The impact of Greek culture on the status and position of court women in Seleucid and Parthian era Iran

Bahrami, Mohammad; Hojjati Najafabadi, Shahnaz

doi:10.30465/shc.2022.39308.2295

Document Type : The social history of women in the art and society of Iran and the ancient world(Guest editor: Dr. Esmail Sangari)

Authors

¹ M.A in Iranology, Meybod University, Yazd, Iran.

² Assistant Professor of Iranology, Meybod University. Yazd.Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2022.39308.2295

Abstract

After the collapse of the Achaemenids, with the arrival of Alexander in Iran and the establishment of the Seleucid dynasty, the city-building and settlement policy of Greek immigrants in Iran was implemented by Alexander and the Seleucids in order to achieve their political goals. The presence of Greeks in Iran, of course, with the support of their own government, caused changes in various cultural aspects of Iran. It can be assumed that the role and position of women in Iranian society was also influenced by Greek culture. Considering this issue, the problem of this research is raised as follows; What effect did the spread of Greek culture have on the role and status of Iranian court women during the Seleucid and Parthian eras? The findings of this research show that women in the Greek culture of the Hellenic era had a higher position than in the pre-promotion periods. Accordingly, the spread of Greek culture in the post-Achaemenid Iranian society had a positive effect on the role and status of women. Reports in some texts of ancient historians and unearthed works from archaeological excavations in the territory of the two Seleucid and Parthian states provide the most available information about the status of women of the upper classes of the society. From the information of such sources, it can be inferred that women have a very active and prominent presence in various political and social fields during this period. Their presence in social, economic, religious or artistic activities, with the finding of figurines and seals and the effect of seals and other works in different regions and based on the data of the texts of some ancient historians, clearly shows that the role and position of women in The Parthian and Seleucid period not only did not decline, but also had many developments under the influence of Hellenism.

Keywords

Main Subjects

The social history of women in the art and society of Iran and the ancient world

Extended Abstract

The impact of Greek culture on the status and position of court women in Seleucid and Parthian period in Iran

The military and political dominance of Alexander and the Greeks in a period of the ancient history of Iran (from 331 BC to 141 BC, the year Seleucia was captured by Mehrdad I Parthian) caused some developments such as urban development, the transfer of a significant population of Greeks and Macedonians to Iran, and settlement They were in the cities of Iran. Seleucids, like Alexander the Macedonian in order to achieve their main goals, which is to facilitate and stabilize their government, started the policy of urban development and then the policy of settling Greeks in newly built cities. The coexistence between Iranians and Greeks, naturally led to cultural mixing or the influence of two cultures, so that the signs and symptoms of this cultural interaction can be seen in various topics and areas, such as social areas in general while the women’s role and status were examined in detail.

