7 Women from Ancient Persia and Iran you need to know
Jan. 2023– Iran is a country with a rich history and culture. While it may be best known in the Western world for its recent political turmoil, there have been many influential women throughout Iran’s long history.
As a parent, it’s important to teach your children about the contributions of women throughout history. And what better place to start than with some of the most prominent women in Persian history? From queens and warriors to poets and activists, these inspiring women helped shape the course of their country’s story.
So, read on to learn more about powerful women from Persia’s past.
Atoosa
Atoosa was no ordinary woman – she was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, a strong and independent ruler in her own right. As if that wasn’t enough for one lifetime, Atoosa also managed to be queen three times over. She had an astute business acumen and founded her brining stability to the empire her father founded.
When she found an uncomfortable growth on her breast, it was the advanced Greek medical “science” that Atoosa relied upon for treatment–highlighting her wisdom and intelligence.
Atoosa is featured in the children’s book My Name is Cyrus.
In ancient times, marriage was a means of securing alliances and consolidating power. As a daughter of Cyrus, Atoosa was greatly sought after as a wife. To preserve the dynasty their father had established, Atoosa married her two brothers, Cambyses II and Bardia. Marriage between close relatives, even sisters and brothers, were practiced in those days. Atoosa married Darius I (the Great, 522-486 BCE) after both her brothers were killed.
Her son with Darius, Xerxes I succeeded Darius.
After Darius died, Atoosa was in a challenging position because Darius had other children from other wives. Polygamy was a common practice in order to tie powerful families more closely. After Darius passed, his children scrambled to succeed him. Atoosa demonstrated the greatest influence of her life during this time and ensured that Xerxes succeeded his father. She played an instrumental role even after Xerxes sat on the throne and deterred all possible challenges to his rule.
Pantea Arteshbod
Pantea was a Persian Lieutenant Commander who served in the army of Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE.
She was crucial to the Battle of Opis, which resulted in the fall of Babylonia. She also helped her husband to create the most renowned fighting forces of the ancient world called 10,000 ‘Persian Immortals’. The Ten Thousand Immortals were the elite force of the Persian army of the Achaemenid Empire from 550 to 330 BCE. They formed the king’s personal bodyguard and were also considered the shock troops of the infantry in Persian warfare.
Women’s leadership was held in high regard and celebrated during ancient Persian times. Lieutenant Commander Artunis, daughter of general Artebaz, served honorably with Pantea as part of the esteemed army under Cyrus and Darius I.
Artemisia I of Caria
Artemisia I is hailed as one of the most powerful women of the ancient world. As the best-known woman warrior of the Achaemenid period, she was an admiral in Xerxes I’s navy 480 BCE.
Artemisa was the only member of Xerxes’ war council to argue against confronting the Greeks in a sea battle at Salamis, a conflict that resulted in a major loss for Persia, according to Herodotus, who actually lived during her time. Xerxes valued her counsel but ignored her advice. Artemisia brought five ships and fought heroically. The defeat of Xerxes’s navy at Salamis eventually triggered his downfall.
Artemisia succeeded her deceased husband as the regent of Caria, and is believed that she ruled until she passed away.
Historians were obsessed with Artemisia. Herodotus praised her so much that his critics complain he focused on her far too much. The writer Photius (c. 858 CE) came up with a story that Artemisia fell in love with a prince named Dardanus and committed suicide after he rejected her. There is no evidence that supports the story, and it is highly unlikely that a woman who showed such strength would end her life over the love of a man.
She is also featured in 2014 film 300: Rise of an Empire, a movie Iranians argue is biased and has distorted history.
Pourandokht
Pourankokht, also known as Boran and Buran, or Burandokht was the daughter of Kosrow II (r. 590-628 CE) who took the throne in 629/630 CE, becoming the first Empress of the Sassanian Empire.
Pourandokht is featured in the children’s book The Persian Warrior and her Queen.
At a time of great turmoil, Pourandokht rose to the throne and showed remarkable resilience in unifying her people. During her reign, Persia was threatened by devastating civil wars and invasions from both Arab-Muslims forces as well as Byzantium. Yet through it all she managed to reunite an empire on the brink of collapse. She restored some stability by establishing diplomatic relations with the Byzantine Empire and improving the economy.
She was assassinated by a rival political faction who replaced her with Yazdegerd III.
Apranik
Apranik was the commander of the Sassanian army against the invading Arab-Muslim forces during the reign of Yazdegerd III (632-651 CE).
She is the main character in The Persian Warrior and her Queen.
