Zoroastrianism

15 09, 2017

Zoroastrianism – Iran – West Asian religion

By |2019-09-04T05:58:45-07:00September 15th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on Zoroastrianism – Iran – West Asian religion

An Iranian fire sacrifice Zoroaster/Zarathustra himself Around 1000 BC (probably), about the same time that people in India were writing the Rig Veda, a man named Zoroaster (also called Zarathustra) was a priest in a small [...]

15 09, 2017

What is Nowruz? Zoroastrians – West Asian holidays

By |2019-09-04T05:59:52-07:00September 15th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on What is Nowruz? Zoroastrians – West Asian holidays

Persepolis may have been built in the 500s BC as a place to celebrate Nowruz. What is the holiday of Nowruz? Zoroastrianism became much more popular suddenly when the Persian kings [...]

15 09, 2017

Monotheism and polytheism – West Asian religion

By |2020-05-11T06:36:44-07:00September 15th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on Monotheism and polytheism – West Asian religion

The Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar or Inanna What is polytheism? The earliest people in West Asia were all polytheistic: they all worshipped many gods. From 3000 BC to 539 BC, the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Assyrians and the Babylonians all [...]

15 09, 2017

Who is Ahura Mazda? Zoroastrianism and West Asian religion

By |2019-09-04T07:30:29-07:00September 15th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on Who is Ahura Mazda? Zoroastrianism and West Asian religion

A carving of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda, from the Louvre museum in Paris Who is Ahura Mazda? About 1500 BC, people in India and Iran worshipped a sky god they called [...]

14 09, 2017

From Xerxes to Alexander – the later Persian Empire

By |2019-10-24T12:52:19-07:00September 14th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on From Xerxes to Alexander – the later Persian Empire

The Persian shah, Xerxes, from the 400s BC. Death of Xerxes and revolt In 465 BC, someone killed the Persian King Xerxes. His assassin may have been his son Ardashir [...]

14 09, 2017

Who were the Parthians? Iran – West Asian history

By |2019-09-05T05:39:23-07:00September 14th, 2017|West Asia|Comments Off on Who were the Parthians? Iran – West Asian history

Grasslands of Central Asia - the steppe that the Parthians came from Parthians invade Iran Around 300 BC, some new people invaded West Asia from the north. These people were [...]

21 08, 2017

Where do Easter eggs come from? History of religion

By |2019-11-21T09:24:47-08:00August 21st, 2017|Religion|Comments Off on Where do Easter eggs come from? History of religion

Ostrich eggshell from Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa (60,000 BC) When did people start dyeing eggs? Easter eggs go back long before Easter, and even long before the beginning of farming. As [...]

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