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Babylon and Persia MEDIA BABYLON AND PERSIA INCLUDING A STUDY OF THE ZEND-AVESTA OR RELIGION OF ZOROASTER FROM THE FALL OF NINEVEH TO THE PERSIAN WAR . ' ZENAIDE A. RAGOZIN MEHBEK OF THE "sOCIliT^ ETHNOI.OGIQUE " Of I'ARIS ; AUTHOR OF "aSSYHIA," *'cnALDEA," ETC. 3Lon&on T. FISHER UNWIN =6 PATERNOSTER SQUARE NEW YORK: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS ilDCCCLXXXlX ^ 5t^ ^' ^ ., " V',! p- ii!^ t \ ..H t k ARCHER-FRIEZE, IN GLAZED TILES ALONG THE PALACE OF DAREIOS I., AT SUSA EXHUMED BY MR. DIEULAFOY, IN I785. Frontispiece. MEDIA BABYLON AND PERSIA INCLUDING A STUDY OF THE ZEND-AVESTA OR RELIGION OF ZOROASTER FROM THE FALL OF NINEVEH TO THE PERSIAN WAR ZENAIDE A. RAGOZIN MEMBER OF THE " SOCIliTg ETH.NOI.OGIQUE " Of I'ARIS ; AUTHOR OF "ASSYRIA," " CHALDEA," ETC. 3Lon&on T. FISHER UNWIN 26 PATERNOSTER SQUARE NEW YORK: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS MDCCCLXXXIX Entered at Stationers' Hall By T. Fisher Unwin C01.VRICHT ny G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1888 (For the United Slates of America) C(b^: ^ ^^ CLASSIFIED CONTENTS. Notable Religious Survival : the Parsis Anquetil Duperron .... 1-16 § I. The Parsis, descendants of the Persians and followers of Zoroaster.§ 2. The Parsis not heathens.§ 3. Con¬ quest of Persia by the Arabs.§ 4. Oppression and con¬ version of the country,§ 5. Self-exile of the Zoroastrians. § 6. Their wanderings and settlements in India. § 7. Principal tenets of their religion. § 8. Discovery of Parsi manuscripts.§ g. Anquetil Duperron and his mission. § 10. Hjs-departure for India.§ 11. Obstacles and hard¬ ships.§ 12. His translation of the Zend-Avesla.§ 13. He is attacked by William Jones.§ 14. His mistakes and disadvantages.g 15. Eugene Burnouf, the founder of Eranian scholarship.§ 16. Advance and results of Eranian studies. II. The Prophet of EranThe Avesta . 17-33 § I. The religions that have sacred books, and their de¬ mands.§ 2. They claim to be supernaturally revealed. § 3- The Veda and the Zend-Avestathe sacred books of the Hindus and Aranians.§ 4. "Zend-Avesta" a mis¬ nomer.§§ 5, 6. "Pehlevi" the Persian language of the Sassanian period.§ 7. Uncertainty and obscurity of most points concerning the Avesta.g 8. Ancient writers on Zoroaster.§ 9. The " Gathas " (songs) the oldest portion of the Avesta.§ 10. Scant information on Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in tlie Avesla.§ 11. King Vishtaspa, Ihe friend IV CLASSIFIED CONTENTS. .and follower of Zarathushtra. § 12. Loss of the greatest part of the Zoroastrian literature. § 13. Survival of some- texts. The parts of the Avesta as we have it. § 14. The' Bundehesh ; its lateness and its contents. III. Aryan Myths 34-SS §§ I, 2. Impossibility of invention in a strict sense. § 3. Zarathushtra not an inventor, but a reformer.- § 4. The Hindus and Eranians sister nations of the Aryan or Indo- . - European race. § 5. The Airyana-Vaeja, or first Aryan home of Eranian tradition. § 6. The Rig-Veda, the most ancient sacred book of the Aryan Hindus, and its indica¬ tions concerning the religion of the primitive Aryas. § 7. The powers of nature the gods of the Aryas. § 8. The Aryan sky-gods, Dyaus and Vdruna. § 9. The Aryan light-god, Mitra. § 10. The Aryan fire-god, Agni. § II. Aryan-dualism. Gods and demons, light and dark¬ ness, rain and drought. § 12. Aryan storm-myth. § 13. Indra, tlie god of the thunderbolt. § 14. Vritra and Ahi, the cloud-fiends. §§ 15, i6. Soma, plant, beverage and drink. 17, 18. EfTicacy of sacred texts Mantra and of sacrifice. § ig. Crossness of some of these concep¬ tions. § 30. Richness of Aryan mythical epos. § 21. King Yama and the Pitris. § 22. Aryan reverence toward the spirits of the departed the Pitris. § 23. The Pitris pass into heroic epos. IV. Aryan Myths in the Avesta Their Allegori¬ cal Transformation . 56-94 § I. Enervating influence of the Indian -climate on the Aryan population. g 2. Bracing and hardening influence of the soil and climate of Eran. The nature of Eran all in ex¬ tremes. § 3. It intensifies the feeling of dualism, and de¬ velops the battle-myth almost exclusively. § 4. Spiritual transformation of Aryan myths in Eran. § 5. Ahura- Mazda, the supreme God and Creator, the successor of the CLASSIFIED CONTENTS. V Aryan sky-gods. § 6. The sacred mountain and paradise of the Eranians. § 7. Tiie heavenly sea, the celestial spring, and the tree of life and immortality.g 8. An- thropomorism subordinate in Eranian myth. §g g, 10. Mithra, the successor of the Aryan Mitra, transparently mythical. 