Links to sites on Persian History:
For an overview of the history of Iran from 2500 BC through
to the present, check out
Iranchamber.com's history page.
It covers the "birth of the
Iranian (Persian) Empires, ancient Imperial
Armies, historic inscriptions, Greek
and Arab invasions, Iranian identity
challenges, Mongolian invasion, rebirth
of Imperial Iranian dynasties, Persian
Gulf and its history. Historic movements
and revolutions, contemporary history" and more.
Did you know the
Achaemenids used refined fuel
for lighting? More at Iranian.ws
Also, check out the Shahname online. This is more like Mythology, but what the
heck.
All This History, So What?
I have to ask on behalf of the youth of today who aren't very excited about Persian
History. This may be
because there isn't a
video game out yet featuring
mythic Persian warriors
slaying enemies and creatures
with their trusty bows
using the Parthian (Parting) shot in a 3-D environment (we could call these "First-Persian Shooter" games).
You can always use History as inspiration for cyber worlds. See: Kingdom of Babkha
OK. History is useful as the take-off point for epic movies and video games,
both of which will distort
the original stories,
but can be very entertaining
and at least provoke
people to go and find
out more about the real
story. My friends, there
are many epic movies
to be made and we are way behind schedule.
What else is history good for? I'm
just asking in an open, brainstorming
sort of way. Some might
say history is motivating,
filling one with pride
about one's heritage
and encouraging excellence
in the present to match
the past. And so proud
Iranian parents admonish
their children to feel
this self-evident pride.
And yet, surprisingly, the kids turn back
to their video games as uninspired as
ever. Why do the kids
turn away? On some level
it's hard to connect
to history. It happened
in the past, you can't be sure you have the whole story,
a lot of it feels like
myth, and then you're
expected to own it. This
is your past (I wasn't
there!) These are your
glories (what about the failures?). It's abstract.
Or perhaps kids feel overwhelmed and numbed.
This makes sense when
you consider that Persian
History involves this
glorious peaking period
(which happened so very
long ago) when Iran was
on top of the world,
the big empire and all,
and it's all been whittled
away at ever since.
This
is unmotivating on two
counts. One, it's already
been done: Rule the world?
Done that. Center of
culture and civilization?
Been there.
Two, it's
hard to top. Yes,
like the slacker sons
of rich men who can never
hope to achieve what
dad did, we're trying
to milk the past for
security and vestigal
importance. Coasting
on the trust fund, looking
out for number one, encouraging
our kids to pursue personal
wealth and maintain a
superficial interest
in identity by, for example, hanging a pretty historical picture in the hallway for all to see.
Yes, it's possible the adults are also stuck in the trap
where they feel all is already known that needs to be known about history. The only
thing left is to sit three and act all proud about it. It goes without saying we were great!
It goes without studying. And anyway, if we study too closely, we might notice things we don't like.
(If the real purpose of history is just ego-stroking, then the actual study of history can be
unwanted, threatening).
So we send all our kids to medical
school and discourage a pursuit of history or the arts.
Obviously the antidote to this slacking is to find the
basis for a genuine interest
in history. And the way
to do this is, of course,
to spend more time exploring
it, discovering it, debating
it, conversing with the
past. What
do they have to say to
us now? What do we have
to say to them? How can
we top them? How can we learn from past inspirational leaders, and also
from past mistakes? How can
we leverage our historical,
cultural and environmental
assets to make a glorious,
sustainable future for
the next generation
to top?
Learning from the Past
 Kids aren't the only ones who aren't sure of what to do with the past. Last
time I visited Takhteh
Jamsheed (aka Persepolis)
I saw this billboard
posted there by the helpful
historic preservation
group (click on the picture
to see a close up of
the billboard). For those
of you who can't read
Persian, it says: "Before you were a people who have passed on. Stroll about the grounds
to see how those who
rejected the promises
of God ultimately came
to ruin and perdition.
"
Which goes to show that you can learn anything from history that you are open
to learning. I, for
example, glanced at a
few articles on Persian history history and am coming to
the
conclusion that whenever
Iranians were innovative,
and tolerant of other cultures and religions, their empires flourished
and
they were admired.
Whenever
they became corrupt,
intolerant and complacent,
ruin descended in the form of invaders. So the lesson of history
is clear to me.
Innovation
and
tolerance help us to
RULE! (I could be wrong,
of course. Maybe it's when we were the most intolerant and cruel
that the empire
flourished. Someone has
to break down the
facts. Not my job. But
the danger here is, of
course, that political mythology can sometimes be confused with
history. Which is why
actual historians who
attempt to find truth
in the past
are so valuable.)
Historical Re-enactments
Almost forgot! The other cool thing to do with history is to re-enact it. Can
you imagine, thousands
of screaming Iranians
dressing up in ancient
garb and going down to
some field to re-enact
stories of ancient splendor? Me neither. Some examples of western
people who participate in historical re-enactments are as follows:
Hours of fun! Lots of tourist dollars. A big supply of practised film extras ready to go should the occasion of
an epic historic film arise. Something for teenagers to do besides drugs! The benefits are many. Do we have any
of these groups already? Let me know. Parthian (Parting) Shot
 It's a wonder we don't have more "Easterns" (as a movie genre equivalent of American's
"Westerns") given our
rich equine history.
I have been informed
that "Ashkan is not from the noun "Ashk" meaning tear. It is from the Parthian
word Arshak (proper noun, and has no meaning). Arshak is named as Arsaces
in Greek, Latin and hence English. Arshak was the first Parthian king. Parthian
dynasty being the
same as Ashkanian (Arsacides) dynasty.
They defeated and overthrew Alexander's Government (Seleucids) that was
ruling Iran at about 250 BC. Their army was
exclusively made up of Cavalry. They were the first to make special use of the
bow and arrow shooting backwards while at full gallop. This maneuver was
called "Parthian Shot" which later in English literature has become know as
"Parting Shot"."
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