Welcome to Sasanika:
One of the most remarkable empires of the first millennium CE was that of the Sasanian Empire. Emanating from southern Iran’s Persis region in the third century CE, the Sasanian domain eventually encompassed not only modern day Iran, Ag and Iraq, but also the greater part of Central Asia, the Caucasus, including at times the regions corresponding to present-day Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Egypt. This geographically diverse empire brought together a striking array of ethnicities and religious practices. Arameans, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Romans, and Goths, as well as a host of other peoples, all lived and labored under Sasanian rule. The Sasanians established a relatively tolerant imperial system, creating a vibrant communal life among their Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian citizens.
Sasanika is dedicated to the promotion of research and study on the history of the Sasanian dynasty. Its mission is to facilitate direct and free access to primary information. This period of Iranian history and culture encompasses a vast geographical region that goes beyond the territorial bounds of modern-day Iran and most of the former archaeological work was completed by the German, French, Italians and Russian excavators with only the recent archaeological work done in Farsi and English. As a result, the information has been published in various languages and often in old and out of print publications. Given the geographic diversity of this material, the implementation and use of the English language would aid in providing accessibility to a greater number of audience and surpassing the barrier of multilingualism to facilitate greater access to many academic scholars, university students and public users.
Although most of our team members volunteer their time to maintain the site, the production of high-quality articles and the support of research projects require funding. We are planning major changes in the website and inclusion of further information and research about the Sasanian Empire. It is through the generosity of Sasanian enthusiasts and those interested in the history of pre-Islamic Iran that Sasanika thrives.
Our Team:
Director:
Touraj Daryaee is the director of Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture School of Humanities and a professor of History at University of California, Irvine. His research has focused on ancient and early medieval history of Iran, specifically the Sasanian Empire. He has worked on Middle Persian literature, editing and translating several texts with commentary on geography, dinner speech, chess and backgammon. He is also interested in the history of Zoroastrianism in Late Antiquity and its encounter with Islam. He is the editor of the Name-ye Iran-e Bastan journal, DABIR: Digital Archives of Brief Notes and Iran Review.
Editorial Board:
Matthew P. Canepa is Professor of Art History and Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Presidential Chair in Art History and Archaeology of Ancient Iran at University of California, Irvine. An historian of art, archaeology and religions his research focuses on the intersection of art, ritual and power in the eastern Mediterranean, Persia and the wider Iranian world. Professor Canepa’s research interests center on the co-constituency of the built, ritual, and natural environments in creating and sustaining cultural memory, power, and identity. His recent work focuses on the impact of Iranian visual and spatial cultures on Eurasia.
Project Manager:
Layah Ziaii-Bigdeli has a PhD in Visual Studies at University of California, Irvine. Her background is in Iranian archaeology and art history. She earned a B.A. in Art History and Archaeology with a concentration in ancient Near Eastern antiquities at Columbia University and an M.A. in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies with an emphasis on Islamic art at Rutgers University. Her master’s thesis examines Nishapur figural buff ware with an intention to understand the quality of modern conservation and its effects on scholarship. Currently, she is interested in problems of transition from Sasanian to Islamic Iran. Her dissertation project focuses on tableware and identity in Sasanian and early Islamic Period.
Contributors:
Shervin Farridnejad
Khodadad Rezakhani
Razieh Taasob
Chiara Gasparini
Ali Mousavi