11. His spiritual transformation : the god of light becomes the god of truth. g 12. Ilis allegorical at¬ tendants : Victory, Obedience, Uprightness, etc. § 13. Allegory a distinctive feature of the Eranian mind. g 14. The Amesha-Spentas, or " Bountiful Immortals, "and their allegorical character. § 15. Tlie seven Amesha-Spentas and their functions.g 16. Ahura-Mazda is the first of them and has created the others. g 17. Atar Fire successor of the Aryan Agni. g 18. The Hvareno, or " Kingly Glory," g ig. Tishtrya, the chief of stars and Eranian storm-god. g 20. The Fravashis, the successors of the Aryan Pitris. gg 21, 22. Desire of the Eranian gods for sacrifice. g 23, 24. The Manthra, or sacred text, and the Ahuna- Vairya, and their power over the fiends. g 25. Angra- Mainyu, or the "Evil One." g 26. Yima, the successor of the Aryan Yama ; history in the Avesla. g 27. The fall of Yima. g 28. Tlie Sagdid. V. The Gathas The Yasna of Seven Chapters^ 95-112 § I. Mazdayasnians and Daevayasnians. g 2. Zarathush- tra's work. g 3. Early period of the Gathas. g 4. The, prophet's denunciations of the Daevayasnians, or Fiend- worshippers. g 5. The Aryan, " Devas," gods trans¬ formed into the Eranian " Daevas " fiends. " Ahura " and "Asura." g 6. Poetical prologue of the Gathas, § 7- Proclamation of the new religion. g S. Essence of Mazdeism : niortil dualism. g g. The hymn of questions. g 10. Simplicity and literalness of the Giilhas. g 11,12. The " Yasna of Seven Chapters." Slight deterioriation in the spirit of Mazdeism ; formation and return to myth. § 13. The Mazdayasnian " Profession of Faith." § 14. Marriages between near relations. ^' CLASSIFIED CONTENTS. ' ' VI. Migrations and Foreign Influences The Vendidad Heathen Revival The Khordeh Avesta . 113-168 §1. Characterof the Vendidad.g 2. The three fundamen- ~ tal principles of the priestly legislation.-§ 3. Power of the priesthood.g 4. The Athravans and Zoroastrian sacrifice. g§ 5, 6. Holiness of an agricultural life.g 7. Care of the body enjoined ; asceticism denounced.gg 8, g. Exposing of the dead.g 10. The Dakhma.g 11. Questions on purity and pollution.g 12. Impurity of the Dakhmas. § 13. Treatment of corpses in winter.g 14. Sinfulness of burying a corpse.g 15. Impure creatures become clean by dying.g 16. On sickness.§ 17. On thriftiness.§ 18. The Nasu, or corpse-fiend. Rights of purification.g ig. Dangerous sinfulness of carrying a corpse alone. g 20. On physicians.g 21. Sacredness of the dog.g 22. Of the cock.g 23. Signs of nomadic life in the Vendidad.g 24. 25. Turanian influences encountered by the Eranians in their westward migration.gg 26,28. Traces of these in- fluences in the Avesta.g 29. Plebrew affinities.-gg 30-31. Puzzling penaliegislation.g 32. The " Khordeh-Avesta. " Heathen Revival.§ 33, 34. The Chinvat Bridge, and the trials of the soul after death.g 35. High standard and beauty of Mazdeism. lis high place among religions. VII. The Last Days of Judah . 169-1815 g I. Affairs in Syria.2. Necho II. of Egypt plans an in¬ vasion of Asia.g 3. His campaign in Syria.§ 4. Battle of Megiddo, and defeat of Josiah of Judah.§ 5. Battle of Karkhemish ; defeat of Necho by Nebuchadrezzar.§ 6. The Median and Babylonian empires.§ 7. Submission of Syria.g 8. The prophet Jeremiah.g 9. First taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar.g 10-13. Jeremiah's preaching and unpopularity.§ 14. Destruction of Jerusa¬ lem.§ 15, 16. The siege of Tyre. Nebuchadrezzar. CLASSIFIED CONTENTS. vii vin. J.ydia and Asia MinorThe Balance of Power in the East' 186-222 gg 1-3. The countries of Asia Minor independent of Baby¬ lon.gg 4, 5. Lydia. Kandaules and Gyges.g 6. Rock- tombs of Lycia.g 7. Languages of Asia Minor.§ 8. The Hittite element in Asia Minor.§ g. Indo-European influences.§ 10. Hellas, the Doric migration and Ionian colonies.g 11. Ionian colonies on the shore of Asia Minor. g 12. Mutual influence of the Greeks and Lydians. §§ 13, 14- Invention of coinage by the Lydians.g 15. Aggrandizement of Lydia.g 16. Her wars against the Greek cities on tlie sea-shore.g 17. War between Lydia and Media.g 18. Battle of liie Eclipse. Peace and inter- marriages.g ig. Death of Kyaxares. IX. Babylon the GreatThe House ^gip.i. 223-260 g I. Little durabilily of a balance of powers.g 2. Nebu¬ chadrezzar's fear of Media.His works of fortification. g 4. The Median Wall.g 5. Ilis constructions at Baby¬ lon.§ 6. The great walls. g 7. The great bridge and the embankments, g S. Tlie new palace.gg g, 10. The Hanging Gardens.g 11. The lemple of Bel-Marduk. § 12. Legends of Semiramis and Nitokris.g 13. Nebu¬ chadrezzar's greatness,g 14, Herodotus' acco\uit of some Babylonian customs.g 15, Discovery . of the banking house of Egibi.g 16. Long duration of the firm.g 17. Theirarchiveof private transactions.g 18. Their business operations.g ig. Legal transactions in property.gg 20- 22. Tablets of legal precedents.g 23, 24. Dignified and independent position of Babylonian women.§ 25.
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