CENTER FOR IRANIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER Vol. 16, No. 1 SIPA-Columbia University-New York Spring 2004 ENCYCLOPÆDIA IRANICA SHIRIN EBADI Fascicles 3 and 4 of Volume XII Published; Fascicle 5 in Press AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY The third and fourth fascicles plies to studies of significant his- of Volume XII of the Encyclopædia torians or their writings, i.e., the Iranica were published in the Fall identification and interpretation of of 2003 and Spring of 2004, respec- major historical texts, especially tively. They feature 83 entries on vari- with an eye to the cultural forces and ous aspects of Iranian culture and his- other factors which shape the assump- tory, including five series of articles on tions and methods of such works and specific subjects: fourteen major entries their authors. Beyond that, it encom- on Persian historiography, ten entries passes analysis of the nature and pur- under the rubric of The Histories of pose of historical literature and its lit- Herodotus’ account of ancient Persia, erary techniques. At another level, it re- Columbia University’s Center for five entries on Ernst Herzfeld, a great fers to the so-called “philosophy of his- Iranian Studies and The Institute of Hu- archeologist and historian of the ancient tory,” i.e., theoretical and epistemologi- man Rights at the Law School are plan- Iranian past, two entries on Persian col- cal discussions of historical writing as ning a reception in honor of Ms. Shirin lections at Hermitage Museum of St. an intellectual activity as well as grand Ebadi, the recipient of the 2004 Nobel Petersburg, and three entries on homo- schemes of the meaning of history as a Peace Prize. The event will be held at sexuality in Persia. Continued on page 2 Continued on page 10 PERSIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY Gala Benefit Dinner Persian historiography, or the study Houston, November 13, 2004 of historical writing from ancient times to the present, is treated in fourteen ar- The benefit dinner for the the other Trustees of the Nour Founda- ticles. In modern usage, historiography Encyclopædia Iranica at Houston’s tion for their kind assistance and en- sumptuous River Oaks Country Club, couragement. We should like to urge all covers “a wide range of related but dis- th tinct areas of inquiry. It commonly ap- which was scheduled for the 16 of the supporters of the Encyclopædia to October 2004 will take place instead on participate. Saturday the 13th of November because the earlier date coincided with several BENEFIT DINNER other functions in the city. We hope that Old Salisbury, December 11th 2004 many supporters of the Encyclopaedia will participate. For all inquiries please Following the successful call Mrs. Lili Lajevardian-Kouros at fundraiser for the victims of the Bam (713) 476-9294 or (832) 287-5378, who earthquake, organized by the Naghavi together with Mr. Ali Saberioon will family with the support of Dr. and Mrs. serve as the co-chairs of the event. Farivar last March, Dr. Azita Khan Naghavi has kindly offered to organize 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION a benefit dinner for the Encyclopædia OF THE NOUR FOUNDATION Iranica at the elegant New York Insti- tute of Technology’s de Seversky Cen- The Nour Foundation will be cel- ter, Old Salisbury, Long Island, on Sat- ebrating its 20th anniversary on Friday, urday, the 11th of December at 7 p.m. November 5th, 2004 in the Rotunda of We would like to encourage all the the Low Library, Columbia University. friends of the Encyclopædia in the Tri- The proceeds of the event, which in- State area to lend their support to the cludes music, entertainment, and din- event. Donations and/or items for auc- ner will be donated to the Center for tion will be gratefully accepted. Please Iranian Studies, Columbia University, address all inquires to Dr. Azita Khan Carnelian stamp seal, 4th century CE, HERMITAGE MUSEUM for the Encyclopaedia Iranica. We Naghavi at (616) 626-9303 or (516) thank Drs. Joseph and Mina Salim and 526-4032. CISNewsletter 2 The central theme of Herodotus is Herodotus wanted to explain in hu- Continued from page 1 the confrontation—cultural, economic, man terms the motivations and under- universal process.” political, and then military—between lying causes which shaped people’s ac- the city-states of Greece and Ionia on tions. Absent are the easy explanations Broadly speaking, entries on the the one hand and the Achaemenid Per- of events such as the machinations and historiography of the Iranian and sian empire on the other. In the back- willful intervention of the gods. Persephone world and other Iranian lan- ground looms the shadow of a more Herodotus collects and compares guages can be divided into three major general opposition—one between Eu- sources, tries to judge the trustworthi- periods: a) the