As we know, women in Greek society and culture have not had the same status and dignity in different historical periods. The review of literary and historical sources related to the ages before the Hellenic era (=classical era) in Greece shows that in this era, women did not have a significant role in the society compared to men. It can be concluded that this inferior position of women compared to men in the Greek society, was caused by the negative attitudes of the culture of society. With a little reflection on the words and the way men treated women in the literary and historical works of this period (pre-Hellenic or classical era), we can come to the conclusion that women are generally introduced as actors of three roles; Actors of lust parties, plotters and causers of wars. However, in the Hellenic period, the role and position of women underwent significant changes when the Greek city-states gained independence and achieved improvements in economic status and social and legal conditions. During the Hellenistic period, Greece witnessed a wide experience, new horizons and outstanding achievements in the fields of art, science and even the growth of a significant number of social institutions. In this period, the taste for understanding the truth of everything increased and unprecedented realism began. In this situation, not only men but also women, whose positions in society, art and literature had undergone significant changes, were promoted, and this was considered one of the most remarkable developments in this period. In this period, as in the Greek monarchy, men did not have high advantages over women, while in the Hellenistic period, the gap between women's and men's rights was greatly reduced. As a result of these changes, the attitude towards the status of women changed. The emergence of Greek queens both in Greece, Macedonia, and in Egypt under the rule of Batalesa as a political and social phenomenon has been witnessed, which itself indicates the improvement of women’s status. In this period, women of the elite class could have a prominent role in public religious affairs and private religious rituals, unlike the previous period. Following this situation, the improvement of the role and position of women in the society under Seleucid rule is obvious. The documents obtained from the Seleucid period indicate the privileged position of women and their involvement in political and economic affairs and their prominent presence in the artworks of this period; the surviving documents and some data from historical texts show that the Seleucid queens were involved in political affairs. In the Parthian period, according to the data and information of some ancient historical texts, as well as the findings of archaeologists in the form of coins, seals, inscriptions, parchments and other documents, we come to the conclusion that the culture of the dominant people or the culture of Hellenism, left its effects in different fields. These cultural influences can be seen in the promotion of the role and status of Parthian court women. Mentioning the names of Parthian queens next to the names of Parthian emperors in official documents, the influence of queens on the decisions and policies of government officials, which can be seen in Queen Moza, the presence and companionship of court women with Parthian emperors in their travels and campaigns, and finally women's marriages. The Parthian court with the kings of the independent and semi-independent states around their territory are a sign of the promotion of the role and status of court women in this period. Due to the fact that the Parthians considered these political alliances and marriages for specific purposes such as consolidating relations or consolidating and maintaining their sovereignty in the neighboring states; however, in the meantime, the importance of court women and their role in realizing the political goals of the Parthians is found out. In addition to the mentioned cases, in this period we also see the presence of court women in various artistic forms. Based on all these data, it can be concluded that women have an active and prominent presence in various socio-political fields during this period. The data of the mentioned sources clearly show that the role and position of women in the Parthian and Seleucid periods did not decline compared to the previous periods, but also made significant progress under the influence of Hellenism.

The question of the present research is posed as follows; after the collapse of the Achaemenid government in Iranian society, what effect has the all-round presence of Greeks had on the position and dignity of women in the Iranian social system? And the hypothesis of the present research is proposed as follows: according to the view and attitude of the Greeks towards women, it seems that the women’s role and position in the Seleucid and Parthian periods were influenced by Greek culture and the presence of women compared to previous periods in the arenas. There has been a considerable growth in different parts of the society, while there was no prohibition or denial in showing the role of women in the works of art of this period.

References

Âz̅ari̅, Alâedi̅n, (1377 Ŝ),”Es̆ârei̅ be ra̅vâbet farhangi̅ Îra̅n , Yu̅onân dar a̅sre As̆kâni̅ " ,majale dânes̆kade a̅dabi̅yăt va olomensani̅ Dânes̆ga̅he Tehrân, 149-148(148): pp. 7-12.

Aflātun (1354 Ŝ), J̆omhu̅r, translated by Fowâd Rouhâni̅, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Block, Yusin (2000), " Zanân da̅r tavâruk Herodot ", published in the book Târi̅k̠̠negari̅ va târi̅k̠negâri̅ dar donyâ ye bâstân , translated by I̅smâi̅l Saṅgâri̅, Tehrân: Dânes̆ga̅he Tehrân.

Brosius, Maria (1388 Ŝ), I̅rân bâṡtân, translated by I̅sâ Abdi̅, Tehrân: Mâhi̅.

Brosius, Maria (1392 ŝ), żanân hamk̠âmnes̆i̅, translated by Hâyede Mas̆âik̠, Tehrân: Hermes.

Briant, Pierre (1385 ŝ),Eṁperâtori̅ hamk̠âmnes̆i̅, Translated by Nâhi̅d Foroug̅ân, Volume 1, Tehrân: Farzân Rôz.

Bahâr, Mehrdâd (1381 ŝ), Az ostore tâ târik̠, compiled and edited by Aḃolqâsem I̅smâilpour, Tehrân: C̆es̆me.