In 7th century Persia, the unflinching Apranik took a brave stand against formidable odds, according to oral history. Undaunted by defeat in this legendary clash between Muslim Arab forces and Sassanian troops, she waged an inspiring guerilla war until her life finally ended on the battlefield.
Banu
Most Iranians still view the renowned female commando and revolutionary Banu as a hero. She was from Azerbaijan, a province of Persia.
Banu was a fierce warrior from childhood, honing her skills with bow and arrow. Fated to meet and marry Babak Khorramdin – an ardent freedom fighter who had taken up arms against the oppressive Abbasid Caliphate that enslaved Persia for two centuries – their union led to a daring rebellion movement.
Their supporters wore red and were known as the red clothed ones.
Perched atop a mountain of 8530 feet, Badd Castle was the epicenter for their movement between 816 and 837 AD. Nestled in the mountains and ravines which provided natural defenses from external forces, even a handful of Khorramdin warriors had no trouble taking down large numbers of enemies. Sneaky invaders never stood a chance during wintertime.
Babak and Banu took full advantage of the strategic location of the castle and struck at Arab forces like lightning, then vanished into thin air.
Eventually, a close friend and ally of Babak betrayed them. Both were captured and executed.
Today Iranians visit the ruins of the castle in north-eastern Iran on July 10 every year to honor their memory and those of their fighters.
Forough Farrokhzad
Forough Farokhzad, the beloved 20th century Iranian poetess who fearlessly faced societal norms and gender roles with her renowned lyricism is perhaps the most influential woman of our recent history. Her bold work, as a poet and filmmaker, were a beacon of hope for women in Iran to break away from centuries of male dominance, reclaim their autonomy and express themselves without judgement or prejudice.
Frrokhzad’s brave poetry projects broke moral, societal, and religious taboos that women had been going against for decades. She gave courage to so many thousands of women to express themselves with heart and power and to influence the future. The topics she touched upon made many to reconsider what they think was worth protecting or defending. Ultimately, they inspired a whole new generation of rebel female creators who have driven even more change in society today. Millions of younger women were inspired by her verses, feeling the burning spark of fresh hope and motivation through listening to her stories. Her words still remain a hallmark of beginning what could be viewed as an uprising rebellion among a people who can longer remain silent.
Facts and Myths about the Amazons
By: Nazila Fathi
March 7, 2022– The Amazons, or women warriors, were real. Ample archeological evidence discovered in the recent decades shows that the Amazons were strong independent women who lived in an area referred to as Scythia, which stretches from the Black Sea to Mongolia.
The evidence confirms ancient Greek stories that these women were horse-riding, spear-throwing, pants-wearing, and fearsome fighters.
These women offer another reason for girls to want to be strong girls without the need for a fictional Wonder Woman.
The Greeks and the Amazons
The Greeks called women warriors who lived in Scythia the Amazons. Parts of this region were under the control of the Greeks’ arch-nemesis: Persia
These women were the single most popular subjects in Greek vase paintings. They appeared in city murals and sculptures. They were part of Greek myths in which they died young and beautiful almost always by a Greek male hero. Hercules, for example, the last of the mortals to become a god, fulfills his ninth labor by taking the magic girdle from the Amazon queen Hippolyta.
The Greeks expected strict division of male and female roles. Therefore, nothing unsettled them more than the idea of the lives of a nomadic Scythian culture where boys and girls wore the same clothing and learned to ride and hunt together. These girls grew up to become horse riders, archers, wrestlers, and hunters. Their independence awed and scared the Greeks.
So, they depicted Scythian women as inferior, referring to them as “foreign barbaric women in far-away lands.”
The Greeks constantly fought the Amazons. Imagine facing 500 of these fierce women on a battlefield!
Amazon Tombs
The greatest number of graves belonging to warrior women have been found in the area north of the Black Sea in recent decades. The graves provide an insight into the lives of these women and shed light on how the Greeks described them.
It was only after DNA tests showed that the skeletons belonged to women that archeologists confirmed that there was much truth to what was previously known as Greek myths about the Amazons. DNA tests on the remains showed sex and age at the time of death and also everyday wear and tear on the bones, such as diseases, healed injures, and fatal blows. A lifetime of horse riding was evident in the bowed legs of the remains.
Warrior queens were buried in splendid tombs with their weapons as well as jewelry, very similar to descriptions by classical historians like Herodotus, the fifth century B.C. author known as the father of history.
One tomb belonged to a sixth-century BC warrior with a bracelet of fox teeth and gold earrings.
The skeleton of another female still had a bent arrowhead embedded in the cavity.
On average, the weapon-bearing females measured 5 feet 6 inches, making them tall for their time.
