Armenia and Iran : the birth of two nations in late Antiquity

This paper discusses the idea of Armenian and Iranian identity in 3rd century CE. It is proposed that the bordering region of the Armeno-Iranian world, such as that of the Siwnik‘ and its house saw matters very differently from that of the Armenian kingdom. The Sasanians in return had a vastly different view of Armenia and Georgia as political entities, and used their differences to the benefit of their empire

Ardaxšīr and the Sasanians’ Rise to Power

The author deals with the rise to power of Ardaxšīr ī Pābagān and his family origins. The sources are either late (Perso-Arabic), or foreign and hostile (Greek and Armenian), or concerned with external religious matters (Syriac) which tend to be helpful mainly for chronology. Material culture, specifically coinage along with the rock reliefs are of the utmost importance to this investigation, and it is these sources that need to be juxtaposed with the literary documents to achieve a more balanced view of the origins of the Sasanians

The bones of Khosrow : the sacred topography of Ctesiphon

This essay discusses the importance of Ctesiphon in the historical and literary tradition of Sasanian and Post-Sasanian Iran. It is proposed that there was a significant buildup of the Ctesiphon’s defenses in the third century that it made its conquest by the Roman Empire impossible and its gave it an aura of impregnability. By the last Sasanian period the city was not only inhabited by Iranian speaking people and a capital, but it also became part of Iranian lore and tradition, tied to mythical Iranian culture-heroes and kings. Even with the fall of the Sasanian Empire, in Arabic and Persian poetry the grandeur and memory of Ctesiphon was preserved as part of memory of the great empires of the past

THE IDENTITIES OF YOUNG AMERICA: A CASE OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM AND EMERGING IDENTITIES IN LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN FARMER

AbstractThis article is an attempt to examine the emerging identities and the primary examples of exceptionalism in early American literature by a review of excerpts from the "Letters from an American Farmer" written by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur. To this end, after a brief introduction, exceptionalism is defined and explained as a political and ideological attitude. Then, a brief overview of pre-revolution and war literature is provided along with some prominent examples of literary works. Finally, after introducing the author’s work, the third letter of the above series entitled "What is an American?" is selected and analyzed within the theoretical framework of this article which addresses the emergence of American identity in early literary works. More specifically, the present article examines the American social life, emerging identities and the early signs of exceptionalism from Crèvecoeur’s perspective. As a conclusion, the analysis of selected excerpts shows that there are rudimentary elements and examples of this ideology in the case under study.Keywords: American literature; American exceptionalism; national pride; social identit

King Huviška, Yima, and the Bird : observations on a paradisiacal state

This essay discuses the significance of the unique gold coin of the Kushan king, Huviška. The legend on the coin reads Imšao which recalls the ancient Indo-Iranian mythic figure, Yima/Yama. It is contended that the reason for which Yima/Yama is portrayed on the coin with a bird on his hand is not the idea of Glory and his reign, but rather the paradaisical state according to the Wīdēwdād, where Yima/Yama ruled over the world. It is contended that Huviška aimed at presenting himself in this manner to his subjects who were familiar with the Avestan and mythic Indo-Iranian lore

Evaluation of effect of Ophiostoma novo-ulmi on four major wood species of the elm family in Rasht (North West of Iran)

Dutch elm disease is the most common and destructive disease of the elm family. The pathogen of Ophiostoma novo-ulmi will systematically lead to the blockage of xylems and cavities, and will finally lead to the development of wilt symptoms. The present study aimed to compare the diameter size of vessels and the number of xylary rays in four species: Ulmus carpinifolia, Ulmus glabra, Zelkova carpinifolia and Celtis australis as important factors in host resistance to elm disease. To do this, some samples were randomly collected from 10 cm above the place of seedling’s inoculation. The test results showed that there was a significant difference at 1% probability level among the measured indicators in these four species, the maximum diameter of vessel and the maximum number of xylary rays belonged to U. carpinifolia. According to the results, Ulmus campestris was more sensitive towards Dutch elm disease as compared to the other three species, and C. australis had the greatest resistance to Dutch elm disease.Key words: Dutch elm disease, xylary rays, vessel, resistance

To Learn and to Remember from Others: Persians Visiting the Dura-Europos Synagogue

The city of Dura-Europos in modern day Syria provides a microcosm of multi-ethnic and multi-religious life in the late ancient Near East. Although there are debates as to the exact date of the conquest of the city, the year 256 CE appears to be the most plausible date in which the King of Kings, Šāpur I took Dura. In the third century, the city was abandoned and so the life of Dura came to an end after more than half a millennium of existence. Its apparent sudden abandonment has made it a wonderful archaeological playground for studying life in the third century CE on the border of the Irano-Hellenic world of antiquity. The city had changed hands several times since its creation in the fourth century BCE by the Seleucids to when Mithradates II (113 BCE) conquered it and brought it into the Arsacid imperial orbit, where it remained for three centuries. The Arsacid control of a trading town or as it was once called a caravan town, works well with the story that Mithradates II, several years before the takeover of Dura-Europos, had concluded an agreement with the Chinese Emperor Wudi for trade cooperation. In the larger scheme of things, these activities, no matter how accurate the dating is, suggest the idea that the Arsacids may have been thinking of the creation of a large trade network as part of what modern historians have called the “Silk Road.” Dura was subsequently conquered in the second century CE by Emperor Trajan (115–117 CE) and later, in 165 CE, by Avidius Cassius, after which it stayed in Roman hands for almost a century. The Sasanians in turn conquered the city in 256 CE

Feasibility of Conjoined Twins in Marriage (with a Comparative view of Islamic Jurisprudence)

God created humans in the best form and legislated the laws of Sharia for them. In rare cases, humans are also born as conjoined twins, which can only be separated through surgery. Due to the ambiguity in the unity and multiplicity of the personalities of these twins and their existence in this world, the possibility of their marriage has become a subject of intense disagreement among Islamic jurists. Considering the silence of laws, this present research aims to answer the legal issues related to the marriage of conjoined twins by describing and analyzing the views of Islamic jurists. The research shows that providing an accurate answer requires a legal differentiation between conjoined twins, complete conjoined twins with shared or separate sexual organs and parasitic conjoined twins. Regarding the possibility of marriage, it should be noted that if separation is not possible, unlike complete twins who have shared sexual organs, there is a possibility of marriage for parasitoid twins and fraternal twins with separate sexual organs

Managing and Optimization of Energy Consumption and Offering Strategies to Materialize It

Undoubtedly, one of the most important challenges in this century in the world is energy crisis. On one hand, shortage of energy resources and its growing consumption and on the other hand , extreme usage of energy by different societies has endangered future life of human, polluted the environment and wasted national capitals. There are different methods to protect environment. The most common is saving that is not obtainable without correct management of energy as well as culture-making for correct using of energy. This paper tries to introduce useful and practical strategies to optimize energy consumption including Nanohnology, natural gas energy consumption, floor heat systems in buildings, using natural light and Building Energy Management System (BEMS