University of Tehran (Department of Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages, University of Tehran), Iran translated by Isabella Bauer, University of Tübingen,
Abstract
Zhale Amouzgar’s Von der Vergangenheit Irans is a concise yet profound contribution to Iranian studies, particularly focused on the pre-Islamic period. Drawing on Middle Persian sources and Zoroastrian religious concepts, Amouzgar examines how historical memory and cultural identity were shaped in ancient Iran. She resists any ideological homogenization of the past, emphasizing instead its layered and often discontinuous character. Her interpretation of Sasanian religious policies and mythical kingship is grounded in a nuanced understanding of history as a dynamic process of cultural self-definition. Amouzgar’s approach is primarily cultural-hermeneutic. Religious and political ideas are not analyzed in isolation but as symbolically interwoven. Ancient Iranian kingship is thus interpreted as a manifestation of cosmic order, legitimized by the unity of religion and rule. The book offers not only an introduction to ancient Iranian thought but also a meaningful intervention in present-day debates on Iranian cultural identity. Through critical clarity and scholarly precision, Amouzgar reclaims the past as a living resource—beyond myth-making or ideological appropriation
