Intl. J. Humanities (2018) Vol. 25 (2): (1-20) Archive of SID How did Kartir become Kartir? Sorour Khorashadi1, Seyed Mehdi Mousavi2 Received: 2017/10/24 Accepted: 2019/2/13 Abstract The empowerment of Zoroastrian Magi as a social class was intertwined with the emperors’ power to the extent that the political power of Magi can be regarded as a discontinued historical process with ups and downs. This paper attempts to reassess an apparent contrast between historical narratives and archeological findings (e.g. rock reliefs) concerning the political empowerment of Zoroastrian Magi in the beginning of Sassanid Empire until the reign of Narseh. According to the historical narratives, the Sassanid founding fathers, Ardashir and his Successor Shapur I, emphasized ecumenism (i.e. the possession of political sovereignty and religious power by emperor.) However, according to the rock reliefs of the 3rd century, shortly after Shapur I, with the rise of Bahram I, a structural split occurred between the emperor’s power as the sovereign and the power of Magi. Bahram I’s reign is the first historical period in which Zoroastrian Magi, represented as a social class, obtained a political superiority. Roughly speaking, in this epoch which spanned for almost two decades (the reign of Bahram I, Bahram II, and Bahram III,) one institutionalized reading of Zoroastrianism developed by an elite Magi, i.e. “Kartir”, became dominant over others and turned steadily into the Imperial religion. The above contrast can be formulated, as follows: given the fact that an ecumenical power is the ultimate form of sovereignty in a monarch system, why and how a Kartir could gain authoritatively a significant share of power? Through adopting an historical approach, the authors pursue the roots of answer in three related political phenomena: First, the quarrel between Bahram I and Narseh; second, the trial and the execution of Mani the prophet; and third, the institutionalization of Zoroastrianism as the Imperial religion. Keywords: Zoroastrian Clergy; Ecumenism; Kartir; Bahram I; Narseh; Bahram II; Bahram III. ______________________________________________________________ 1. Ph.D, Department of Archeology, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran, Iran. [email protected] (Corresponding Author). 2. Associate Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archeology, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran, Iran. 1 www.SID.ir Khorashadi, S & Mousavi S., M _____________ Intl. J. Humanities (2018) Vol. 25 (2): (1-20) Archive of SID Introduction The social class arrangement of the Sassanid and then review some of the historical era can be illustrated relying on royal narratives. Through a comparative study of inscriptions of the third century AD, Pahlavi historical texts and archaeological evidence, texts, Syriac, Armenian, Arabic, and the late the authors seek to realize the emergence of Persian texts, some of which are based on the the class of clergy during Sassanid. very same Pahlavi writings (Shaki, 2013:654). Ardashir Pabagan, the founder of the Literature Review Sassanid dynasty, terminated the relative So far, many scholars have addressed the freedoms that had been created for poor issue of the clerical class during the Sassanid classes, especially peasants, after Alexander's era as well as the character of Kartir, the invasion and tried to "halt social changes as details of all are not possible in the present much as possible. In his will, Ardashir warns article. However, from among them, the his successors to prevent from changing the insightful writings of famous authors such as class status from their current rank to Hinz, Gignoux, Boyce, Rajabi, Tafazzoli, another, because the transition of people Shahbazi, Malekzadeh, and Daryaei can be from their ranks accelerates the transition of mentioned. These scholars have investigated power within the kingdom, from one some aspects of Kartir’s persona and his emperor to another, be it through political role based on the inscriptions of dethronement or killing" (Ravandi, 2536: Kartir and the historical texts. 624/1; Mahmoud Abadi, 1999: 218-219). Notwithstanding, none of them has Based on an ancient social classification, discovered the hidden secret behind the Avesta has divided the Iranian society into sudden rise of Kartir in terms of a "historical three classes: the clergy (Athravan), the approach" as intended in the present warrior (Rathaeshtar), and peasant research. (VastryoFshuyant). There is only one section in the Avesta (Yasna 19th, paragraph 17), The Status of the Clergy in the Early which mentions a fourth category, called the Sassanid Era based on Inscriptions class of artisans (Hoapati). With the advent There is a social class division in the early of the Sassanid Empire, a new formation Sassanid, a legacy of the Parthian time. emerged in the society such that a distinct Shapur I in Haji-Abad inscription describes class called “the Secretary” was created, and the quality of his archery in the presence of resultantly, the peasants and artisans merged