” of Iran constitutes a kind of historiography, encapsulating reflections of watershed events of Iran’s antiquity.
By examining the symbiotic relationship of the texts’ content and form, the underpinning discourse of the various stories is revealed to have been shaped by polemics of political legitimacy and religious conflict. This discourse, however, is not abstract. The stories narrate, within their generic constraint, some of the affairs of the Sistani kingdom and its relationship to the Parthian throne, mainly from the first century BCE to the end of the second century CE.

Zielgruppe

All interested in ancient Iranian history and Persian Classical literature, and also anyone interested in non-Western historiography and the relationship between epic and history.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gazerani, Saghi

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historiographie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturen sonstiger Sprachräume Iranische Literatur

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Table of Content

Title page
Table of Content
Acknowledgements
Transliteration
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION
1. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
1.2. THE SCYTHIO-PARTHIAN KINGDOM OF SISTAN
1.2 THE RULING FAMILY IN SISTAN IN ANCIENT TIMES
1.3 THE OTHER PARTHIAN FAMILY
2. THE APPROPRIATION OF AN AVESTAN HERO AND THE BIRTH OF THE HOUSE OF ROSTAM
2.1 GARSHASP’S GENEALOGY
2.2 GARSHASP AND THE FOUNDING OF SISTAN
2.3 THE REPERTOIRE OF HEROIC MOTIFS
2.4 ANOTHER VERSION OF THE STORY/HISTORY
2.5 FOOTPRINTS OF A RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
3. THE ZENITH OF SUREN POWER
3.1 ROSTAM’S EARLY HEROIC CAREER
3.1.1 BAB-RE BAYAN
3.1.2 KOK-E KUHZAD
3.2.2. THE HAFT-KHAN
3.2 HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS
3.2.1 A TIME OF ALLIANCE
3.2.2 THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE HOUSE OF ROSTAM
3.2.3 THE BEGINNING OF THE END: THE ADVANT OF LOHRASP
4. THE DOWNTRODDEN SISTANI HEROES
4.1 BORZU
4.2 JAHANGIR
4.3 SHAHRIYAR
5. THE POLEMICS OF MAKING HEROES AND ANTI-HEROES
5.1 FARAMARZ IN QANNUJ
5.2 TRANSFORMATION OF HEROIC IMAGERY
5.3 FARAMARZ AND BAHMAN: THE FINAL SHOW DOWN
5.4 BAHMAN THE ANTI-HERO PAR EXCELLENCE
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX A: THE SISTANI CYCLE OF EPICS: STORIES AND THEIR MANUSCRIPTS
ROSTAM STORIES NOT INCLUDED IN THE SHAHNAMEH:
GARSHASPNAMEH
BAHMANNAMEH
FARAMARZNAMEH
BANU-GOSHASPNAMEH
BORZUNAMEH
SHAHRIYARNAMEH
JAHANGIRNAMEH
APPENDIX B: NARRATIONS OF BAHMAN’S REGIN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Über Autor(innen)

Saghi Gazerani received her doctorate in History from Ohio State University in 2007, and has been since researching and publishing on various aspects of medieval Persian literary and historical genres.