A proChristian history of the Sasanians

Michael Jackson Bonner, who last decade had posted some good stuff about Sasanian ideological output, in 2020 published a full book: The Last Empire of Iran. I didn't buy it because, frankly, it cost too bloody much: it's a Gorgias joint. Van Bladel has reviewed it and is highlighting another problem with Gorgias - that it is a Syriac imprint, publishing proChristian product.

According to van Bladel, Bonner has treated the Sasanians - and the Muslims - like an East Syrian archbishop might. The former follows the cow faith of "Zoroastrianism" and the latter are camel jockeys - so the review claims of the book. Van Bladel proposes that both religions deserve better, at least from 21st-century scholarship if we cannot check our biases. (G-d knows Van Bladel is no slavish Noeldekist, himself.)

Also missing - which Van Bladel concedes are deliberate omissions - society, economy, material culture, and archaeology. Yes, archaeology is a dry topic; yes, we can handle material-culture in footnotes. But how the F$^* can you talk about an empire without discussing its society? For the Sasanians in particular we really must say something of its economy, especially given Mazdakism.

An actual Parsi or Muslim, at this point, has cause to consider Gorgias as Bombadier priced as Brill. Except that this would insult Bombadier; Gorgias here is rooting around Mohammed and Charlemagne Revisited territory.

On topic of Islamic origins (while we're here): available since last July is an essay by Stephen Shoemaker attached to some others, courtesy Cascade (and Amazon, if you own Kindle and want the $10 epub). Unfortunately my introduction to this work is a commentary on footnote 181; which footnote is annoying al-Jallad, van Putten, and even MacDonald. Also lately available is Robert Spencer.