Bayâni̅, S̆i̅ri̅n (1385 ŝ), Târi̅k̠ seke aż gadi̅mi̅tari̅n ażmane tâ dore Sâsâni̅ân, vol. 2, Tehrân: Dânes̆ga̅he Tehrân.

Potts, Daniel (1385 ŝ), Bâstâns̆enâsi̅ I̅lâm, translated by Zahrâ Bâsti̅, Tehrân: Samt.

Pâkzâdi̅ân, Hasan (1386 ŝ), Sekehâye I̅limâi̅, Tehrân: moalef.

Pari̅kâni̅ân, A., (1389 ŝ), “J̆âme̕e va gânûn I̅râni̅ ", Târi̅k̠ I̅rân kamberi̅j̆e J̆eld Sevowm, gesmat doowm, translated by Hassan Anous̆e, Tehrân: Ami̅r Kabi̅r.

Plutarch (1346 ŝ), Hayât mardân nâmi̅, translated by Ahmad Mas̆âyk̠i̅, Tehrân: Bongâhe tarj̆ome va nas̆re ketâb.

Pigulevskaia, N. V., (1387 ŝ). S̆ahrhâye i̅rân dar rozegâr Pârti̅a̅n va Sâsâni̅ân, translated by Enâyatolah Rezâ, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Childe, Vere Gordon, (1346 ŝ), Târi̅k̠, translated by Mohamad Tagi̅ Farâmarzi̅ va Abâs Marufi̅, Tehrân: Lâhi̅tâ.

Dâdvar , hadi̅di̅, (1388 ŝ), Motal̕e tatbi̅gi̅ pos̆ăk bânoân As̆kâni̅ va Yonâni̅ dar dorân Heleni̅sty. zan dar tos̕e va si̅yast, 7(1),109-128.

Dumezil, Georges (1386 ŝ), Tabagât ej̆tema̕i̅ gadi̅m i̅rân dar ketâb tamadon i̅râni̅, translated by I̅sâ Behnâm, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Daems, Aurelie,(1388 ŝ), Tandi̅sgari̅ va s̆amăyelnegâri̅ dar i̅rân pi̅s aż I̅slâm, translated by Ali̅akbar Vahdati̅, Tehrân: Mâhi̅.

żolfagâri̅, Sârâ., Fi̅rużmandi̅ , Bahman. (1393 ŝ). Baresi̅ va mo̕arefi̅ peykarkhaye ensâni̅ As̆kâni̅ moj̆od dar moze âsâr Bâstâni̅ Lâyden Holand. paz̆ohes̆hâ-ye Bâstân s̆enâsi̅ I̅rân, 5(8), 67-78.

Zari̅nku̅b, Abdulhosein (1373 ŝ), Târi̅k̠ mardom i̅rân; gabl az i̅slâm Volume 1, Tehrân: Ami̅r Kabi̅r.

Sark̠os̆, Vi̅stâ, Sârâ Estvârât (1393 ŝ), Pârti̅ân, translated by Kâzem Fi̅roużmand, Tehrân: mark̇az.

Safar, Fuâd , Mustafâ, Mohamad Ali̅,(1376 ŝ), Hetrâ(hozâr): s̆ahr-e k̠ors̆i̅d, translated by Nâder Kari̅mi̅ân Sardas̆ti̅, Tehrân: mirâs-e farhangi̅.

Diodore de sicile, (1399 ŝ), I̅rân va ŝarq bâstân dar ketâbk̠âne târi̅k̠i̅, translation and annote by Hami̅d Bi̅kas S̆ourakâi̅ va i̅smâi̅l Sangâri̅, Tehrân: J̆âmi̅.

Schippmann, Klaus, (1384 ŝ), mabâni̅ târik̠ Pârti̅ân, translated by Hos̆ang Sădegi̅, Tehrân: Farzân Rôz .

Qâsemi̅, Rezâ (1393 ŝ), motâle taṫbi̅qi̅ noqu̅s̆ mohṙha̅ va asare mohrehâye du̅rân solu̅ki̅ va as̆kâni̅, pâyân-nâme kâṙs̆enâsi̅ aṙs̆ad, goru̅he bâṡtâns̆nâsi̅ Dânes̆ga̅he Tehrân.

