The Parthians at War Overtoom, Nikolaus Leo. 2025. The Parthians at War: Combat, Logistics, Reputation, and the First War with Rome. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Nikolaus Leo Overtoom provides a comprehensive study to evaluate and understand the military capabilities and accomplishments of the greatest enemy of the Seleucids and Romans, the Parthians. Overtoom draws on a wide variety of sources to reassess the militarism of the Parthians and origins and events of their first war with Rome.

The Parthians at War

Overtoom, Nikolaus Leo. 2025. The Parthians at War: Combat, Logistics, Reputation, and the First War with Rome. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Nikolaus Leo Overtoom provides a comprehensive study to evaluate and understand the military capabilities and accomplishments of the…

Ancient Persian van Bladel, Kevin. 2026. Ancient Persian: A linguistic history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. When ancient Persian conquerors created a vast empire from the Mediterranean to the Indus, encompassing many peoples speaking many different languages, they triggered demographic changes that caused their own language to be transformed. Persian grammar has ever since borne testimony to the social history of the ancient Persian Empire.

Ancient Persian

van Bladel, Kevin. 2026. Ancient Persian: A linguistic history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. When ancient Persian conquerors created a vast empire from the Mediterranean to the Indus, encompassing many peoples speaking many different languages, they triggered demographic…

The Zoroastrian World Rose, Jenny, Albert De Jong & Sarah Stewart. 2026. The Zoroastrian World. New York: Routledge. Although Zoroastrians in the contemporary world are numerically few – estimated recently at less than 150,000 across the globe – their ancient Iranian ancestors ruled vast areas of the Near East for over a millennium. From the mid‑sixth century BCE to the mid‑seventh century CE, the historical contribution of the ‘Mazda-worshipping’ religion to the intellectual, cultural, and political development of the region was momentous.

The Zoroastrian World

Rose, Jenny, Albert De Jong & Sarah Stewart. 2026. The Zoroastrian World. New York: Routledge. Although Zoroastrians in the contemporary world are numerically few – estimated recently at less than 150,000 across the globe – their ancient Iranian ancestors ruled vast areas of…

Women of the Empire Safaee, Yazdan. 2026. Women of the empire: Life and labor in the Achaemenid Persepolis Archives (Ancient Iran Series 20). Leiden: Brill. This book offers a comprehensive examination of the status and roles of women within the socio-economic framework of the Achaemenid Empire. Drawing primarily on the Persepolis Fortification and Treasury Archives, it foregrounds the documentary evidence as a lens through which the lives, labor, and agency of women—both within royal institutions and beyond—can be critically assessed.

Women of the Empire

Safaee, Yazdan. 2026. Women of the empire: Life and labor in the Achaemenid Persepolis Archives (Ancient Iran Series 20). Leiden: Brill. This book offers a comprehensive examination of the status and roles of women within the socio-economic framework of the Achaemenid Empire.…

Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia (vol. 31)

The volume 31 of the journal Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia contains several contributions that engage directly with an Iranian context. Marco Ferrario: “There I Made Another Their Chief”. Kings, Ancestors, and Rebels:…

Ancient Jewish Memories of Achaemenid Persia

Joachimsen, Kristin & Jason S. Mokhtarian (eds.). 2025. Ancient Jewish Memories of Achaemenid Persia (The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 25). Several contributions in the special issue of The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, titled Ancient Jewish Memories of…

Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift

Wiechmann, Yannick A. 2025. Semographische Aspekte in der altpersischen Keilschrift: Lokale Schreibtraditionen und sakrale Sinnstiftung? Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 116: 217-241. This paper deals with aspects of…

WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages

Neda Mohtashami, Yusef Saadat & Kianoosh Rezania. 2025. Eschatologia Iranica III: WAY metaphors as CONDUCT OF LIFE in Selected Iranian Languages: A CMT-based Case Study. Metaphor Papers 19. This article explores the metaphorical usage…

Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum Alizadeh, Abbas. 2026. Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum: From Prehistory to the Achaemenid Period (ISACMP 3). Chigago: University of Chigago Press. Discover the splendor of ancient Iran through a stunning selection of artifacts from the Robert and Deborah Aliber Persian Gallery at the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) Museum. Featuring a wide array of objects—from finely worked metal and ceramics to monumental stone carvings—this volume reveals the artistic achievements and cultural depth of a region that flourished for millennia.

Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum

Alizadeh, Abbas. 2026. Ancient Iran in the ISAC Museum: From Prehistory to the Achaemenid Period (ISACMP 3). Chigago: University of Chigago Press. Discover the splendor of ancient Iran through a stunning selection of artifacts from the Robert and Deborah Aliber…

Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age Grigoriev, Stanislav. 2026. Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age. Bicester: Archaeopress. This book challenges the steppe-origin theory of Indo-Aryans, arguing their homeland was in NW Iran. Using linguistic, genetic, and archaeological data, it traces migrations from Iran to Central Asia, India, and beyond during the 3rd millennium BC, shaping Indo-Aryan dialects. This volume is devoted to the origins and early history of the Indo-Aryans.

Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age

Grigoriev, Stanislav. 2026. Indo-Aryans in the Bronze Age. Bicester: Archaeopress. This book challenges the steppe-origin theory of Indo-Aryans, arguing their homeland was in NW Iran. Using linguistic, genetic, and archaeological data, it traces migrations from Iran…

The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC) Álvarez-Mon, Javier. 2026. The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC). London: Routledge. The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC) offers a bold reappraisal of one of the most formative periods in ancient art history, revealing how artistic innovation helped forge one of antiquity’s most influential empires. This volume shows how Persian art evolved from local traditions into a sophisticated imperial visual language, highlighting the revolutionary developments at Pasargadae, the influence of broader cultural landscapes, and the impact of Elamite heritage.

The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC)

Álvarez-Mon, Javier. 2026. The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC). London: Routledge. The Birth of Persian Art (c. 550–486 BC) offers a bold reappraisal of one of the most formative periods in ancient art history, revealing how artistic innovation helped…

Sasanian by way of the Caliphate Ottewill-Soulsby, Sam. 2025. The circle of the world: The global diplomacy of Caliph al-Manṣūr. Bulletin of SOAS 88(3). 523–538. Between 757 and 768, the second ʿAbbāsid caliph, al-Manṣūr, engaged in an unprecedented set of foreign relations which stretched across Afro-Eurasia, from Tang China to Carolingian Francia. The unique scale of this activity has previously gone unnoticed because much of the evidence comes from the caliph’s diplomatic partners.

Sasanian by way of the Caliphate

Ottewill-Soulsby, Sam. 2025. The circle of the world: The global diplomacy of Caliph al-Manṣūr. Bulletin of SOAS 88(3). 523–538. Between 757 and 768, the second ʿAbbāsid caliph, al-Manṣūr, engaged in an unprecedented set of foreign relations which stretched across…

30 Years of “Iran and the Caucasus” Please see the file below for an update on the International Conference Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of Iran and the Caucasus, which we announced in September 2025. Please contact the organisers if you have any questions. IC30 UpdatedDownload

30 Years of “Iran and the Caucasus”

Please see the file below for an update on the International Conference Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of Iran and the Caucasus, which we announced in September 2025. Please contact the organisers if you have any questions. IC30 UpdatedDownload

The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran)

Malekzadeh, Mehrdad, Reza Naseri, Elena Fausti, Andrea Cesaretti & Roberto Dan. 2026. The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran): local identities and imperial connections on the northern Iranian plateau. Antiquity. Published…

Iran and the Caucasus 30 (1) Volume 30, issue 1, of Iran and the Caucasus has now been published. As always, we are grateful to the staff at Yale Classics Library (@yaleclassicslib.bsky.social) for sharing this publication information with us.

Iran and the Caucasus 30 (1)

Volume 30, issue 1, of Iran and the Caucasus has now been published. As always, we are grateful to the staff at Yale Classics Library (@yaleclassicslib.bsky.social) for sharing this publication information with us.

Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs Asefi, Nima & Shervin Farridnejad. 2026. Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs dating to the reigns of Xusrō II and Ohrmazd IV. Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology 4(6). 1–24. In 2024, images of three previously unknown Middle Persian documents on leather became available, reportedly originating from an undisclosed location in Fārs province, Iran. All three documents are formal letters.

Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs

Asefi, Nima & Shervin Farridnejad. 2026. Three Middle Persian documents from Fārs dating to the reigns of Xusrō II and Ohrmazd IV. Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology 4(6). 1–24. In 2024, images of three previously unknown Middle Persian…

Gold, Silver and Glass Simpson, St John (ed.). 2026. Gold, Silver and Glass: Power Networks, Cultural Identities, Technology Transfers and Agency across the Old World (7th Century BC - 1st Century AD). Bicester: Archaeopress. This volume explores how precious materials shaped power, identity and cultural exchange in the ancient world from the 7th century BC to early Roman times. Growing out of the British Museum special exhibition Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece, it brings together new perspectives on technology, value and artistic interaction from Greece to China.