pre-Islamic, and the rope and Asia as a whole. The conflict ness of conflicting accounts, and states gradual construction of a grand or mas- is portrayed in an epic manner, across his conclusions or admits uncertainty. ter narrative of Persian national history; the whole diverse cultural “world” of He works to cross the cultural divide b) the emergence and development of the eastern Mediterranean and the Per- and understand the protagonists in his Perso-Islamic histories, with its array sian empire. The focal points in time history on their own terms without sac- of annals, dynastic chronicles, and lo- are the campaigns in Greece launched rificing his own values. This quest for cal histories and biographies; and c) the by the Achaemenid kings Darius I and truth, the intellectual effort to establish modern, when historical writing in Per- his son Xerxes I, and the culmination an objective perspective and to under- sian began to be influenced by various of the conflict in climactic battles that stand the historical process, plus the models of Western scholarly and aca- ward off the Persian attacks and pre- warm humanity and delight in all things demic historiography. The periods and human, have given Herodotus a lasting their subdivisions are covered in the relevance through the centuries. His following entries: Introduction, by E. own fame is well summed up in the Daniel; Pre-Islamic period, by A. Sh. simple title given him by the Roman Shahbazi; Early Islamic period by statesman Cicero: “Father of History.” Daniel; Mongol period by Ch. Melville; Timurid period by M. Szuppe; Safavid period by S. Quinn; Afsharid and Zand ERNST HERZFELD periods, by E. Tucker; Qajar period and One of the true pioneers in the re- Pahlavi period, both by A. Amanat; covery of the ancient Iranian past Persian historiography in Afghanistan through archeology was Ernst Herzfeld by C. Noelle-Karimi; in Central Asia (1879-1948). He was noted both for his by Y. Bregel; and in the Ottoman Em- years of site investigation and for the pire by S. N. Yildiz. Persian historiog- finely detailed volumes which recorded raphy in the Indian Subcontinent will fragile historic sites and presented his be treated under India. research findings. His significance for the shaping of our vision of the past, and especially for the Achaemenid pe- THE HISTORIES OF HERODOTUS HERODOTUS riod, was underscored by a conference held at the Smithsonian Institution in The Histories of Herodotus, Greek serve Greek self-rule—at Marathon 2001. Titled “Ernst Herzfeld and the author of the 5th century BCE, is one (490 BCE), Salamis (480), and Plataea Development of Near Eastern Studies, of the original sources for the study of (479). 1900-1950,” it discussed his diverse in- ancient Iran, and at the same time holds vestigations, interpretations, and theo- a unique position in Western historical As practically the first work of its ries, and gauged the value and the limi- writings: it is the first large-scale nar- kind, The Histories has exerted an enor- tations of his heritage. In fascicle 3, five rative history in a European language. mous influence in subsequent histori- scholars, who include some of the con- E. Rollinger’s entries take us through cal writings. This would have been true ference participants, discuss in detail The Histories with a detailed guide to even if it had been composed merely as his life and the focal points of his re- the narrative: The Histories as a source a chronicle or annal, that is, a record of search into ancient Iran. for a knowledge of Persia and the Per- the events of one year after another. sians; defining the Persians; Cyrus ac- Herodotus indeed could collect, count, First, S. Hauser provides a chro- cording to Herodotus; Cambyses ac- and itemize information like a scribe. nology of Herzfeld’s eventful career, cording to Herodotus; Darius accord- However, he had a much broader am- which gave him ample opportunity to ing to Herodotus; Xerxes according to bition. He believed that human actions, display the acumen of a diplomat and a Herodotus; Mardonius according to whether of the Greeks or of their oppo- promoter, in addition to using the di- Herodotus; Tigranes and the battle of nents, held lasting significance and verse technical skills (drawing, survey- Mycale; Artayctes and the finale; and a should be remembered by posterity. ing engineering, etc.), which he had comprehensive selected bibliography. studied and mastered so well. The next 3 CISNewsletter Throughout these lengthy entries many places where Herzfeld labored (such as the site of the Abbasid capital of Samarra) can only be referred to in passing; future entries about these sites will continue to remind us of his diverse contributions to our understanding of ancient Iran. Gold griffin with inlay, 4th century HERMITAGE MUSEUM BCE, HERMITAGE MUSEUM Two entries on the State Hermit- age Museum of St.