Iranian gods in Hindu garb. The Zoroastrian pantheon of the Bactrians and Sogdians, second - eighth centuries

Abstract

The Buddhist art of pre-Islamic Central Asia beIran and Central Asia in the seventh to tenth longs to the history of Indian art, except for some centuries c.e. The texts produced by the Zoroas minor borrowings from local pantheons. At the trian religion in all its stages show very little in same time, the non-Buddhist art which coexterest in anthropomorphic images of gods. In the isted with Buddhist art can be viewed from an Avesta, the most ancient text, the composition Iranian perspective as well as from an Indian of which probably belongs to a period from the one. It is Iranian in terms of its subject matter, late second millennium b.c.e. to the post-Achae but it also includes a substantial stock of forms menian period, the gods are evoked through the of Hindu origin. The present paper discusses a functions they fulfill, through fragmentary allu number of images, some of which have been sions to mythological episodes in which they are known for a long time, and others which have confronted with heroes of the past. Psychologi been discovered in the last twenty years and cal characteristics are vague and physical details have remained unknown outside the small circle are confined to general allusions to beauty, radi of archaeologists working in Central Asia.1 This ance, some attributes held in their hands, some material offers insight as to how a religion firmly times a chariot driven by the god. The richest structured with its sacred texts, its pantheon and vocabulary is used for the animal shapes some of its rituals, at some stage met the challenge of the gods assume. The only exception is Anahita, an alien iconography to provide appropriate angoddess of the Waters, whose statue is described, swers to its devotional needs, bridging a cultural but the passage [Yast 5.126-29) is late and, in gap without losing anything of its own identity. some of its details, obviously influenced by the These documents belong to two different but iconography of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar historically related cultural spheres. The first Nana. In fact an Achaemenian seal (fig. I)2 shows one is the Kushan empire and its successor the the king worshipping a goddess he probably in Kushano-Sasanian kingdom, both centered on vokes under the name Anahita, but whose ico Bactria and extending from the first to fourth nography is mostly borrowed from Ishtar-Nana centuries c.e. The second cultural sphere is standing on a lion. We shall soon come again to Sogdiana, a cluster of principalities situated to her, as her further development is closely linked the north of Bactria, and which from the fifth to with India. the eighth century dominated the Silk Road. The story of Zoroastrian religious art as we To begin, it is necessary to consider some funknow it from Iran itself seems quite consistent damental aspects of Zoroastrianism, the ethnic with the reluctance shown in the texts. Images religion of the Iranians from the middle of the of the gods are scarce and unimaginative. The first millennium b.c.e. until the Islamization of most important gods are in fact depicted in the