CENTER FOR IRANIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER Vol. 17, No. 1 SIPA-Columbia University-New York Spring 2005 NCYCLOPAEDIA RANICA NLINE KHOSROW SEMNANI E I O ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE OARD OF RUSTEES A DRASTIC NEW APPROACH B T The Encyclopaedia Iranica we reach entries such as MITHRA, has adopted a radically new ap- NOWRUZ, THE SASANIANS, THE SA- proach which affects the pace and FAVIDS, THE SHAH-NAMA, SHIʼISM, progress of the Encyclopaedia and or ZOROASTER. the time needed for its completion. In fact the Encyclopaedia is The new approach, which has been becoming a living institution which made possible by taking advantage of can be consulted by all and sundry, the advances in information technol- by scholars and students, to gain the ogy, makes the Encyclopaedia in fact latest information about Iranian lands a permanent database for accurate and and their varied relations with their reliable information about all aspects of neighbors and others. Now the great Iranian history and culture which is con- bulk of the entries that we invite and Following Mr. Mahmoud Khay- tinually updated and enriched by data receive belong to this category. The amiʼs departure as Chairman of the derived from archeological discoveries, printed version also continues as before Board, his nominee, Mr. Khosrow B. new publications, and events. and when we reach a new letter of the Semnani, a Vice-Chairman of the Board The Encyclopaedia Iranica is no alphabet we commit the articles that of the Encyclopaedia Iranica Founda- longer a mere series of published vol- have been published on our web site, tion, was elected by ballot in April 2005 umes which follows the alphabetical or- www.iranica.com, to print. as the new Chairman. der, but by disregarding the alphabetical Mr. Semnani has been a constant order it is enabled to invite Iranologists So far over 1500 major entries have and generous supporter of the Encyclo- from around the world to contribute ar- been invited for the online program. Out paedia for many years. A firm believer ticles which are primary and also more of these, 700 have been received, 370 in Persian cultural heritage and the ne- significant for our audience, or articles of which are being edited, and 330 of cessity of preserving and disseminating whose subjects coincide with their cur- which have already been placed online. the facts of Iranian history and culture, rent research. Thus, it would no longer Thanks to this approach the time needed he is singularly qualified to assume the be necessary to wait for years before for the completion of the Encyclopaedia chairmanship of our Board. has been reduced by two-thirds. Here a Mr. Semnani received a B. S. in brief analysis of the articles published chemistry and physics from Westmin- on our site is offered. ster College in 1972 and his Masters Continued on page 2 Continued on page 11 The NEH Approves EIrʼs Electronic Initiative The National Endowment for Humanities, which has supported the Encyclo- paedia Iranica for the past 25 years, showed interest in our online program and last year gave $25,000 as a grant in order for us to hone and refine this program and particularly to attend to the technical aspects of our online publishing. To this end, the advice and participation of Columbia Universityʼs Electronic Publishing Initiative (EPIC) was sought. A series of meetings have been organized in which Kate Wittenberg, the Director of EPIC, Sean Costigan, Senior Editor of CIAO, and Homayoon Beigi, the Encyclopaediaʼs webmaster and Adjunct Professor of Engi- neering at Columbia University, as well as Dr. Ashraf, our Managing Editor, and Dina Amin, the Assistant Director of CIS, have been participating to enhance our Angel reading a book, miniature, online publication. The NEH has agreed to support the Encycylopaedia Iranica for 16th century, MUNICH MUSEUM another two years, depending in part on our ability to fundraise from other sources. CIS Newsletter 2 Old Iranian and Zoroastrian studies by Continued from page 1 R. Schmitt; and NIETZSCHE AND PERSIA, PRE-ISLAMIC treating Nietzscheʼs conception of Zo- LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE roaster and Persians, by D. Ashouri. A number of prominent linguists of Finally, four legendary figures are the 20th century, specializing in ancient discussed: SIMORGH, mythical miracu- Iranian languages, are presented: V. I. lous bird, by H. P. Schmidt; RUDABA, ABAEV, Ossetic-Russian Iranologist and legendary mother of Rostam; and ZAL, linguist, by I. Yakubovich; HAROLD legendary prince of Sistan, father of BAILEY, British scholar of Iranian lan- Rostam, both by A. S. Shahbazi; and guages, by J. Sheldon; NEIL MACKEN- OSTANES, legendary mage in classical ZIE, British scholar of Iranian languages, and medieval literature, by M. Smith. by D. Durkin-Meisterenst; SAMUEL NYBERG, Swedish scholar of pre-Islamic PRE-ISLAMIC Iranian religions and languages, by C. ART & ARCHEOLOGY Cereti; and GEORG MORGENSTIERNE, Norwegian linguist of Indo-Iranian KAʼBA-YE