Research Article


DOI :10.26650/anar.32.1575766   IUP :10.26650/anar.32.1575766    Full Text (PDF)

The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period

Elif Hatice İlkkurşun

This study examines the sacredness of fire, temple structures, cult, and the relationship between fire temples and the cult of Anāhitā during the Achaemenid Kingdom period. While fire is considered sacred in Zoroastrianism, debates continue today about whether the Achaemenids were Zoroastrian, and it is argued that defining the concept of Achaemenid religion is difficult. This study, which does not ignore these debates, attempts to examine classical sources and modern research together while also taking into account royal inscriptions. In sources, it is noted that the Persians performed their rituals in the open-air areas and did not have temples, while the concept of sacred place emerging in Pasargadae and the controversial term “āyadanā” are noteworthy. In modern research, two different views emerge: one suggesting that the Persians did not have temples before the Achaemenid period and those who oppose this in light of the excavation findings. Structures uncovered both in the East and the West, such as Ka’ba-yı Zerdust, Naqsh-e Rustam, Tepe Nush-e Jan, and Dahan-e Ghulaman, have been included. The depiction of fire altars in Achaemenid seals and royal tombs has been examined. Additionally, the research addresses the impossibility of a singular cult and culture in the Iranian geography.


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APA

İlkkurşun, E.H. (2025). The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period. Anatolian Research, 0(32), 120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


AMA

İlkkurşun E H. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period. Anatolian Research. 2025;0(32):120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


ABNT

İlkkurşun, E.H. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period. Anatolian Research, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 32, p. 120-137, 2025.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

İlkkurşun, Elif Hatice,. 2025. “The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period.” Anatolian Research 0, no. 32: 120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


Chicago: Humanities Style

İlkkurşun, Elif Hatice,. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period.” Anatolian Research 0, no. 32 (Aug. 2025): 120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


Harvard: Australian Style

İlkkurşun, EH 2025, 'The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period', Anatolian Research, vol. 0, no. 32, pp. 120-137, viewed 29 Aug. 2025, https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


Harvard: Author-Date Style

İlkkurşun, E.H. (2025) ‘The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period’, Anatolian Research, 0(32), pp. 120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766 (29 Aug. 2025).


MLA

İlkkurşun, Elif Hatice,. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period.” Anatolian Research, vol. 0, no. 32, 2025, pp. 120-137. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766


Vancouver

İlkkurşun EH. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period. Anatolian Research [Internet]. 29 Aug. 2025 [cited 29 Aug. 2025];0(32):120-137. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766 doi: 10.26650/anar.32.1575766


ISNAD

İlkkurşun, ElifHatice. The Fire Cult During the Achaemenid Period”. Anatolian Research 0/32 (Aug. 2025): 120-137. https://doi.org/10.26650/anar.32.1575766



TIMELINE


Submitted30.10.2024
Accepted04.07.2025
Published Online17.07.2025

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