In Ukraine, where people are showing courage and bravery against invading Russian forces, women warriors were buried with heavily armored war belts with bronze or iron plates. A grave in Ukraine held a warrior woman, a child, a horse, along with 21 arrows in a leather and wood quiver, according to prominent Stanford scholar, Adrienne Mayor, who authored The Amazons, Lives, and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World.
Amazon Lifestyle
These women smoked, drank, danced, and played music. Ancient Greek sources and modern archeological discoveries confirm that two intoxicants, fermented mare’s milk, and cannabis, were part of everyday life in Scythia. Herodotus describes Amazons dancing and singing around the Kannabis fire circle.
Further, these self-sufficient women belonged to no men and were free to have sex with men on their terms. This was terrifying to Greeks since Greek girls were usually married by the age of eighteen and their guardianship was passed from a male relative to a husband.
Amazons sought relationships and lived with their partners. They were gentle and had kids to perpetuate their tribes. A story recounted by the Greek author, Philostratus, tells how the Amazons capture a ship and its sailors. They were planning to kill the sailors when one young Amazon felt pity and sexual desire for the youngest sailor. She pleaded for his freedom and the Amazons decided to release all the sailors. The sailors stayed and had close relationships with the women. They even taught the Amazons to sail, according to Mayor.
One-Breasted Warriors
The idea that a warrior woman removed one breast so that she could shoot arrows with ease is based on zero evidence, according to Mayor. All Amazons in Greek and Roman art are double-breasted too, suggesting even ancient artists refused to buy the notion.
No evidence supports the Greek myth that the Amazons abandoned or killed their baby boys. Archeologists found remains of warrior women buried with an infant or child, suggesting they did not want to be separated from them even in death.
Amazons of Persia
Iranian archeologists discovered over 100 ancient tombs belonging to warriors buried with their weapons near the Caspian Sea. A DNA test in 2004 revealed that at least one of the graves belonged to a woman. Further tests on the other remains were underway. According to Mayor, this region was associated with the Amazon Queen Thalestris, who met Alexander the Great during his campaign.
Women appeared in ancient Persian armies as soldiers and commanders. Roman authors noted the substantial number of women in military roles, particularly in the Sassanian army, according to Kaveh Farrokh, the author of The Armies of Ancient Persia: The Sassanian
The Persians recruited women for combat at critical times which suggests that they trained women just like men in the arts of War.
Apranik was a Sasanian military commander who commanded the army of Yazdegerd III against the Arab invasion of 651 AD.
And finally, do you remember Gordafarid, a symbol of courage and wisdom for Iranian women?
She is the heroine in The Shahnameh, or the Book of Kings, by the Persian poet Hakim Abul Qassem Ferdowsi around 1000 AD.
When Gordafarid learned that their leader had allowed himself to be taken, she found his behavior so shameful that her rosy cheeks became as black as pitch with rage. With not a moment’s delay, she dressed herself in a knight’s armor, gathered her hair beneath a Rumi helmet, and rode out from the fortress, a lion eager for battle. She roared at the enemy ranks, “Where are your heroes, your warriors, your tried and tested chieftains?
Gordafardid also encountered Sohrab, one of the male heroes of the Shahnameh, in combat. When she saw him, she turned in her saddle, drew a sharp blade from her waist, struck at his lance, and parted it in two.
Women had real power in ancient Persia. Read the story of Apranik, the commander who fought against the invading forces during the final years of the Sassanian dynasty.
What is the Relationship between Yalda and Christmas?
By: Nazila Fathi
Dec. 10, 2021–
On December 21, Iranians celebrate Yalda, one of the most ancient pagan festivals. Just four nights later, on December 25, the Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Is there a link between the two?
Yalda marks the winter solstice; it is the last night of fall and the longest night of the year.
Yalda means birth and it refers to the birth of Mithra, the Sun God, who symbolizes light, goodness, and strength on earth. The concept in ancient Persia can be traced back to the primal struggle pitting light and good against darkness and evil when Mithra was the most important of the Persia gods.
After Yalda, light triumphs, as the days grow longer and give more light. Iranians celebrate the last night of fall as the renewal of the sun and the victory of light over darkness.
Beginning with Darius the Great (522–486 BCE), the Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty adopted Zoroastrianism as the new religion of the land. It was one of the world’s first monotheistic religions.
But Darius and his successors did not wish to eradicate the old beliefs that were still dear to the hearts of many nobles. Thus, old traditions and celebrations became part of Zoroastrianism, including the celebration of the birth of Mithra on December 21 in honor of the old gods.
