اسماعیل سنگری

The Territorial conquests of the Medes, as Far East as Hyrcania, could be traced from the first half of the seventh century BC onwards. The first Median kings undertook far-flung campaigns to take control of the region and extend their territory. The existence of the fortified settlement in the Gorgān plain could prove the expansion of centralized Median kingdom as far as Hyrcania. The Assyrian sources of the 9th to 7th century BC are also in overall agreement with the results of the archeological studies in the western steppe of Gorgān plain (Hyrcania). As a result, the Median’s dominance over Hyrcania determined the strategies and political guidelines of the Median kingdom and set the foundations for its transformation from a confederation of tribes to a powerful trans-regional state. Accordingly, in the present paper, beside historical and literary sources, archaeological evidences have also been studied in order to determine the Median’s range of territory in the east of their homeland.

Daštān is a Persian word meaning the menstrual cycle that happens to every girl after puberty. In Zoroastrianism, the menstrual cycle is tied to mythology so that they believed it occurred after the Ahriman’s kiss on the forehead of Jahī (Demoness of lasciviousness). The consequence of this belief about menstruation (Daštān) resulted in strict rules to prevent pollution and impurities of sacred elements. Most rules were written in post-Sasanian texts. The obligations of a woman in time of Daštān were stated in those texts. This research describes and analyzes the issue of Daštān in texts based on literary evidence. It examines whether the strict laws surrounding Daštān originated from religious laws or were rooted in myth, and what attitude towards women they created. Studies show that Daštān was considered filthy. Since the menstrual cycle is a periodical condition, a set of rules were conducted for women to obey in order to prevent the spread of pollution. In spite of negative ideas in some texts including Bundahišn and Zādspram about this issue, there were no negative approaches towards women.