THE
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY
Overview
:
Iranian
national history tells the story of the 60 kings who ruled from
the beginning of the world up to Khusrau II.
It
combines fact, legend and myth into a national Iranian narrative,
which emphasises the importance of good kings, whose farr (divine
grace) leads them with the help of Ahura Mazda and other divine
powers to fight off the challenges of the evil Ahriman and his henchmen.
Millennia
:
The
first millennium starts with Kayumars and ends with Jamshid.
The
second millennium is the 1000 year rule of Zahhak.
The
third millennium goes from Feraydun to the conversion of Gushtasp
to Zoroastrianism. (Feraydun rules for 500 years, Kavus for 150
and Lurasp for 120).
The
fourth millennium was due to end with the coming of a saviour -
instead it coincided with the coming of the Arab conquerors.
The
world is due to end at the end of the sixth Millennium.
THE
IRANIANS
"The National History of the Iranian people"
One of the strange features of Iranian history is that from the
time of the Sasanians, perhaps originating with the Parthians, a
rather different version of their national history was told by the
Iranians themselves. Something was said about this at the start
of the course (SEE HERE) - but, because it's this story, rather
than the one told by modern historians, that became central to the
Iranians' view of themselves, it's important to know about it.
The
main sources, all from the Islamic period, are :
| 1. |
The
Khwaday-Namag, the "Book of Lords". Compiled during
the reign of Khusrau I, and added to by his successors. It
is thought that the version used by later writers was revised
by Yazdegird III, to included the failed invasion of the Roman
empire, and the collapse of the Sasanian rule, in order to
blame his predecessors for the final failure. It told the
story of the Iranians from their beginnings. It doesn't survive,
except in stories taken from it by later Islamic historians
and Persian poets.
|
| |
|
| 2. |
The
Annals of al-Tabari (who died in 932). His sources included
an Arabic translation of the Khwaday-Namag. |
| |
|
| 3. |
The
Shahnameh ("Book of kings") of Abolqasem Firdowsi
which he finished in around 1010. It's based on a Persian
prose compilation deriving from an Arabic version of the Khwaday-Namag,
but includes a lot of legends and stories from other sources.
He wove it into a long epic poem in Persian - but he's a poet
and story-teller, not a historian. |
| |
|
| 4. |
Bundahishn,
an extensive collection of Zoroastrian writings on the creation
of the universe, the gods, and mankind. Written in Persian
in around 900 - 1000, although the oldest manuscripts are
from 16th century. |
How
is the "national history" different from the history as
told by modern historians? :
| 1. |
The
national history, as handed down by Firdowsi and others, doesn't
make any distinction between fact, legend and myth.
|
| |
|
| 2. |
The
early history all comes from eastern Iran - nothing is known
of the Achaemenids and events in Persis. |
| |
|
| 3. |
The
Zoroastrian religion flavours the narrative. Man was created
by Ahura Mazda for a reason: to join him in the struggle against
Ahriman and the forces of evil. |
| |
|
| 4. |
There
is no external timeline - the national history is simply the
stories of what happened in the reigns of the 60 or so kings.
Successful kings have the blessing of Ahura Mazda (known as
farr in Persian) - they must protect and guide the people
with help from Ahura Mazda and other divine beings. Many of
the reigns are unfeasibly long - resulting from attempts by
Zoroastrian priests to divide the narrative up into "millennia". |
In
the Iranian idea of history, finding out the facts is not important.
What is important is to promote and reinforce the ideals of the
nation of Iran. Kings are to be obeyed, heroes to be admired and
copied, so that national pride can be passed on, and the wisdom
of the past can benefit the future. [Does it sound a bit like Michael
Gove's educational policies in the UK in 2013?] So there's nothing
wrong with a bit of exaggeration - the details are less important
than telling the story in an exciting and convincing way.
We'll
give the bare bones of the story: you should read Firdowsi to get
the full flavour.
There
are three eras :
| 1. |
The
World Kings.
|
| |
|
| 2. |
The
Heroes: the Kayanian kings. |
| |
|
| 3. |
The
historical era, which begins with Alexander. |
And
four dynasties :
| 1. |
The
Pishdadians (mythical early kings of the world)
|
| |
|
| 2. |
The
Kayanians (kings of Iran, in never-ending conflict with Turan) |
| |
|
| 3. |
The
Ashkanians (The Parthians) |
| |
|
| 4. |
The
Sasanians |
Source
:
https://www.the-persians.co.uk/
national_history.htm
