Freedom in the Political Thought of Ancient Iran

This event occurred on:  A long tradition of scholarship on the concept of freedom in antiquity imagines it as a proprietary value of the Greeks and Romans. In other ancient cultures, the story goes, freedom was of marginal importance, and it was subordinated to other political ideals. This narrative founders, however, in the world of late antique Iran, where freedom (āzādīh in Middle Persian) is abundantly attested as a core value of the Sasanian ruling classes. This talk will explore the concept in diverse evidence from Sasanian epigraphy, Zoroastrian religious literature, Armenian historiography, and documentary texts in Bactrian and Sogdian. It will also compare Iranian āzādīh with Greco-Roman freedom to reassess the narrative of ancient civilizational divergence that has often been predicated upon this political value. The lecture will be followed by a reception co-sponsored by the Classical Studies Program and the Classics Club. All are welcome to attend.

Lecture: 5:15-6:30 pm, Olin 204
Reception: 6:30 pm, Olin second floor