ZARDOSHT Thirteen articles treat pre-Islamic languages of Persia and Afghanistan, art and archeology: NEOLITHIC AGE IN the Pamirs, and the northwest of India, IRAN, treating the origins and early by F. Thordarson; and HANS REICHELT, PRE-ISLAMIC RELIGIONS development of agricultural econo- Austrian scholar of Indo-Iranian philol- mies, by F. Hole; PERSEPOLIS, ruined ogy, by R. Schmitt. Pre-Islamic religions are the sub- monuments of the Achaemenid city of ject of 16 entries: ANTHROPOMORPHISM, Parsa, by A. S. Shahbazi; DUNHUANG, Other outstanding scholars of Old conceiving Ahura Mazda in human Buddhist caves in Gansu, China, where and Middle Iranian languages who are form, by J. Duchesne-Guillemin; and a good deal of Manichean documents treated include: STEN KONOW, Nor- MICROCOSOM MACROCOSOM THEORY, were found, by G. Mikkelsen; KABA- wegian Indo-Iranian linguist of 19th correspondence between humans and YE ZARDOSHT, Sasanian building at century, by F. Thordarson; WOLFGANG the cosmos; and PAHLAVI PSALTER, Mid. Naqsh-e Rostam near Persepolis, by LENTZ, German scholar of Middle & Pers. translation of the Syriac Psalter, G. Gropp; KANGAVAR, a town near New Persian dialects and religions, by both by P. Gignoux. Manicheism is Kermanshah and the site of an ancient G. Gropp; ANTOINE MEILLET, French treated in four entries: MITHRA, IN MANI- temple, possibly of theSeleucid period; linguist and scholar, 19th-20th centu- CHEISM, the use of ancient Zoroastrian and ancient AZERBAIJAN MONUMENTS, ries, by R. Schmitt. W. K. MULLER, Ger- god in Manicheism; and MANICHEAN both by W. Kleiss; ARCHEOLOGY viii. man scholar of Central Asian cultures PANTHEON, Gods of the Manicheans, NORTHERN AZERBAIJAN, archeological and languages, 19th-20th centuries, by both by W. Sundermann; MANICHEISM sites of Northern Azerbaijan, by M. N. D. Durkin-Meisterenst. IN CHINA, by S. Lieu; Buddhist Ele- Pogrebova; TAKHT-E SOLAYMAN, arche- ments in MANICHEISM, by P. Bryder. ological site in Azerbaijan, by D. Huff; Other entries on pre-Islamic lin- TANG-E SARVAK, an archeological site in guistics and literature include: POETRY Other entries on pre-Islamic reli- eastern Khuzestan province, Parthian i, remnants of Indo-European poetic gions include: ZOROASTER, THE NAME, period, by E. Haernick; TEPPE YAHYA, crafts, by R. Schmitt. AVESTAN SYNTAX, treating the Gathic form of the name archeological site in Kerman province; functions of noun and verb in phrase and its derivatives, its etymology, the and BAMPUR, pre-historic site in Balu- structure, by J. Kellens; DABE MAM- Greek form Zoroaster, and Armenian chistan, both by D. T. Potts; TURFAN SIRATI (Xabiyi-Firt), Ossetic poet and evidence, by R. Schmitt; NIRANGDIN, EXPEDITIONS, at an archeological site in short story writer, by F. Thordarson; Zoroastrian ritual, by F. Kotwal, and Chinese Turkestan on the ancient Silk and RAHIM AFIFI, Persian scholar of P. Kreyenbroek; ZOROASTER, AS PER- Pahlavi language, by J. Matini CEIVED BY THE GREEKS; and MITHRAISM, i.e., the cult of Mithra developed in the West, both by R. Beck; MARRIAGE CONTRACT IN THE PRE-ISLAMIC PERIOD, by I. Yakubovich; and NURISTAN, land of heathen Kafirs before Islamiza- tion, in northeast Afghanistan, by M. Klimburg. Also treated are two scholars and a philosopher who worked on Zoroas- trianism: JES PETER ASMUSSEN, Danish scholar of pre-Islamic Iranian cultural history and religions from Zoroastri- A statue of Mani as the Buddha of Light, GEORG MORGENSTIERNE anism to Islam, by W. Sundermann; from MANICHEISM IN CHINA FRIEDRICH SPIEGEL, German scholar of 3 CIS Newsletter lord of Karkashshi, 7th century BCE; PERSEPOLIS ELAMITE TABLETS, Elamite PARTHIAN AND SASANIAN administrative records; and BABYLO- HISTORY NIAN CHRONICLES, Babylonian sources in reference to Persia, all by M. Dan- Two entries deal with Parthian damayev. relations with Roman Empire: TRAJAN, Roman emperorʼs Parthian campaigns, R. Schmitt has contributed the fol- 2nd century, by E. Kettenhofen; AXSE, lowing six entries: GARMAPADA, fourth Parthian hostage in Rome, 2nd century, month of the Old Persian calendar; by M. L. Chaumont. NISAYA the name of several Iranian regions and places; ORONTES, Greek Sasanian history is the subject of 10 form of four commandersʼ names; and entries: A. S. Shahbazi has contributed three entries, each on Greek forms of the following three entries of SASANIAN an Achaemenid name: OXATHRES; OXY- DYNASTY, the last pre-Islamic dynasty of ARTES, and OXYATHRES. Iran (3rd-7th centuries); SHAPUR, name Other entries include: MITHRADATES of three Sasanian kings and notables; VI EUPATOR, last king of Pontus, the and YAZDEGERD I, Sasanian king, 5th Hellenistic kingdom that emerged in century. northern Asia Minor in the 3rd century BCE; and PONTUS, Hellenistic kingdom Other entries include: SASANIAN in Asia Minor, 4th century BCE, both SUSA, by G. Gropp; SASANIAN ROCK- Gilt-silver ewer from tomb of Li Xian, by B. McGing; NEZAK, name on a lo- RELIEFS in Fars, by G. Hermann and CHINESE-IRANIAN RELATIONS xiii cal dynastyʼs coins in Kapisa (in Kabul V.