History and Religion. 17 had succeeded in maintaining themselves against the seductive attractions of Greek beliefs, served as they were by poetic and artistic productions the sovereigns affected to admire. The creed of AhurA-Mazda was re-installed in its pristine position as state
- religion, and native art, though unconsciously under the spell of
Greek and Roman models, chiefly addressed itself to and drew its inspirations from types of the Achaemenid period, and strove to the utmost to revive its symbols. The Arab conquest caused a much more lasting and deeper perturbation in the internal sute of Iran than that of Alexander had done. Fire-worship was proscribed; those few Iranians who had remained laithful to the old creed were obliged to practise its rites by stealth in order to escape severe punishment, or seek a refuge in distant India. Hence almost the whole population embraced Islamism; in which religion they have continued to the present day, under the various dynasties, nearly all Arab or Turkish, that have ruled over Persia. Nevertheless, despite change of religion and the mixture of foreign blood which numerous invasions have intro- duced in the native population, Persian genius has withstood with rare persistency, and repelled with might and main, the onslaughts of the powers conspired against its destruction. The Islambm of Persia is apparent rather than real ; her passionate devotion to Ali and his sons, one of whom was the son-in-law of the last Sassanid king, served her as pretext to fall away and keep herself aloof from the rest of the Moslem world. "Although subdued by a Semitic religion, Persia has none the less known how to maintain her claims to be considered a Hindo-European nation, and to create a philosophy, mythology, and an epos of her own." ' The latter, the Skaknamek (" Book of Kings"), with utter disregard to chronology, travels back to the mythic heroes of the race, who^ with more than human proportions) are the actors of the drama in which are set forth the struggles, extending over centuries, which they sustained for the independence of Iran. The pseudo-history shows us that if the Persians had well-nigh forgotten the name of their most famous king, if the inventive ' Renan, Essai sur Averrhaes, 68 ; J. Darmesteter, Coup (faril sur Vhistoire de la rrs, i)p. 35-43. Trois arts en Aste, 8vo, 1859, by Gobineau, contains a subtle analysis of the Persian character, its originality and unchangeable- ness. Digitized by Google
