Beate Dignas & Engelbert Winter - Kaveh Farrokh

30 Sasanian kings and Zoroastrianism 213
movements, which paved the way to the enormous success of these two
world religions in the Roman and Sasanian Empire respectively.
30: The Sasanian kings as patrons of Zoroastrianism
Numerous testimonies of the third century already depict the early Sasanian
kings as ‘patrons’ of Zoroastrianism. 18 During the reign of Bahrām II (276–
93) the most powerful priest within this religion was Kartēr. In several
inscriptions (at Sar Maˇshad, Naqˇs-i Rustam and Naqˇs-i Rajab), which
were composed in the Middle Persian script and show an almost identical
wording, Kartēr describes his career under the early Sasanian rulers, namely
under ˇ Sāpūr I (240–72) and his successors. 19 Apart from the great ˇ Sāpūr
Inscription ( ˇ SKZ), these inscriptions are our most important sources for
the study of Zoroastrianism in the Sasanian Empire of the third century. 20
Kartēr’s inscriptions at Sar-Maˇshad, at Naqˇs-i Rustam, on the Kaba-i Zarduˇst and
at Naqˇs-i Rajab, pp. 405–10 (ed. Back)
And from the beginning, I, Kartēr, saw great pains and labour for gods and rulers
and for the sake of my own soul, and I set up many fire (sanctuaries) and Magians
in Ērānˇsahr . . . flourishing; and also in Anērānˇsahr fire (sanctuaries) and Magians,
present in the territory of the non-Aryans where the horses and people of the King
of Kings went – the city of Antioch and the territory of Syria and the provincial
territory above Syria . . . [a list of the territories conquered by ˇ Sāpūr follows] –
also there, commanded by the King of Kings, I established the Magians and fire
(sanctuaries) that existed in those provinces.
According to Kartēr, during his campaigns against Rome he established fire
sanctuaries in order to introduce the Zoroastrian fire cult in areas outside
Iran (= Anērān). The priest had accompanied the Sasanian king on his
campaigns in the West. If we can trust his words, the king instructed him
to reorganise the Zoroastrian cult in the conquered western territories.
Hereby ˇ Sāpūr I probably intended to tie these areas closer to the Sasanian
Empire and to include them in his sphere of interest. However, there is no
proof that the king aimed at an ‘Iranisation’ of the provinces in Asia Minor
that had formerly been part of the Achaemenid Empire. 21
The fire motif possessed great significance in the Zoroastrian religion. It
symbolised purity and virtue and for the Zoroastrians was the ‘reflection of
truth’. The rituals employed in the worship of the fire were mainly carried
out in fire sanctuaries. 22 Numerous testimonies confirm the close relation
18 Mosig-Walburg 1982. 19 For further references cf. Huyse 1998: 109–20.
20 Back 1978: 384–489; MacKenzie 1989: 35–72 and Gignoux 1991b.
21 Thus Widengren 1961: 11.
22 Erdmann 1941 and Schippmann 1971; Kaim 2004: 323–37.