Zoroastrian Iconoclasm in Late Antiquity: A Controversy

An Open Lecture at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna

Shervin Farridnejad

Mary Boyce’s canonized theory of a “Zoroastrian Iconoclasm in the Sasanian period”, annotated most notably in her 1975 article “Iconoclasm among the Zoroastrians”, has strongly influenced subsequent research related to ancient Iranian and Zoroastrian art and iconography. However, a good amount of textual and visual evidences makes it hard to accept the theory of “Sasanian iconoclasm”. This lecture will present a detailed reconsideration of Zoroastrian (an)iconism and cult-images and will give an analysis of certain Zoroastrian features especially with regard to imagery and anthropomorphic representations of Zoroastrian gods.

Time and Place:

Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna

May 2, 2017, 13:15–14:45, at Seminarraum 5, Schenkenstraße 8-10, Floor 1.