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Zoroastrianism has had a profound influence on major world religions. Its history tells the story of imperial culture, persecution, and migration.

Using a rich visual repository of artifacts, paintings, and texts, this four-week course will take you through the story of Zoroastrian religion, history, and culture.

The three first weeks draw inspiration from an exhibition titled ‘The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination’. The fourth and last week provides an exploration of the Avestan language, in which most of the Zoroastrian ritual texts are written.

Dark pink fabric with silvery gold embroidery

Available from FutureLearn

Join for free

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Week 1 - Who was Zarathushtra and what did he teach?

  • Welcome to the course (1.1 – 1.5)
  • Introducing Zarathushtra (1.6 – 1.7)
  • Teachings, the Gathas (1.8 – 1.9)
  • Teachings: Creation and the doctrine of the Amesha Spentas (1.10 – 1.12)

Week 2 - Historical Perspectives: Iran

  • The central act of priestly worship: Yasna (2.1)
  • The Ancient World and the Achaemenid Empire (2.2 – 2.5)
  • The Parthian and Sasanian Empires (2.6 – 2.9)
  • After the Arab conquest of Iran (2.10 – 2.13)

Week 3 - Historical Perspectives: India

  • Influence of Zoroastrian religious thought on world religions (3.1)
  • Journey from Iran and early settlement in India (3.2 – 3.4)
  • Devotional life and rites of passage (3.5 – 3.7)
  • Challenges facing Zoroastrians today (3.8 – 3.10)

Week 4 - Avestan

  • Introduction (4.1 – 4.2)
  • Let’s start with letters (4.3 – 4.6)
  • An Avestan text: the victory of Zaraϑuštra over the demons (4.7 – 4.12)
  • Review (4.13 – 4.15)
  • An Avestan stanza explained (4.16 – 4.18)

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