November 22, 2024

The Lost Temples of Anahita: Archaeologists Unearth a Water Goddess Cult in the Zagros Mountains

Led by Dr. Michael Brown, archaeological excavations have actually unearthed evidence recommending the existence of a worship site, highlighting the sites religious and historic significance throughout the Parthian Empire. According to Dr Brown, there might have been a pre-existing shrine that was soaked up into the Anahita cult throughout the Parthian period, which might have been essential in the profession of the mountain.At that time lots of religious websites also functioned as dynastic cult sites honoring the king and his forefathers, explains the Heidelberg archaeologist. “Even if the cult site can not be definitively associated to the water goddess Anahita due to the absence of comparable archaeological finds for direct comparison, the Rabana sanctuary still supplies us with a fascinating look into the regional sacral and geopolitical interconnections during the Parthian age,” states Dr Brown.Reference: “A Possible Parthian-Era Anahita Sanctuary at Rabana in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq” by Michael Brown and Rebin Rashid, 11 January 2024, Iraq.DOI: 10.1017/ irq.2023.6 The German Research Foundation is moneying present research at Rabana-Merquly.

Rabana-Merquly, an ancient site in Iraqi Kurdistan, might have acted as both a fortress and a sanctuary devoted to the Persian water goddess Anahita. Led by Dr. Michael Brown, historical excavations have discovered evidence recommending the presence of a worship website, highlighting the websites spiritual and historic significance during the Parthian Empire. Ephemeral waterfall with main staircase and wadi (April 2019). Credit: Rabana-Merquly Archaeological ProjectArchaeological digs in Iraqi Kurdistan have uncovered a sanctuary committed to Anahita, the water goddess.Besides being a fortress for military usage, the ancient mountain settlement of Rabana-Merquly in modern Iraqi Kurdistan might have also been a sanctuary devoted to the ancient Persian water goddess Anahita. Architectural structures by a natural waterfall together with the remains of a possible fire altar point to the presence of a website of worship, according to Dr Michael Brown.The scientist from the Institute of Prehistory, Protohistory, and Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology of Heidelberg University has led excavations there for numerous years.The mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly was a crucial local center of the Parthian Empire, which crossed parts of Iran and Mesopotamia roughly 2,000 years ago. Positioned on the southwest flanks of Mt. Piramagrun in the Zagros Mountains, it comprises not only the almost four-kilometer-long fortifications but also 2 smaller sized settlements for which it is named.Within the framework of several excavation campaigns carried out from 2009 and most just recently in between 2019 and 2022, a global research team studied the archaeological remains on website. Neglecting the strengthened entrance to Rabana is a rock relief illustrating a confidential ruler, who was most likely a regional Parthian vassal king credited with the websites foundation. Inside Rabana valley, the researchers likewise found a spiritual complex that might have been committed to the goddess Anahita.The Cult of AnahitaThe water goddess Anahita was first pointed out in a manuscript collection of the Zoroastrian religious beliefs called the Avesta. There she appears as the celestial source of all the waters on Earth; she is described as an epic gorgeous lady who can presume the kind of a flowing stream or waterfall. The cult of Anahita was highly venerated in the western regions of Iraq during Seleucid and Parthian times.The hypothesis that a possible Anahita shrine becomes part of the Rabana-Merquly mountain fortress is based primarily on finds of architectural extensions in the natural surroundings of a seasonal waterfall situated on the fortress site. The scientists likewise discovered an altar-like sculpture neighboring carved into an escarpment, where offerings or oil may have been burned. “The proximity to the waterfall is significant, because the association of fire and water components played an essential function in pre-Islamic Persian religion,” specifies Michael Brown.The website consists of the remains of a building where in 2022 archaeologists uncovered two characteristic burial vessels that were radiocarbon dated to the second to very first century BC. That recommends that the shrine remained in usage during the duration in which the fortified settlements of Rabana and Merquly developed. According to Dr Brown, there might have been a pre-existing shrine that was taken in into the Anahita cult during the Parthian era, which might have been critical in the profession of the mountain.At that time many spiritual websites also operated as dynastic cult websites honoring the king and his forefathers, describes the Heidelberg archaeologist. Worshipers approaching the sanctuary would have passed under the rulers rock relief, and were certainly familiar with the strong link in between cult, location, and royalty. “Even if the cult site can not be definitively attributed to the water goddess Anahita due to the lack of comparable historical finds for direct contrast, the Rabana sanctuary still offers us with a fascinating glance into the local sacral and geopolitical affiliations throughout the Parthian age,” specifies Dr Brown.Reference: “A Possible Parthian-Era Anahita Sanctuary at Rabana in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq” by Michael Brown and Rebin Rashid, 11 January 2024, Iraq.DOI: 10.1017/ irq.2023.6 The German Research Foundation is funding present research at Rabana-Merquly. The current excavations led by Michael Brown were carried out in cooperation with the Slemani Antiquities Directorate in Iraqi Kurdistan.