Wargrunt: Achaemenid Zoroastrianism 101

Here’s a short overview of the Zoroastrian religion as it seems to have been practised in the Achaemenid Persian Empire. This explainer connects with some of my other Achaemenid Persian army posts that can be found here:

Coming soon: The Magi

Coming soon: HOTT Mythological Persian Army

Zoroastrianism developed about 1500 BCE from the religions of Iran and northern India. Zoroastrianism shares a heritage with the Vedic religion of Ancient India and Hinduism.

Zoroaster

Zoroastrianism became the foremost religion of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE), as well as the later Parthian and Sassanid empires.

The Faravahar, a symbol of the divine right to rule

Very (very) simply, Zoroastrianism holds that Ahura Mazda, the supreme God, revealed His truths to a priest called Zarathustra (or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him).

Zoroaster taught that there was only one god: Ahura Mazda. The traditional divinities were pushed back either as emanations (or avatars) of this one true god or banished into the realm of lie and stigmatized as evil daemons (daeva).

The world was created by Ahura Mazda so that the forces of good (Truth) and evil (the Lie) could engage with one another.

There would be a final defeat of evil at the end of time and a restoration of the world to its once perfect state.

The events of Zoroaster's life

The ethical goals of Zoroastrianism being "good thoughts, good words and good deeds.”

The Achaemenid kings, as faithful Zoroastrians, worshipped Ahura Mazda over all other deities.

Darius the Great and his son Xerxes seem to be the Great Kings who cleaved most strictly to Zoroastrianism. Darius used his royal inscriptions to venerate Ahura-Mazda as the principal god, and the One that provided Darius with his authority. Yet even Darius mentions Ahura Mazda ‘and the other gods’ in his famous Behistun Inscription.

Some modern Zoroastrian scholars note that it is Darius the Great, not Cyrus, who is fondly remembered in the Zoroastrian literature and sacred history.

A 3rd century depiction of Zoroaster

Even so, Zoroastrianism, as practiced by the Achaemenid kings was not monotheistic. In fact the most popular traditional deities continued to be worshipped. They eventually returned in the collection of cultic hymns of the Zoroastrians as "Holy Immortals (Yazata)” the angels of Ahura Mazda.

Exactly how strictly Zoroastrianism was held by the various Achaemenid kings, let alone the Persian people is difficult to tell.

Notably, Artaxerxes II (405-359), and then Artaxerxes III (359-338), invoked Ahura-Mazda as well as two other gods, Mithra and Anahita with these words, “May Ahuramazda, Anahita, and Mithra protect me and my building against evil.”

It seems a divine triad now acted together as the main gods among the Persians.

A 17th century depiction of Zoroaster

According to the Avesta (a collection of hymns, prayers and priestly rules), Anahita and Mithra were the two most powerful yazata (beings worthy of worship) created by the supreme being Ahura Mazda.

Zoroastrianism is sometimes erroneously described as fire worship, and although fire altars were an important part of the religion; the flames can best be interpreted as as symbol of purity.