Gold, Silver and Glass

Simpson, St John (ed.). 2026. Gold, Silver and Glass: Power Networks, Cultural Identities, Technology Transfers and Agency across the Old World (7th Century BC - 1st Century AD). Bicester: Archaeopress. This volume explores how precious materials shaped power, identity and…

In memory of Philippe Gignoux Gyselen, Rika (ed.). 2024. Administrations et préposés d’époque sassanide: Nouvelles données à la mémoire de Philippe Gignoux (Cahiers de Studia Iranica 66). Paris: Association pour l’avancement des études iraniennes. This volume brings together studies based on primary sources, often unpublished, which highlight important aspects of the administration of the Sasanian Empire. Some complete our knowledge on the territorial establishment of the various administrations and of the mints, others deal with the actors of these institutions such as the magi and the scribes. The sources used are mainly seals and seal impressions on clay bullae. Summary

In memory of Philippe Gignoux

Gyselen, Rika (ed.). 2024. Administrations et préposés d’époque sassanide: Nouvelles données à la mémoire de Philippe Gignoux (Cahiers de Studia Iranica 66). Paris: Association pour l’avancement des études iraniennes. This volume brings together studies based on…

Text, script and language in Bactria and Serindia Ching, Chao-jung & Michaël Peyrot (eds.). 2026. Text, script and language in Bactria and Serindia. Papers on cultural and linguistic interactions in pre-Islamic Central Asia. Beiträge zur Iranistik, vol. 55. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. This collective volume unites ten papers by international specialists in history, philology, linguistics, palaeography and archaeology, dealing with texts written in Bactrian, Khotanese, Tumshuqese, Tocharian, and Gāndhārī (Niya-Prakrit) from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Northwest China, as well as with classical Chinese Buddhist scriptures and the newly discovered Almosi inscriptions of Tajikistan.

Text, script and language in Bactria and Serindia

Ching, Chao-jung & Michaël Peyrot (eds.). 2026. Text, script and language in Bactria and Serindia. Papers on cultural and linguistic interactions in pre-Islamic Central Asia. Beiträge zur Iranistik, vol. 55. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. This…

The diversification of Indo-Iranian and the position of the Nuristani languages Halfmann, Jakob. 2025. The diversification of Indo-Iranian and the position of the Nuristani languages (Beiträge Zur Iranistik 54). Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. This book offers a new approach to the long-standing problem of the genealogical affiliation of the Nuristani languages, a small group of closely related languages spoken in the Eastern Hindu Kush, within the Indo-Iranian subgroup of Indo-European. This topic is approached via a step-by-step examination of the crucial isoglosses, while taking into account more sample data than was available to previous researchers.

The diversification of Indo-Iranian and the position of the Nuristani languages

Halfmann, Jakob. 2025. The diversification of Indo-Iranian and the position of the Nuristani languages (Beiträge Zur Iranistik 54). Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. This book offers a new approach to the long-standing…

Gāthās of Zarathuštra Kellens, Jean. 2026. Les Gâthâs attribuées à Zarathuštra. Aux origines de l’Avesta et de la religion zoroastrienne. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. At the source of the Avesta, the collection of the oldest sacrificial recitations of the Zoroastrian religion, one finds a small corpus of poems, the Gāthās—“songs” composed in a particularly archaic language. These venerable chants are regarded by the faithful as the very work of the founding prophet, Zarathustra, and this act of faith is largely endorsed by many representatives of contemporary scholarship.

Gāthās of Zarathuštra

Kellens, Jean. 2026. Les Gâthâs attribuées à Zarathuštra. Aux origines de l’Avesta et de la religion zoroastrienne. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. At the source of the Avesta, the collection of the oldest sacrificial recitations of the Zoroastrian religion, one finds a small…

Herodotus on the Expedition of Datis and Artaphrenes

Degen, Julian. 2025. Herodotus on the Expedition of Datis and Artaphrenes: Athenian Imperialism Mirrored in the First Persian War. The Classical Quarterly (2025) 1–14. By accepting a later dating for the composition of the Histories, this…

Debating Cyrus

Johnson, David M., Gabriel Alexander Danzig and Rodrigo Illarraga (eds.). 2026. Debating Cyrus: Leadership in Xenophon’s ›Cyropaedia‹ (Xenophon Studies 2). Berlin: De Gruyter. Is Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great the model leader he seems to be, or does his apparent success actually…

Herodotus and Women Zaccarini, Matteo. 2025. Erodoto e le donne: La presenza femminile nelle Storie. Rome: Carocci. Elena partì da Sparta con i Troiani, ma, forse, fu una fuga volontaria più che un rapimento. La regina di Lidia, disonorata dal marito, congegnò una vendetta esemplare e teatrale. L’etera Rodopi, in origine una schiava, divenne una figura leggendaria grazie alla fama e a un monumento eccezionali.

