3-Week SASA Reading Group: Peripheries: Religious Dissent and Conflict in Antiquity

Peripheries: Religious Dissent and Conflict in Antiquity. The Case of Christian Communities in the Sasanian Empire

In this reading group, we will explore the main characteristics of Christian communities in the Sasanian Empire. By reading primary and secondary sources, we will learn about the literary production of these communities and analyse their (dis)integration into the political and social fabric of their time (third to eighth century Sasanian Iran). This will lead to interesting conversations about dissent, marginalisation, and the dynamics of religious conflict in Antiquity.

The boundaries of the Sasanian Empire stretched from Egypt to Afghanistan, including Armenia and the Caucasus. This vast territorial expanse was characterised by cultural and linguistic diversity, although the hegemonic position at every level (cultural, political, and religious) was held by Zoroastrian elites. The other religious communities, including Christians, stood in dissent, and continually strived to define and articulate their boundaries in relation to others.