Home›Sources›Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and PracticesSourcesZoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and PracticesCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zoroastrians-their-religious-beliefs-and-practices.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zoroastrians-their-religious-beliefs-and-practicesCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-zoroastrians-their-religious-beliefs-and, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/zoroastrians-their-religious-beliefs-and-practices}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXMary Boyce wrote this account from direct fieldwork among Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India alongside the historical and textual record, following the tradition from ancient Persia through to the living Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian communities she actually visited and studied, which is a different and stronger basis than a purely textual history would be. That combination of fieldwork and textual scholarship is its real evidentiary basis. This record has not independently traced a documented history of scholarly revision to her specific claims since 1979. Use it for established historical and doctrinal facts about Zoroastrianism from antiquity to the present.FactsCross-Tradition ConnectionsClaims Backed By This Source (371 claims)Comments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsAssessmentReliability TierWell-attested1Mary Boyce's standard academic account of Zoroastrianism, built from direct fieldwork among Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India alongside the historical and textual record, from the leading historian of the tradition.NotesWell-attestedMary Boyce's standard scholarly account of Zoroastrianism, covering its history, scripture, cosmology, ritual and community life from ancient Persia through the modern Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian communities. The leading academic reference on the tradition. Use for established historical and doctrinal facts about Zoroastrianism.CitationAuthorWell-attestedMary BoycePublisherWell-attestedRoutledge and Kegan Paul, LondonPublication YearWell-attested1979URLWell-attestedhttps://www.amazon.com/Zoroastrians-Religious-Beliefs-Practices-Library/dp/0415239036Source TypeWell-attestedacademic monographCross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithIndia, Countries Well-attested This source names India directly: "Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India alongside the historical and textual record, following the tradition from ancient Persia through to the living Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian communities she..."Source Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and PracticesMary Boycetier 1Iran, Countries Well-attested This source names Iran directly: "among Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India alongside the historical and textual record, following the tradition from ancient Persia through to the living Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian..."Source Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and PracticesMary Boycetier 1Claims Backed By This Source (371 claims)This source backs 371 claims across the atlas. As facts: 236 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 42 holds, 1 held Differently. Plus 90 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.Disposition By TopicAlphabet Letters, 108 claims: 54 well-attested, 54 general references.Articles, 73 claims: 71 well-attested, 2 general references.Practices, 43 claims: 37 well-attested, 6 general references.Rituals, 28 claims: 15 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 7 holds, 5 general references.Denominations, 20 claims: 2 well-attested, 15 holds, 1 held Differently, 2 general references.Religious Offices, 14 claims: 10 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.Sacred Architecture, 13 claims: 8 well-attested, 3 holds, 2 general references.Mythical Creatures, 11 claims: 7 well-attested, 4 general references.Religious Roles & Titles, 11 claims: 6 well-attested, 4 holds, 1 general references.Religious Dress & Vestments, 10 claims: 8 well-attested, 2 general references.Sources, 10 claims: 8 well-attested, 2 holds.Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 8 claims: 2 well-attested, 4 holds, 2 general references.Empires & Polities, 6 claims: 2 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.Sacred Sites, 5 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 general references.Bodies of Water, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.Scripture Portions, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.Cities, 2 claims: 1 scholarly debate, 1 general references.Religious Events, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.Spread Events, 1 claims: 1 general references.Well-attested236Alphabet LettersAvestan A 𐬀Avestan Aa 𐬁Avestan Aan 𐬅Avestan Aao 𐬃Avestan Ae 𐬆Avestan Aee 𐬇Avestan An 𐬄Avestan Ao 𐬂Avestan Be 𐬠Avestan Bhe 𐬡Avestan Ce 𐬗Avestan De 𐬛Avestan Dhe 𐬜Avestan E 𐬈Avestan Ee 𐬉Avestan Fe 𐬟Avestan Ge 𐬔Avestan Gge 𐬕Avestan Ghe 𐬖Avestan He 𐬵Avestan Hme 𐬩Avestan I 𐬌Avestan Ii 𐬍Avestan Je 𐬘Avestan Ke 𐬐Avestan Le 𐬮Avestan Me 𐬨Avestan Ne 𐬥Avestan Nge 𐬢Avestan Ngve 𐬤Avestan Ngye 𐬣Avestan Nne 𐬧Avestan Nye 𐬦Avestan O 𐬊Avestan Oo 𐬋Avestan Pe 𐬞Avestan Re 𐬭Avestan Se 𐬯Avestan She 𐬱Avestan Shye 𐬳Avestan Sshe 𐬴Avestan Te 𐬙Avestan The 𐬚Avestan Tte 𐬝Avestan U 𐬎Avestan Uu 𐬏Avestan Ve 𐬬Avestan Xe 𐬑Avestan Xve 𐬓Avestan Xye 𐬒Showing 1 to 50 of 153 entities carrying this claim. NextScholarly debate2CitiesBalkhRitualsDakhma Exposure (Tower of Silence)Holds42Bodies of WaterArabian SeaDenominationsIrani ZoroastrianismParsi ZoroastrianismEmpires & PolitiesSasanian EmpireReligious OfficesDasturMobedReligious Roles & TitlesHerbadRitualsDakhma Exposure (Tower of Silence)NavjoteVendidad ServiceVisperadYasnaSacred ArchitectureAtash BehramZoroastrian Fire TempleSacred Objects & Ritual ItemsBarsomHaomaScripture PortionsKhordeh AvestaSourcesZoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and PracticesHeld Differently1DenominationsIrani ZoroastrianismGeneral References90Alphabet LettersAvestan A 𐬀Avestan Aa 𐬁Avestan Aan 𐬅Avestan Aao 𐬃Avestan Ae 𐬆Avestan Aee 𐬇Avestan An 𐬄Avestan Ao 𐬂Avestan Be 𐬠Avestan Bhe 𐬡Avestan Ce 𐬗Avestan De 𐬛Avestan Dhe 𐬜Avestan E 𐬈Avestan Ee 𐬉Avestan Fe 𐬟Avestan Ge 𐬔Avestan Gge 𐬕Avestan Ghe 𐬖Avestan He 𐬵Avestan Hme 𐬩Avestan I 𐬌Avestan Ii 𐬍Avestan Je 𐬘Avestan Ke 𐬐Avestan Le 𐬮Avestan Me 𐬨Avestan Ne 𐬥Avestan Nge 𐬢Avestan Ngve 𐬤Avestan Ngye 𐬣Avestan Nne 𐬧Avestan Nye 𐬦Avestan O 𐬊Avestan Oo 𐬋Avestan Pe 𐬞Avestan Re 𐬭Avestan Se 𐬯Avestan She 𐬱Avestan Shye 𐬳Avestan Sshe 𐬴Avestan Te 𐬙Avestan The 𐬚Avestan Tte 𐬝Avestan U 𐬎Avestan Uu 𐬏Avestan Ve 𐬬Avestan Xe 𐬑Avestan Xve 𐬓Avestan Xye 𐬒Showing 1 to 50 of 88 entities carrying this claim. 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