Rostam
Historical basis: c/e
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Echoes of these events are preserved in the legends of the Sistān cycle, partly incorporated in the ''Shahnameh'', but once also surviving as independent epics, such as the [[Garshaspname|''Garšāspnāma'']] mentioned in the [[Tarikh-i Sistan|''Tārikh-e Sistān'']], and the ''Ketāb al-Sakisarān'' cited by [[al-Masudi]]. These related the deeds of the hero [[Garshasp]] and his descendants, [[Nariman (father of Sām)|Narimān]], Sām, Zāl or Dastān, and above all of the latter's son Rostam. It is difficult to relate the [[Indo-Parthian]] names known from coins and history to those of the epic, which are possibly honorific titles, since a recently reported silver coin describes Gondophares (spelt in Greek script Hyndopharres) as ''surnamed'' Sām. A single ruler may of course have received more than one such title, and the historical names may be repeated in succeeding generations.{{Iranica |gondophares}} |
Echoes of these events are preserved in the legends of the Sistān cycle, partly incorporated in the ''Shahnameh'', but once also surviving as independent epics, such as the [[Garshaspname|''Garšāspnāma'']] mentioned in the [[Tarikh-i Sistan|''Tārikh-e Sistān'']], and the ''Ketāb al-Sakisarān'' cited by [[al-Masudi]]. These related the deeds of the hero [[Garshasp]] and his descendants, [[Nariman (father of Sām)|Narimān]], Sām, Zāl or Dastān, and above all of the latter's son Rostam. It is difficult to relate the [[Indo-Parthian]] names known from coins and history to those of the epic, which are possibly honorific titles, since a recently reported silver coin describes Gondophares (spelt in Greek script Hyndopharres) as ''surnamed'' Sām. A single ruler may of course have received more than one such title, and the historical names may be repeated in succeeding generations.{{Iranica |gondophares}} |
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The character of Rostam was not an invention |
The character of Rostam was not an Ferdowsi's invention. By the end of the Sasanian peiod, legends of Rostam were well known across all Iranian lands. Ferdowsi was chiefly responsible for glorifying his fame. A substantial collection of [[Pahlavi scripts|Pahlavi texts]] spoke of the legend of Rostam. [[Josef Markwart]] traced the background of Rostam, showing his Parthian (Arsacid) origins. The home of Rostam in the ''Shahnameh'' was [[Sakastan (Sasanian province)|Sakastan]], the ancestral seat of the [[House of Suren]],{{efn|This is also the House in which the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] [[Surena|General Surena]] originated from.}} one of the seven [[Seven Great Houses of Iran|Great Parthian Families of Iran]] (the Seven Parthian Clans). This indicates that the House of Rostam, in the epic, is directly parallel to a Parthian noble house. Rostam's dragon banner was also directly influenced by the Parthians.{{cite journal |last1=Shahbazi |first1=A. S.H. |date=1993 |title=The Parthian Origins of the House of Rustam |url=https://www.azargoshnasp.net/Din/parthianoriginrostam.pdf |journal=Iranian Studies in Honor of A. D. H. Bivar |volume=7 |issue= |publisher=Bulletin of the Asia Institute |pages=155–163 |doi= |access-date=}} |
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== Family tree == |
== Family tree == |
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