Today, the majority of Iran’s population are Muslim but they still celebrate pagan traditions. Yalda Night is the longest evening of the year by one minute. For Iranians, it is a night of eating, celebrating, and telling stories until the early morning.
Other than Iran, Yalda is observed in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Greeks did not worship Mithra because he had been the god of their enemies, the Persians. But, from 136 CE onward, there are hundreds of dedicatory inscriptions to Mithra in the Roman world. It is difficult to explain the reason for their interest, but it was mostly the nobles who celebrated Mithra’s birthday.
For some Romans, the celebration was the most sacred day of the year.
Is Yalda the Origin of Christmas?
Some scholars believe that the pagan Yalda celebration might be the origin of Christmas.
According to some accounts, in the 4th century CE, because of errors in counting leap years, the birthday of Mithra shifted to December 25.
Until that time, the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated on January 6 by the Eastern Christian Churches. But the religion of most of the Romans and the people of the western part of Europe was still Mithraism.
When Christianity spread, the priests could not stop people from celebrating Mithra’s birthday on December 25. Mithraism was a rival to Christianity. So, they declared this day to be Jesus’s birthday.
By holding Christmas at the same time as the traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced but gave up attempting to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religions.
Anthropologist James George Frazer, the influential author of The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, wrote, “Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate the birthday of its Founder on the twenty-fifth of December to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the Sun to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness.”
The Christmas Tree
Long before the advent of Christianity, plants, and trees that remained green all year round had a special meaning for people in the winter.
In ancient Persia, Yalda festivities were symbolized by an evergreen tree. Young girls wrapped their wishes in silk cloth and hung them on the tree. Eventually, it became a custom to place gifts under the evergreen tree.
In the 16th century in Germany, devout Christians began bringing decorated trees into their homes, thus starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it.
The first record of one being on display in the United States was in the 1830s when a tree was erected by German settlers in Pennsylvania. The German settlements in Pennsylvania had community trees. However, until the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German consort, Prince Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike previous monarchs, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable not only in Britain but with East Coast American society.
The Christmas tree had arrived.
What does Yalda Mean to Iranians?
Yalda remains one of the most important feasts in Iran. In 2001, The New York Times published a story I wrote about the significance of the celebrations.
On the evening of December 21 or Yalda night, families of all faiths gather at an elder’s house to celebrate the start of longer days and to prepare for a cold winter.
Daytime was considered good by ancient Persians because it was a time for work, unlike the evening, when people had to light fires to keep evil spirits away. The dawn represented the victory of good over bad, an opportunity for work, which deserved to be celebrated.
At Yalda, families feast on nuts, dried fruit, watermelon, and pomegranates. They believed that watermelon kept people healthy in the wintertime. The red seeds of the pomegranate symbolize fertility, rebirth, and life.
In the weeks leading to Yalda night, shops around the country display signs advertising watermelons preserved in industrial refrigerators. Iranian state television broadcasts programs about the Yalda feast. An actor or anchor is often shown reading poetry while sitting behind a table covered with flowers, pomegranates, nuts, and a chopped watermelon.
Because December 21 is the longest and darkest night, it has come to symbolize many things in Persian poetry, such as separation from a loved one, loneliness, and waiting. Saadi Shiraz, a 13th-century Persian poet, wrote:
“The sight of you each morning is a New Year
Any night of your departure is the eve of Yalda.”
“With all my pains, there is still the hope of recovery
Like the eve of Yalda, there will finally be an end.”
How is Yalda Celebrated?
The feast aims to keep you in the company of your loved ones and to protect you from the loneliness of the longest night of the year.
An Iranian-American blogger who grew up in the US and moved to Iran, describes the celebrations in simple steps:
- Set the table
You need a coffee table large enough that everyone can sit around it.
- Munch on red fruit and nuts
You need to put on the table bowls of red fruit, specifically watermelon and pomegranate. Pomegranate is considered a heavenly fruit in Persian culture.
- Get divine guidance from Persian poets
Poetry has a special place in Persian culture. It was the main way for Persians to preserve their culture and the Persian language over centuries of invasions. Reading poetry is an integral part of the Yalda celebration.
- Feast on Persian dishes
People from different parts of the country prepare different dishes for this night, but ash-e-reshteh appears to be common. This thick bean and noodle soup is topped with kashk (a whey product) and yummy fried onions and mint.
- Sip bottomless glasses of tea
The longest night of the year calls for glass after glass of cardamom-infused Persian tea!
- Enjoy time with your family and friends
Some people have called Yalda the Iranians’ belated Thanksgiving. Be grateful for being surrounded by your loved ones, be thankful for the previous year’s blessings, and say a little prayer that 2022 will bring health and prosperity.