Sources

A History of Zoroastrianism

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "A History of Zoroastrianism." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/a-history-of-zoroastrianism.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). A History of Zoroastrianism. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/a-history-of-zoroastrianism

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-a-history-of-zoroastrianism,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {A History of Zoroastrianism},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/a-history-of-zoroastrianism},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Mary Boyce's scholarly history of Zoroastrianism, published by Brill, this first volume covering the early period and arguing on linguistic and social grounds for a date of around 1500 to 1200 BCE for the prophet Zarathushtra. Boyce's standing as the leading historian of Zoroastrianism and the academic publication place this at this atlas's top tier. It is a strong source for the early history and dating debates around Zoroastrianism's origin. The specific digitized edition cited here is volume one alone, even though its own library catalog record also references a separate companion volume three by Boyce and a co-author, so a claim resting on material from that later volume needs its own separate citation to that volume, not this one.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

Mary Boyce's scholarly history of Zoroastrianism from an academic press, arguing on linguistic and social grounds for the early dating of Zarathushtra, from the leading historian of the tradition.

Notes

Argues for a date for Zarathushtra in the range 1500 to 1200 BCE on linguistic and social grounds. The linked edition is Volume One, The Early Period, by Boyce alone. The archive.org record's own description also names a companion Volume Three by Boyce and Grenet held in the same library collection, but that volume is not part of this digitized item, which its own metadata identifies as volume one.

Citation

Author

Mary Boyce

Publisher

Brill

Publication Year

1989

URL

https://archive.org/details/historyofzoroast0001boyc

Source Type

academic monograph

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Zarathustra

This source names Zarathustra directly: "1500 to 1200 BCE for the prophet Zarathushtra."

Source A History of ZoroastrianismMary Boyce

Claims Backed By This Source (707 claims)

This source backs 707 claims across the atlas. As facts: 483 well-attested, 30 scholarly debate, 1 open question. As cited relationships: 78 holds, 3 connected. Plus 112 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Deities, 108 claims: 85 well-attested, 5 scholarly debate, 7 holds, 11 general references.
Articles, 60 claims: 56 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 3 general references.
Scriptures & Texts, 50 claims: 38 well-attested, 3 holds, 9 general references.
Doctrines, 43 claims: 17 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 12 holds, 12 general references.
Practices, 39 claims: 31 well-attested, 1 holds, 7 general references.
Figures, 35 claims: 25 well-attested, 4 scholarly debate, 2 holds, 4 general references.
Sacred Sites, 35 claims: 25 well-attested, 6 holds, 4 general references.
Rituals, 33 claims: 24 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 2 holds, 6 general references.
Scripture Portions, 33 claims: 23 well-attested, 5 holds, 5 general references.
Holidays & Festivals, 26 claims: 21 well-attested, 2 holds, 3 general references.
Religious Events, 23 claims: 8 well-attested, 6 scholarly debate, 5 holds, 4 general references.
Open Questions, 21 claims: 16 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 connected, 3 general references.
Cities, 20 claims: 5 well-attested, 12 holds, 1 connected, 2 general references.
Denominations, 18 claims: 13 well-attested, 3 holds, 2 general references.
Subcategories, 18 claims: 14 well-attested, 4 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 15 claims: 11 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Other Writings, 13 claims: 9 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 10 claims: 4 well-attested, 4 scholarly debate, 2 general references.
Hymns & Liturgical Texts, 10 claims: 9 well-attested, 1 general references.
Religions, 10 claims: 5 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Virtues, 10 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 2 holds, 1 connected, 1 general references.
Sources, 9 claims: 8 well-attested, 1 holds.
Creeds & Confessions, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Sacred Sound, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Prayers, 7 claims: 3 well-attested, 4 general references.
Religious Symbols, 7 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 7 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 holds, 3 general references.
Languages, 6 claims: 3 well-attested, 3 general references.
Historical Periods, 5 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 general references.
Mantras, 5 claims: 2 holds, 3 general references.
Cultures, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
Historical Figures, 3 claims: 1 open question, 2 general references.
Religious Dress & Vestments, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Body Parts, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Mythical Creatures, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sacred Foods, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.