Shahrdarān, Vispohrān, Wozorgān and into the fourth class. This classification was Azadān. Although this inscription guides us influenced by the political situation of that in recognizing the privileged classes, it is hard time (Rajabi, 2003: 432/5; Mahmoud Abadi, to draw any definite relationship between 1999: 219). this rock relief and the quad partite Given the inconsistency between the hierarchical structure of the society (clergy, historical narratives and the archaeological warrior, secretary, and peasant-artisan) in evidence concerning the position of the Shapur I’s reign (Abolghasemi, 1996: 133/1; clergy class at the beginning of the Sassanid Mahmoud Abadi, 1999: 220). A noteworthy Empire, we initially intend to have a glance at point in the list of Haji-Abad inscription is some inscriptions of the third century AD the absence of the title of Mobadan-e Mobad, 2 www.SID.ir How did Kartir become Kartir? _____________________ Intl. J. Humanities (2018) Vol. 25 (2) Archive of SID as the leaders of the clerical organization. kings, then the names of the royal family, and This is in collision with the conventional continuing with the most notable nobility quadruple division of the society that puts the and officers (Khorashadi et al, 2017). These clergy at the top. Therefore, in line with some archeological evidence indicate two things: researchers (Sarfaraz and Firuzmandi, 2002: first, in the beginning of Sassanid Empire, 251) it seems justified to believe that in the Zoroastrianism had not been beginning of the Sassanid period religious institutionalized; and second, throughout the affairs were headed by the king of the kings reigns of Ardashir, Shapur I, and Narseh, the (Shâhanshâh), the emperor himself. Warrior class was superior to the supposed Narseh, the son of Shapur I, also followed class of Clergy. the hierarchy of ranks mentioned in Haji- Abad inscription in Paikuli rock relief. In the The Status of the Clergy in the Sassanid Greek version of this inscription, Shahrdarān Era based on Historical Texts are the very same local kings (selected from Investigating the sequence of classes and the among the sons of the king of the kings), list of titles in texts such as Kar-Namag i relying on whose presence, the title of Ardashiri Pabagan (Kar-Namag i Ardashiri Shâhanshâh had been emerged. According to Pabagan, 1963: 199-200), the Letter of Tansar the Greek text, Vaspohrgān are members of (The Letter of Tansar, 1975: 57), Ahd -e the Sassanid dynasty, without being directly Ardashir (Abbas, 1969: 78), Arda Viraf- linked to Shâhanshâh. Wozorgān, are the Namag (Gignoux, 1993: 58-59), Sur Afarin leaders of the most important royal families (Daryaei, 2004: 56), Tarikh al- and finally, Azadān, are the other grandees Yaqubi(Yaqubi, 1983: 219-220/1), Murujal- and the nobility (Rajabi, 2003: 424/5). dhahab (Masudi, 1965: 239-241/1), Al- However, it should be mentioned that Tanbih-al-Eshraf (Masudi, 1986: 97), Tarikh according to other scholars (Nasrollahzadeh, al-Tha'alibi (Tha'alibiNishaburi, 1989: 305- 2005: 11), Paikuli inscription has been 306), Tajarib al-Umam (Ibn Miskawayh Razi, written only in two versions, i.e. Sassanid 1990: 120), Al-Taj (Al-Jahiz, 1964: 67), and middle Persian and the Parthian language. comparing them with the survived According to some historical narratives, inscriptions, we can find contradictory throughout the reign of Ardashir, he was the information. Contrary to the historical trustee of Estakhr’s fire temple and bore the narratives, claiming the existence of a stable title of “Emperor-Magi” (Wieschöfer social class in the quadruple social 1987:371-374). At the time of his successor, classification ("the clergy, warrior, secretary, Shapur I, there is also no reference to any and peasant-artisan",) not only this sequence religious title in Ka'ba-ye Zartosht relief. We does not apply to the early period of the encounter the name of Kartir with the title Sassanid society, but also there is doubt about “Hirbad” in Ka'ba-ye Zartosht only as the 51st the claimed social stability. The reason is that title among the Shapur I courtiers’ names ascribing titles and positions (Nasrollahzadeh,2005:161-162). It is worth anachronistically to early periods of the noticing that not only in Shapur’s inscription Sassanid Empire distorts the authenticity of in Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, but also in Narseh’s some narratives and completely rules out the inscription in Paikuli, the list of the titles are attribution of those lists to the early Sassanid hierarchical, initiating with the name of period. In fact, while assessing the texts and 3 www.SID.ir Khorashadi, S & Mousavi S., M _____________ Intl. J. Humanities (2018) Vol. 25 (2): (1-20) Archive of SID comparing them to the archaeological identification in Kartir’s inscriptions as evidence, we come to realize that the Mobad-e Mobadan. sequence of classes varied in different ways The question arising here is that if Kartir from one time to another in accordance with did not hold the so-called title of Mobad-e the ruling policies of the emperors.