Bundahisn

The<em> Bundahisn</em> meaning primal or foundational creation is the central Zoroastrian account of creation cosmology and eschatology. Compiled sometime in the ninth century CE it is one of the most important surviving testaments to Zoroastrian literature in the Middle Persian language and to pre-Islamic Iranian culture. Despite having been composed some two millennia after the Prophet Zoroaster's revelation it is nonetheless a concise compendium of ancient Zoroastrian knowledge that draws on and reshapes earlier layers of the tradition. <p/>Well known in the field of Iranian Studies as an essential primary source for scholars of ancient Iran's history religions literatures and languages the <em>Bundahisn</em> is also a great work of literature in and of itself ranking alongside the creation myths of other ancient traditions. The book's thirty-six diverse chapters which touch on astronomy eschatology zoology medicine and more are composed in a variety of styles registers and genres from spare lists and concise commentaries to philosophical discourses and poetic eschatological visions. This new translation the first in English in nearly a century highlights the aesthetic quality literary style and complexity and raises the profile of pre-Islamic Zoroastrian literature.<br>