Ērān, Tūrān, Hrōm Talk Series (ETHS)

The purpose of this talk series is to advance the study of late antique/first millennium West and Central Asia within a broader Global Historical and Afro-Eurasian framework. While the series centers on Ērān—the core territories of the Sasanian dynasty and the Eastern Lands of the later caliphate—it aims to expand their study beyond the confines of traditional Iranian Studies, where they have been primarily situated.
For this purpose, the series particularly welcomes historians of Anērān (regions beyond Ērān) including China, Central/Inner Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean whose work intersects with the study of Ērān. This may involve connective or comparative approaches, exploring environmental history, technology transfers, and other transregional dynamics. Theoretical perspectives and reception histories are equally valued contributions to the series.
We hope to engage both established scholars and emerging researchers whose work examines Afro-Eurasian connections. The ultimate goal is to cultivate broader interest and scholarship in the interconnected worlds of Ērān and Anērān.

The Ērān, Tūrān, and Hrōm Talk Series (ETHS) presents Its inaugural lecture:

Pavel Lurje

State Hermitage Museum, Saint-Petersburg & Paris Institute for Advanced Study

Ibn Khurdâdhbih’s “Books on Roads and Kingdoms”17-18, and the Sasanian “Book of Thrones”

April 3rd, 2025, 18h00

University of Lille, Pont-de-Bois, Building E.1.30

& online

Please register here to get the zoom link:

https://forms.gle/PVmDjp4XtPeBF6gR6

Abstract

This presentation will discuss a short passage from Ibn Khurradadbih’s geographical treatise in light of the political geography of the first Sasanian King of Kings. It will explore the possible content and organization of the lost Sasanian Gâhnâmag (Book of Thrones) and suggest that Ibn Khurdâdhbih’s passage may have been derived from this text. By including numismatic and archaeological evidence, the presentation will make conclusions about the early Sasanian rule and issues such ad the length of Kushan-Sasanian rule.

Ērān Tūrān Hrōm Network & Talk Series