Herodotus and Women

Zaccarini, Matteo. 2025. Erodoto e le donne: La presenza femminile nelle Storie. Rome: Carocci. Elena partì da Sparta con i Troiani, ma, forse, fu una fuga volontaria più che un rapimento. La regina di Lidia, disonorata dal marito, congegnò una vendetta esemplare e teatrale.…

Khotanese dīñ- “overthink” Hitch, Doug & Mehrdad Derafshi. 2025. Khotanese dīñ- “overthink” and Avestan daēnā- “view, vision.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 1–10. Two new folios from the Old Khotanese epic Buddhist poem the Book of Zambasta have recently come to light. One folio contains the word dīñu which is thrice attested elsewhere in both Old (dīñi, …

Khotanese dīñ- “overthink”

Hitch, Doug & Mehrdad Derafshi. 2025. Khotanese dīñ- “overthink” and Avestan daēnā- “view, vision.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 1–10. Two new folios from the Old Khotanese epic Buddhist poem the Book of Zambasta have recently come to light. One…

Kleines Gatha-Lesebuch Hoffmann, Karl. 2025. Kleines Gatha-Lesebuch: Aus dem Nachlass herausgegeben von Bernhard Forssman, unter Mitwirkung von Jürgen Habisreitinger. Mit einem Beitrag von Almut Hintze. (Ed.) Bernhard Forssman. Heidelberg: Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing. This book is open access and can be downloaded here. Dieses Buch enthält Stücke aus den "Gathas": poetischen Texten, als deren Verfasser Zarathustra angesehen wird, der Stifter der Parsen-Religion.

Kleines Gatha-Lesebuch

Hoffmann, Karl. 2025. Kleines Gatha-Lesebuch: Aus dem Nachlass herausgegeben von Bernhard Forssman, unter Mitwirkung von Jürgen Habisreitinger. Mit einem Beitrag von Almut Hintze. (Ed.) Bernhard Forssman. Heidelberg: Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing. This book is open…

Persian Language Summer School ASPIRANTUM’s 2026 Persian Language Summer School offers 6–10 weeks (120–200 hours) of intensive Modern Persian instruction in Yerevan, beginning on June 21, June 28, or July 5, 2026. Classes at beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels focus on all key skills - reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary - with small groups ensuring meaningful progress. Participants also take part in 

Persian Language Summer School

ASPIRANTUM’s 2026 Persian Language Summer School offers 6–10 weeks (120–200 hours) of intensive Modern Persian instruction in Yerevan, beginning on June 21, June 28, or July 5, 2026. Classes at beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels focus on all key skills -…

In Solidarity with the People of Iran We have been following the news of the protests in Iran with growing concern and deep distress. We acknowledge the profound suffering unfolding across the country and recognise the courage of our sisters and brothers who are fighting for their freedom. Like so many Iranians living outside Iran, we fear for our loved ones and for all those exposed to violence and brutality. We wish everyone strength, courage, and hope in this struggle, and we stand in solidarity with our people. پیروزی از آن شماست.

In Solidarity with the People of Iran

We have been following the news of the protests in Iran with growing concern and deep distress. We acknowledge the profound suffering unfolding across the country and recognise the courage of our sisters and brothers who are fighting for their freedom. Like so…

Achaemenid royal women in Egypt Kaczanowicz, Marta. 2025. Invisible figures: Achaemenid royal women in Egypt. Old World: Journal of Ancient Africa and Eurasia. Brill 5(2). 1–19. This contribution aims to reexamine the frequently stated assertion that Achaemenid royal women were not involved in Egypt and its affairs during the periods of Persian rule on the Nile. The evidence is considered against the Persian concept of queenship rather than focusing solely on the Egyptian perspective on the role of royal women within the ideology of power.

Achaemenid royal women in Egypt

Kaczanowicz, Marta. 2025. Invisible figures: Achaemenid royal women in Egypt. Old World: Journal of Ancient Africa and Eurasia. Brill 5(2). 1–19. This contribution aims to reexamine the frequently stated assertion that Achaemenid royal women were not involved in…

Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II Baca-Winters, Keenan. 2025. A most vicious game: Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II. Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History 3(2). 25–53. This paper examines the complex relationship between Xusrō II and the Christians of Ērānšahr (the Sāsānian Kingdom). By the time he assumed power, Ērānšahr had a significant population of Christians who belonged to distinct churches.

Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II

Baca-Winters, Keenan. 2025. A most vicious game: Memory, politics, and religion in the reign of Xusrō II. Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History 3(2). 25–53. This paper examines the complex relationship between Xusrō II and the…