Dr. Roel Konijnendijk

You know, I've just had sent to me from a colleague in Iran who's been digitally photographing Bissetan relief right up high, right next to it, because they're scaffolding that for restoration at the moment. And I've been able to do some line drawings of them, real sort of up close and personal.

You know, I've just had sent to me from a colleague in Iran who's been digitally photographing Bissetan relief right up high, right next to it, because they're scaffolding that for restoration at the moment. And I've been able to do some line drawings of them, real sort of up close and personal.

And while Darius and his two Persian officers, you know, look handsome and beautifully chiseled, it's really interesting to see how they portray the foreign kings, the liar kings in front of them. They are really grotesque. Which we don't really see from far away. They've got snub noses and thick lips and big sunken eyes. And they're all wearing collars around their neck.

And while Darius and his two Persian officers, you know, look handsome and beautifully chiseled, it's really interesting to see how they portray the foreign kings, the liar kings in front of them. They are really grotesque. Which we don't really see from far away. They've got snub noses and thick lips and big sunken eyes. And they're all wearing collars around their neck.

And while Darius and his two Persian officers, you know, look handsome and beautifully chiseled, it's really interesting to see how they portray the foreign kings, the liar kings in front of them. They are really grotesque. Which we don't really see from far away. They've got snub noses and thick lips and big sunken eyes. And they're all wearing collars around their neck.

And a little detail in this collar shows that there's a metal stud that actually presses into their throats as well. So it's quite remarkable, the detail, you know. So yes, just really that emphasizes the fact that the Persians were very observant about peoples and they liked to portray them accurately. And I think that's what Herodotus is picking up.

And a little detail in this collar shows that there's a metal stud that actually presses into their throats as well. So it's quite remarkable, the detail, you know. So yes, just really that emphasizes the fact that the Persians were very observant about peoples and they liked to portray them accurately. And I think that's what Herodotus is picking up.

And a little detail in this collar shows that there's a metal stud that actually presses into their throats as well. So it's quite remarkable, the detail, you know. So yes, just really that emphasizes the fact that the Persians were very observant about peoples and they liked to portray them accurately. And I think that's what Herodotus is picking up.

Absolutely. In terms of like Persian theology, the idea is that Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord, is the creator of the world. He is the supreme creator God. And in the way that duality works in Persian theological thought, there is good, truth, arta, and there is bad, the lie, drauga. So because Ahura Mazda brings his world into order, which of course is by definition a good thing.

Absolutely. In terms of like Persian theology, the idea is that Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord, is the creator of the world. He is the supreme creator God. And in the way that duality works in Persian theological thought, there is good, truth, arta, and there is bad, the lie, drauga. So because Ahura Mazda brings his world into order, which of course is by definition a good thing.

Absolutely. In terms of like Persian theology, the idea is that Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord, is the creator of the world. He is the supreme creator God. And in the way that duality works in Persian theological thought, there is good, truth, arta, and there is bad, the lie, drauga. So because Ahura Mazda brings his world into order, which of course is by definition a good thing.

It's a kind of proto-Zoroastrianism. There's elements of it, but I wouldn't want to go that far. But certainly this creator god, who is a good god, establishes the king. It's almost like he creates kingship in order to ensure that his goodness, his arta, continues on this earth. So you could say that every war fought by a Persian great king is a holy war. That's how they would have seen it.

It's a kind of proto-Zoroastrianism. There's elements of it, but I wouldn't want to go that far. But certainly this creator god, who is a good god, establishes the king. It's almost like he creates kingship in order to ensure that his goodness, his arta, continues on this earth. So you could say that every war fought by a Persian great king is a holy war. That's how they would have seen it.

It's a kind of proto-Zoroastrianism. There's elements of it, but I wouldn't want to go that far. But certainly this creator god, who is a good god, establishes the king. It's almost like he creates kingship in order to ensure that his goodness, his arta, continues on this earth. So you could say that every war fought by a Persian great king is a holy war. That's how they would have seen it.

So it's actually bringing the world into its proper place. So these people who are outside of Persian control, who are forces of chaos, of drauga, therefore, for their own good, as well as the good of the whole world, need to be brought under the control of Persia and of, ultimately, its god Ahura Mazda. That's not to say they went out kind of proselytizing and converting. It's never about that.

So it's actually bringing the world into its proper place. So these people who are outside of Persian control, who are forces of chaos, of drauga, therefore, for their own good, as well as the good of the whole world, need to be brought under the control of Persia and of, ultimately, its god Ahura Mazda. That's not to say they went out kind of proselytizing and converting. It's never about that.

So it's actually bringing the world into its proper place. So these people who are outside of Persian control, who are forces of chaos, of drauga, therefore, for their own good, as well as the good of the whole world, need to be brought under the control of Persia and of, ultimately, its god Ahura Mazda. That's not to say they went out kind of proselytizing and converting. It's never about that.

But for the sake of the harmony of the cosmos, everybody needs to be singing praises to Ahura Mazda, essentially.

But for the sake of the harmony of the cosmos, everybody needs to be singing praises to Ahura Mazda, essentially.

But for the sake of the harmony of the cosmos, everybody needs to be singing praises to Ahura Mazda, essentially.