History 692PS - S-PersianHistoriogr:Shahnameh

The genesis of The Book of Kings (Shahnameh) from its pre-islamic origins as a repository of historical narrative and mythology, to its translation and reproduction in the Islamic period, expanding several centuries, takes center stage in this course. The seminar covers a variety of topics dealing with the Shahnameh as a literary and historiographical text alike. Those include the role of the Shahnameh in (Persian) Sasanian Imperial ideology, its reception in the (Islamic) Abbasid context, as well as the rising post-Islamic Iranian dynasties. Finally, we will deal with the adoption of the Shahnameh, either as a text or through artistic productions as a tool of propaganda and the idea of legitimate rule in the Persian context.