An Overview of Goddess Anahita and her Iconography in Ancient Iran research-article Rahele Koulabadi, Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi Kouhpar, Javad Neyestani, Seyyed Rasool Mousavi Haji Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 62 (2019), Ausgabe 2, Seite 203 - 226 In Persian mythology, Anahita is the only goddess to have her name immortalised next to Ahura Mazda and Mithra - the two overarching Zoroastrian deities. The first written evidence stems from fourth-century BCE inscriptions in Susa and Hamadan. In Persia, Anahita was the deity assigned to water, as well as fertility and prosperity. She was also the protectress of the righteous kings, a tradition starting with the Achaemenian empire and lasting until the end of the Sasanian dynasty. The cultic syncretism developing in the vast Persian empires is as much part of the scrutiny of our authors as the Avestan origins of the Anahita cult.
Semiology of the Gryphon Motif in Ancient Elamite Architecture research-article Maryam Zohouriyan, Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi Kouhpar, Javad Neyestani, Alireza Hozhabri Nobari Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 62 (2019), Ausgabe 2, Seite 227 - 232 This article discusses the gryphon, shirdal in Persian, a legendary creature featuring in much of Asia's and Europe's mythology. The shirdal, just as the Greek γρύφων, is a hybrid and legendary beast composed of eagle, human, lion and bull. But was there a common mythical function for the gryphon? The article will answer this question by tracing more than five thousand years of history, with a focus on Elamite architecture unearthed in Susa.
