Encyclopaedia Iranica's own entry on Alexander the Great's place in Zoroastrian tradition, published by the Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University, documenting how Sasanian era Zoroastrian writings remembered Alexander as gizistag, the accursed, the destroyer of the Avesta who left the Good Religion in general confusion, and the Denkard's account of a later attempt under the Parthian king Vologases I, reigning from about 51 to 80 CE, to gather back together the Avesta that had been dispersed because of Alexander's conquest.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Encyclopaedia Iranica is the standard scholarly reference for Iranian and Zoroastrian studies, published by Columbia University's Center for Iranian Studies with named academic contributors, tier 1, used here for Zoroastrian tradition's own memory of Alexander as the Avesta's destroyer and the later Parthian era attempt to reassemble it, corroborated by Wikipedia's account of the Persepolis fire below. NotesUsed for Zoroastrian tradition's naming of Alexander as gizistag, the accursed destroyer of the Avesta, and the Denkard's account of the Parthian era attempt to gather the dispersed text back together.
Citation
PublisherEncyclopaedia Iranica (Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University)
URLhttps://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/alexander-the-great-ii/
Source Typeencyclopedia
Claims Backed By This Source (19 claims)
This source backs 19 claims across the atlas. As facts: 12 well-attested. As cited relationships: 5 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Spread Events, 13 claims: 6 well-attested, 5 holds, 2 general references.
- Sources, 6 claims: 6 well-attested.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.