The Sistani Cycle of Epics and Iran's National History: On the Margins of Historiography (Studies in Persian Cultural History)

This work examines the entire corpus of the Sistani Cycle of Epics , both parts included in Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh 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 Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 9 Notes on Transliteration......Page 11 List of Figures......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 13 Introduction......Page 15 Chapter 1 The Historical Context......Page 25 1.1 The Scythio-Parthian Kingdom of Sistan......Page 26 1.2 The Ruling Family in Sistan in Ancient Times......Page 42 1.3 The Family of Suren, the Family of Rostam......Page 48 1.4 The Other Parthian Family......Page 52 1.5 Reflections of Parthian History in the SCE......Page 56 Chapter 2 The Appropriation of an Avestan Hero and the Birth of the House of Rostam......Page 59 2.1 Garshāsp’s Genealogy......Page 62 2.2 Garshāsp and the Founding of Sistan......Page 64 2.3 The Repertoire of Heroic Motifs......Page 68 2.4 Another Version of the Story/History......Page 75 2.5 Footprints of a Religious Conflict......Page 80 Chapter 3 The Zenith of Suren Power......Page 84 3.1.1 Babr-e Bayān......Page 86 3.1.2 Kok-e Kuhzād......Page 90 3.1.3 The Haft-Khān......Page 93 3.2.1 A Time of Alliance......Page 96 3.2.2 The Special Status of the House of Rostam......Page 102 3.2.3 The Beginning of the End: The Advent of Lohrāsp......Page 114 Chapter 4 The Downtrodden Sistani Heroes......Page 130 4.1 Borzu......Page 134 4.2 Jahāngir......Page 147 4.3 Shahriyār......Page 149 Chapter 5 The Polemics of Making Heroes and Anti-Heroes......Page 159 5.1 Farāmarz in Qannuj......Page 160 5.2 Transformation of Heroic Imagery......Page 165 5.3 Farāmarz and Bahman: The Final Showdown......Page 178 5.4 Bahman the Anti-Hero Par Excellence......Page 199 Epilogue......Page 208 Rostam Stories not Included in the Shāhnāmeh......Page 211 Garshāspnāmeh......Page 212 Bahmannāmeh......Page 213 Farāmarznāmeh......Page 214 Bānu-Goshaspnāmeh......Page 217 Borzunāmeh......Page 219 Shahriyārnāmeh......Page 220 Jahāngirnāmeh......Page 222 2 Al-Thaʿālibi......Page 223 3 Al-Ṭabari......Page 225 5 Gardizi......Page 226 7 Ibn Balkhi......Page 227 9 Mujmal al-Tawārikh wa’l Qiṣṣaṣ......Page 228 Figures......Page 230 Bibliography......Page 237 Index......Page 246 This work examines the entire corpus of the Sistani Cycle of Epics , both parts included in Ferdowsi¿́¿s Sha¿¿hna¿¿meh 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