Michael Shenkar | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (original) (raw)
Books by Michael Shenkar
In Intangible Spirits and Graven Images, Michael Shenkar investigates the perception of ancient I... more In Intangible Spirits and Graven Images, Michael Shenkar investigates the perception of ancient Iranian deities and their representation in the Iranian cults. This ground-breaking study traces the evolution of the images of these deities, analyses the origin of their iconography, and evaluates their significance. Shenkar also explores the perception of anthropomorphism and aniconism in ancient Iranian religious imagery, with reference to the material evidence and the written sources, and reassesses the value of the Avestan and Middle Persian texts that are traditionally employed to illuminate Iranian religious imagery. In doing so, this book provides important new insights into the religion and culture of ancient Iran prior to the Islamic conquest.
Papers by Michael Shenkar
Yahwism under the Achaemenid Empire. Professor Shaul Shaked in Memoriam, edited by Gad Barnea and Reinhard G. Kratz., 2024
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111018638-014/html
Тахти-Сангин как пример синтеза цивилизаций Востока и Запада. Материалы Международного научного симпозиума, посвященного 2500-летию городища Тахти-Сангин (Душанбе, 4-6 октября 2023 г.) – Душанбе: Дониш., 2023
The paper discusses the origin of the fire-temples in light of the recent excavations in Afghanis... more The paper discusses the origin of the fire-temples in light of the recent excavations in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It addresses the place of the fire-worship in the Achaemenid dynastic cult and its complex relations with cultic practices attested in the later Zoroastrian tradition.
היסטוריה 50, 2023
From the dawn of their history, the ancient Iranians preferred to transmit their literary and rel... more From the dawn of their history, the ancient Iranians preferred to transmit their literary and religious compositions orally. Even after they had established a series of successive empires that ruled a large part of the Middle East for centuries, no tradition of historical writing had ever emerged in the ancient Iranian world, and it seems that only administrative and economic texts were written down. Historical figures and events were molded in epic patterns and became part of the stories, poems and songs that were transmitted orally by professional storytellers. The ancient Iranians were concerned not with preserving the memory of concrete ʻhistorical eventsʼ or ʻfacts,ʼ but rather with creating a meaningful and colorful story. Another important aspect of historical memory in ancient Iran was keeping records of the length of each king’s reign and creating a sequence of rulers. These were the two main components of historical memory in Ancient Iran.
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2023
Biran, Michal, Michael Shenkar, Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Kunbolot Akmatov, and Valery Kolchenko. “The ... more Biran, Michal, Michael Shenkar, Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Kunbolot Akmatov, and Valery Kolchenko. “The Kök-Tash Underground Mausoleum in North-Eastern Kyrgyzstan: the First-Ever Identified Qara Khitai Elite Tomb?” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2023, 1–33. doi:10.1017/S1356186322000621.
Baumer Ch. and Novak, M. (eds.), Cultures in Contact Central Asia as Focus of Trade, Cultural Exchange and Knowledge Transmission, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 327-351., 2022
Contact me for the complete pdf.
Tor, D. and Inaba, M. (eds.), The History and Culture of Iran and Central Asia in the First Millennium CE: From the Pre-Islamic to the Islamic Era, Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, pp. 95-125., 2022
Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies, 2022
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/PBDJIZ72DI3Y3GAI6ZHE/full?target=10.1080/05786967.2022.2037101
![Research paper thumbnail of Курбанов Ш.Ф., Аминов Ф.Ш., Пулотов А.Г., Шенкарь М.А. Археологические исследования на городище Санджаршах в 2014 г. / Археологические работы в Таджикистане. - Вып. 40. [ред. вып. Г.Р. Каримова]. - Душанбе, 2019. - С. 215 - 251.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/64881564/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](![Research paper thumbnail of “Masters” and “Natives”. Digging the Others’ Past (Svetlana Gorshenina, Philippe Bornet, Michel E. Fuchs, Claude Rapin [Eds.], Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019): Book Discussion Forum](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/64800944/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Bulletin of IICAS, 2020
“Masters” and “Natives”. Digging the Others’ Past (Svetlana Gorshenina, Philippe Bornet, Michel E... more “Masters” and “Natives”. Digging the Others’ Past (Svetlana Gorshenina, Philippe Bornet, Michel E. Fuchs, Claude Rapin [Eds.], Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019): Book Discussion Forum (Fiona Kidd, Elise Luneau, Marek Jan Olbrycht, Mikhail Shenkar, Michele Minardi, Gian Luca Bonora, Simon Mantellini, Carlo Lippolis), Bulletin of IICAS, No. 29, 2020, рр. 108-123.
In English.