Xenophon (1375), Ânâbâsi̅s, translated by Ahmad Bi̅res̆ak, Tehrân: Ketâḃsarâ.

Xenophon (1386 ŝ), Ku̅ru̅s̆nâme, translated by Rezâ Mas̆âyek̠i̅, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Gutschmid, Alfred (1379 ŝ), Târi̅k̠-e i̅rân va mamâlek-e hamj̆avâr ân aż zamân-e Eṡkandar tâ enqerâz-e as̆kâni̅yân, translated by Keykâows J̆ahâṅdâri̅, Tehrân: Qoqnu̅s.

Ghirshman, Roman, (1372 ŝ), honar-e i̅rân dar dorân-e Pârti̅ va Sâsâni̅, translated by Bahrâm Farhu̅s̆i̅, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Ghirshman, Roman, (1380 ŝ), Târi̅k̠-e i̅rân az âqâz tâ i̅ṡlâm, translated by Mohamad Mo̕i̅n, Tehrân: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Lâhi̅j̆i̅ , va Mehṙangi̅z-ka̅r,(1392 ŝ),s̆enâk̠t-e hu̅awyat-e zan-e i̅râni̅ dar goṡtare pi̅s̆ az târi̅k̠. Tehrân: Maj̆ale roŝaṅgarân va môtâleât-e zanân.

Mazdâpu̅r, Katâyu̅n (1370 ŝ), "“darbâre sâk̠t-e k̠ânevâde dar dore sâsâni̅yân "“maj̆ale Farhangi̅, number 9.

Mas̆ku̅r, Mohamad J̆avâd va Mas̕u̅d Raj̆aḃni̅â (1374 ŝ), târi̅k̠ si̅yâsi̅ va ej̆temâ̕i as̆kâni̅yân ;Pârti̅yân yâ Pahlaviyân qadi̅m, Tehrân: donyâ-e ketâb.

Mi̅ṙsa̕i̅di̅, Nâder (1387 ŝ), solu̅ki̅yân va as̆kâni̅yân, Tehrân: Qoqnu̅s.

Wolski, Josef, (1386 ŝ), s̆âhaṅs̆ahi̅ as̆kâni̅yân , translated by Mortezâ S̠âqeb Far, Tehrân: Qoqnu̅s.

Wiesehofer, Josef, (1388 ŝ), Târi̅k̠ Pârs AZ Es̕kandar Ma qdu̅ni̅ tâ Mehrdâd as̆kâni̅, translated by Hos̆ang Sâdeqi̅, Tehrân: Farzân Rôz.

Wiesehofer, Josef, (1390 ŝ), I̅rân bâstân, Translated by Mortezâ S̠âqeb Far, Tehrân: Qoqnu̅s.

Homer (1373 ŝ), I̅li̅yâd, Translated by Sa̕i̅d Nafi̅si̅, Tehrân: : Elmi̅ va farhangi̅.

Homer (1374 ŝ), Odi̅se, translated by Sa̕i̅d Nafi̅si̅, Tehrân:: Elmi̅ va farhangi̅

Yârs̆âter, Ehsân va di̅garân.(1368 ŝ), Târi̅k̠ I̅rân; az solu̅ki̅yân ta foru̅pâs̆i du̅lat-e Sâsâni̅yân, translated by Hassan Anou̅s̆e, j̆eld-e 3, Tehrân: Ami̅r Kabi̅r.

Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)

The impact of Greek culture on the status and position of court women in Seleucid and Parthian era Iran

References

References

Volume 12, Issue 1 - Serial Number 23
December 2022
Pages 59-84

The impact of Greek culture on the status and position of court women in Seleucid and Parthian era Iran

References

References

Volume 12, Issue 1 - Serial Number 23December 2022Pages 59-84

Volume 12, Issue 1 - Serial Number 23
December 2022
Pages 59-84