Marduk

Episode 16 Archemenid Religion

The Persian Empire

Dr John W I Lee (2012)

Film Review

There is little historical information on the religions practiced in the Persian empire. The limited information we have comes from the Greeks and modern Iranians.

The most prominent prophet/sage influencing Persian religious practice was Zarathustra (known as Zoroaster in Greek). It’s believed he was born around 1000 BC in northeast Iran or southwest Turkmenistan. The Avesta, reflecting his teachings, was written around 500 BC, which means the the texts were transmitted orally for five centuries.

Zarathustra taught that Ahuramazda was the supreme god among many, that he was good, that he created people and gave them free will (with women naturally more prone to evil). Although Zarathustra didn’t condemn sacrifice, he discouraged some of the more violent cult behavior (eg human and child sacrifice) the Persians associated with Babylonian cults. He taught there was a last judgement in which people went either to paradise or to hell depending on whether they followed truth and order or untruth and chaos. This Persian god was a marked contrast to the Greek gods, who were fickle and jealous.

The Persian emperors believed Ahuramazda mandated them to conquer other countries to stamp out violence and chaos.

Ahuramazda was never prominent prior to Cyrus I, and Zoroastrianism never became the official religion of the Achaeminid Persians though their successors who founded the Sassanian empire adopted it as their state religion.

The Persians adopted many gods from the countries they conquered. In addition to fire, water and sacred mountains and rivers, they also worshiped Mithras,** the god of sun and light, Anahita, the goddess of water and fertility, and Agni the fire god. ‘

Cyrus restored the worship of Marduk* when he captured Babylon from the Assyrians. He also protected the Apis bull in Egypt and the shrine of Apollo in Greece. Anahit became identified with Ishtar in Egypt and Aphrodite, Artemis Athena in Greek colonies.

The magi were the most prominent Persian priests. They interpreted dreams and omens, presided over sacrifices and advised the Persian kings both at home and on military campaigns.

The hatin (Elamite word) priest supervised the worship of Babylonian, Elamite and other foreign gods.

The Megabysos temple of Artemis at Ephesus (an ancient Greek city on the Anatolian peninula) was always supervised by Persian families.

Persian priests practiced hoama rituals in which they crushed psychedelic plants containing ephedra, fly agoric or mountain rule) and mixed them with milk and water. They also conducted the monthly Lan Ceremony, making offerings of grain, wine and livestock to improve the harvest.

*God from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of Babylon who rose to prominence in the 1st millennium BC

**The Cult of Mithras, also known as Mithraism, was a mystery religion that flourished in the Roman Empire from the 1st to the 4th centuries AD, centered around the god Mithras. It involved secretive rituals, including a complex initiation system and communal meals, and was particularly popular among soldiers and merchants.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/15372393/15372394