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 63.3, 2020
https://brill.com/view/journals/jesh/63/3/article-p357\_4.xml The article discusses when, how and... more https://brill.com/view/journals/jesh/63/3/article-p357_4.xml
The article discusses when, how and why oligarchic, self-governed civic communities (nāf) emerged in Sogdiana. On the basis of primary sources, such as the Kultobe inscriptions , and on comparative material from the two best-known city-state cultures-the Greek poleis and the medieval north Italian republics-it is argued that the development of the Sogdian civic communities occurred during the first century BCE-second century CE, when Sogdiana was part of the nomad-ruled Kangju state. This process is linked to Sogdian colonial expansion and the growth in the volume and complexity of trade.
Lerner, J. and A. Julliano. (eds.), Inner and Central Asian Art and Archaeology, vol. 2, Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 9-31., 2019
The Image Debate: Figural Representation in Islam and Across the World, Gruber, Ch. (ed.), London: Gingko Library, pp. 124-142., 2019
Friedmann, Y. and Kohlberg, E. (eds.), Studies in Honor of Professor Shaul Shaked, Israel Academy of Sciences., 2019
Journal of Persianate Studies 11.2, 2018
The article discusses the venue and the nature of the coronation ceremony of the Sasanian kings i... more The article discusses the venue and the nature of the coronation ceremony of the Sasanian kings in the third century. It is argued that the coronation of the early Sasanians was a continuation of a Hellenistic ceremony, which was essentially the act of binding a diadem around one’s head. It seems that the common practice was for the king to bind the diadem himself in the presence of a select circle of courtiers or only in the presence of the gods. Furthermore, the article will demonstrate that Ctesiphon was neither the “capital” nor even the most important residence of the early Sasanians and no ceremony of coronation took place there in the third century.
In Intangible Spirits and Graven Images, Michael Shenkar investigates the perception of ancient I... more In Intangible Spirits and Graven Images, Michael Shenkar investigates the perception of ancient Iranian deities and their representation in the Iranian cults. This ground-breaking study traces the evolution of the images of these deities, analyses the origin of their iconography, and evaluates their significance. Shenkar also explores the perception of anthropomorphism and aniconism in ancient Iranian religious imagery, with reference to the material evidence and the written sources, and reassesses the value of the Avestan and Middle Persian texts that are traditionally employed to illuminate Iranian religious imagery. In doing so, this book provides important new insights into the religion and culture of ancient Iran prior to the Islamic conquest.
Yahwism under the Achaemenid Empire. Professor Shaul Shaked in Memoriam, edited by Gad Barnea and Reinhard G. Kratz., 2024
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111018638-014/html
Тахти-Сангин как пример синтеза цивилизаций Востока и Запада. Материалы Международного научного симпозиума, посвященного 2500-летию городища Тахти-Сангин (Душанбе, 4-6 октября 2023 г.) – Душанбе: Дониш., 2023
The paper discusses the origin of the fire-temples in light of the recent excavations in Afghanis... more The paper discusses the origin of the fire-temples in light of the recent excavations in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It addresses the place of the fire-worship in the Achaemenid dynastic cult and its complex relations with cultic practices attested in the later Zoroastrian tradition.
היסטוריה 50, 2023
From the dawn of their history, the ancient Iranians preferred to transmit their literary and rel... more From the dawn of their history, the ancient Iranians preferred to transmit their literary and religious compositions orally. Even after they had established a series of successive empires that ruled a large part of the Middle East for centuries, no tradition of historical writing had ever emerged in the ancient Iranian world, and it seems that only administrative and economic texts were written down. Historical figures and events were molded in epic patterns and became part of the stories, poems and songs that were transmitted orally by professional storytellers. The ancient Iranians were concerned not with preserving the memory of concrete ʻhistorical eventsʼ or ʻfacts,ʼ but rather with creating a meaningful and colorful story. Another important aspect of historical memory in ancient Iran was keeping records of the length of each king’s reign and creating a sequence of rulers. These were the two main components of historical memory in Ancient Iran.
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2023
Biran, Michal, Michael Shenkar, Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Kunbolot Akmatov, and Valery Kolchenko. “The ... more Biran, Michal, Michael Shenkar, Kubatbek Tabaldiev, Kunbolot Akmatov, and Valery Kolchenko. “The Kök-Tash Underground Mausoleum in North-Eastern Kyrgyzstan: the First-Ever Identified Qara Khitai Elite Tomb?” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2023, 1–33. doi:10.1017/S1356186322000621.
Baumer Ch. and Novak, M. (eds.), Cultures in Contact Central Asia as Focus of Trade, Cultural Exchange and Knowledge Transmission, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 327-351., 2022
Contact me for the complete pdf.
