Thank you Lorenzo for this handy summary covering one of a bucketlist of byways touched on but left unexplored by my education (which straddled the classical and the computer ages and therefore left me "partially informed", as distinct from today's generation who are mis- or dis-informed). Incredible to think we sat there construing Xenophon from the original Greek without knowing who he was, where he was or what war(s) he was fighting, or when (the how was covered in the text)
Interesting - especially regarding who wrote histories - but given we have 8 Scythian gods recorded, they can hardly have been monotheistic. Also, if it was the polytheists who were restoring local religions, it doesn't make sense that the Jews historically were fond of the dualist Zoroastrians.
Your comment made it clear I was not clear enough in the review, so I have added clarification. It is only the Scythian royal clan that Beckwith says is monotheist. And early Zoroastrianism does not seem to have been dualist.
Thank you Lorenzo for this handy summary covering one of a bucketlist of byways touched on but left unexplored by my education (which straddled the classical and the computer ages and therefore left me "partially informed", as distinct from today's generation who are mis- or dis-informed). Incredible to think we sat there construing Xenophon from the original Greek without knowing who he was, where he was or what war(s) he was fighting, or when (the how was covered in the text)
Interesting - especially regarding who wrote histories - but given we have 8 Scythian gods recorded, they can hardly have been monotheistic. Also, if it was the polytheists who were restoring local religions, it doesn't make sense that the Jews historically were fond of the dualist Zoroastrians.
Your comment made it clear I was not clear enough in the review, so I have added clarification. It is only the Scythian royal clan that Beckwith says is monotheist. And early Zoroastrianism does not seem to have been dualist.