Tor, D. and Inaba, M. (eds.), The History and Culture of Iran and Central Asia in the First Millennium CE: From the Pre-Islamic to the Islamic Era, Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, pp. 95-125., 2022
Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies, 2022
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/PBDJIZ72DI3Y3GAI6ZHE/full?target=10.1080/05786967.2022.2037101
Bulletin of IICAS, 2020
“Masters” and “Natives”. Digging the Others’ Past (Svetlana Gorshenina, Philippe Bornet, Michel E... more “Masters” and “Natives”. Digging the Others’ Past (Svetlana Gorshenina, Philippe Bornet, Michel E. Fuchs, Claude Rapin [Eds.], Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019): Book Discussion Forum (Fiona Kidd, Elise Luneau, Marek Jan Olbrycht, Mikhail Shenkar, Michele Minardi, Gian Luca Bonora, Simon Mantellini, Carlo Lippolis), Bulletin of IICAS, No. 29, 2020, рр. 108-123.
In English.
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 63.3, 2020
https://brill.com/view/journals/jesh/63/3/article-p357\_4.xml The article discusses when, how and... more https://brill.com/view/journals/jesh/63/3/article-p357_4.xml
The article discusses when, how and why oligarchic, self-governed civic communities (nāf) emerged in Sogdiana. On the basis of primary sources, such as the Kultobe inscriptions , and on comparative material from the two best-known city-state cultures-the Greek poleis and the medieval north Italian republics-it is argued that the development of the Sogdian civic communities occurred during the first century BCE-second century CE, when Sogdiana was part of the nomad-ruled Kangju state. This process is linked to Sogdian colonial expansion and the growth in the volume and complexity of trade.
Lerner, J. and A. Julliano. (eds.), Inner and Central Asian Art and Archaeology, vol. 2, Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 9-31., 2019
The Image Debate: Figural Representation in Islam and Across the World, Gruber, Ch. (ed.), London: Gingko Library, pp. 124-142., 2019
Friedmann, Y. and Kohlberg, E. (eds.), Studies in Honor of Professor Shaul Shaked, Israel Academy of Sciences., 2019
Journal of Persianate Studies 11.2, 2018
The article discusses the venue and the nature of the coronation ceremony of the Sasanian kings i... more The article discusses the venue and the nature of the coronation ceremony of the Sasanian kings in the third century. It is argued that the coronation of the early Sasanians was a continuation of a Hellenistic ceremony, which was essentially the act of binding a diadem around one’s head. It seems that the common practice was for the king to bind the diadem himself in the presence of a select circle of courtiers or only in the presence of the gods. Furthermore, the article will demonstrate that Ctesiphon was neither the “capital” nor even the most important residence of the early Sasanians and no ceremony of coronation took place there in the third century.
The article presents two special finds uncovered at the site of Sanjar-Shah during the 2016 arche... more The article presents two special finds uncovered at the site of Sanjar-Shah during the 2016 archeological season—a bronze pin with a unique finial of two Janus-like faces, and a fragment of a Chinese mirror. The bronze pin has no parallels among Sogdian objects but is strikingly similar to a group of so-called "mace-heads" that originate in Sasanian Iran.We suggest that the design of the Sanjar-Shah pin is inspired by these objects, all of them being modelled on real maces attested in Sogdian paintings. The surviving fragment of the mirror allows us to establish that it belongs to a well-known type of mirror from the Tang period, the Zhenzifeishuang mirror. This is the first time that a mirror of this type has been found outside of China.
Call for Papers: The Humanities and Social Sciences Fund Conference titled Collective Sovereignty... more Call for Papers:
The Humanities and Social Sciences Fund Conference titled
Collective Sovereignty, Royal Clans, and Sacred Kingship in pre-Modern Central Eurasia
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, June 13-15, 2023
The conference will be the first academic forum to systematically examine the connections between joint sovereignty and sacred kingship. Several leading experts already confirmed their participation, but we are also looking for additional papers concerned especially- but not limited to- the cases of the Uighur Empire, the Khazars, the Tang Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty and Muscovy.
Submission of Abstracts:
Please send abstracts- up to 250 words- and short CV to ercmongol@gmail.com until November 1, 2022.
Funding:
The conference will cover accommodation (up to 4 nights in Jerusalem) and-hopefully- depending on existing funding- at least part of the travel expenses.
For queries please contact Michal Biran at ercmongol@gmail.com or Jonathan Brack at brackjon@bgu.ac.il
The Organizing committee: Reuven Amitai, Michal Biran, Jonathan Brack, Michael Shenkar
Call for Enrollment of MA Students The Asian Sphere offers a unique opportunity for outstanding c... more Call for Enrollment of MA Students The Asian Sphere offers a unique opportunity for outstanding candidates, at the MA and PhD level, to enroll in a multidisciplinary and inter-university graduate program that deals with the Asian continent.
